[Question] "Designing" a reel

[MSchoular]

Hi All,

I just started my second year studying engineering. This year, one of our textbooks came with CAD software, which i have been playing around with a bit.

I thought an interesting little project would be to draw up a reel from the ground up. My question is, can anyone explain to me how the axle/spool are attached/held together? All the pictures i've looked at show some sort of axle (bar/bolt) surrounded by 3 screw heads....just wondering what those screws are holding together and what not.

If anyone has an exploded view for assembly or just pics of the parts of a project they've done/ showing how their project goes together, i'd love to see 'em!

Thanks!

[elan]

Im not an ingeneering but for me the best way to learn how something is made is to look and touch the real thing. You can probably find a tech diver in the local community who can lend you one or you can invest a 100 bucks and buy a salvo or halcyon reel on the decostop and likely resell it later for the same amount

[DennisS]

This site is about fly reels, he has a couple of books on reels and there is a forum. Take a look at some diving reels, read a little about fly reels and let us see a picture of what you come up with

Reelsmithing.com

[MSchoular]

Thanks for the replies guys! DennisS, i will definetly check that site out.
elan, i do know a guy with a reel i could look at over the weekend, i was just seeing what kind of info was out there in the mean time, i definetly agree hands-on is the best way to learn, i just don't know if the guy i know will want me taking his reel apart as i really need to see the "internal" components....

[Jim Lapenta]

Truth be told there really are no "internal components" on most reels. Not one I'd buy anyway. Just a simple post that the spool sits on. The biggest thing with reels is that simple is better. If you design one that is too complicated no one will use it for fear of it failing. I know this is an exercise but speaking as a machine shop employee as well as diver try to resist the natural tendency of an engineer to "make something better." Since what usually ends up happening is that it really is not and will make quick enemies of the guys that actually need to produce the item.

[MSchoular]

Truth be told there really are no "internal components" on most reels. Not one I'd buy anyway. Just a simple post that the spool sits on. The biggest thing with reels is that simple is better. If you design one that is too complicated no one will use it for fear of it failing. I know this is an exercise but speaking as a machine shop employee as well as diver try to resist the natural tendency of an engineer to "make something better." Since what usually ends up happening is that it really is not and will make quick enemies of the guys that actually need to produce the item.

I hear this time and time again, from profs and from a few mechanics i know. I was never really planning on doing a redesign, just drawing up all the components to get familiar with this CAD program.

I guess my question now is what is the purpose of the 3 screws i keep seeing if its just a spool on a post?..

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[Jim Lapenta]

Just looked at your example. Think about it. Take off the engineer hat for minute and look at from a purely practical angle. You have a spool. If it's machined out of one piece of delrin or similar material. Otherwise you have two flanges and a dowel with a hole drilled through between them. What holds the flanges to the dowel? Answer - three screws. No magical internal device, just a spool made of three pieces instead of one or two in the case of one loose flange and one machined spool/flange combination. The way the LM reel is made you can waterjet the flanges and cut the dowel from a rod drilled through the center with mounting holes for the flanges drilled in. Quicker to make, no lathe required, just a mill and in my case since I run one -a waterjet to cut the discs. It does look though like they are turning the ends of the dowel to fit the holes in the discs and still leave material to drill the mounting holes.

They may be buying the discs molded since the wj will leave a rougher edge. Later today I'll post some pics of the line stops I cut tonite out of 1/2 inch delrin to keep the line from going back into the reel. 24 of them in less than 1/2 hour including drawing and programming the waterjet.

[MSchoular]

I looked at the LM reel again, and tha totally makes sense. I was assuming the spool was 1 piece instead of three....

Awesome! I look forward to seeing them!

Also, any idea how they attach the rod to the handle?...

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[Jim Lapenta]

reel stops.jpgreel stops on mantas.jpgreel stops wcoins.jpg

Nice heavy bolt and nut? That's the way the Mantas are done. Dive Rite uses a rod welded to the frame on some of theirs. Others may have on that is threaded and just screws into the frame. Here are the reel stops I was talking about. These are out of 1/2 inch delrin, waterjet cut, and available in limited quantities.