Being terrible at remembering to take before pictures, I don’t have one of the actual spool we used, but it was very similar to this one. There were a few cracks and some of the boards were warped.
In addition to the spool, we also used some scrap plywood pieces, corner L brackets and included screws, brad nails, and some extremely watered down grey paint and some wood stain to age the plywood to match the spools.
Have a question about this project?
I've got 2 small plastic cable spools any suggestions besides tables!
She may be able to use the top or bottom of the round spool to make a lazy susan as well. She would need a smaller circle for the bottom, I'd suggest wood for weight then the circular lazy susan insides to hold the balls so it will spin. That part on not sure if can be bought as a whole or if she's going to need to build it.
Also, if the spool is large enough, as a child they made great picnic tables when left whole on their bottoms for the children or lined up as a serving buffet with round table clothes on them!
Where are some places I might a Free spool
I was fortunate to find someone selling spools, at $15 a piece no matter the size, from the Facebook Marketplace (I bought all 11 of them LOL)
You can also search the NextDoor (app) selling section and/or contact local electricians in your area. If anything they should be able to direct you where to go!
I've seen so many different prices attached to the various sizes, the bigger the spool the more expensive they get... once you know what you are looking for (by size & height) you'll find them being sold everywhere... shop around! Some people want ridiculous money for them, they'd rather let them rot in their back yards before letting it go at a decent price.
Happy hunting 😉