24 inch wooden spools

The rows read flange × inside traverse × drum. Both 24 in reels are rated for 350 lb of cable; the wider one just holds a smaller-diameter cable in more turns.

What comes on a 24 in reel

Short runs of building wire, the last few hundred feet of a cut-to-length order, service-entrance and small control cable, low-voltage cable for security and audio-visual work, and some fiber. Distributors who sell wire by the foot use them as take-up reels on the counter. Many 24 in reels are plywood with bolts; small nailed reels and plastic reels are common too.

Handling

At 23 to 24 lb empty, one person can carry a 24 in reel, and a pickup bed takes a stack of them. Stood on their flanges they roll easily, which is handy on concrete and a nuisance on a slope. They stack flange on flange better than larger reels, three or four high if they're dry and sound, which makes them easy to store in a corner until there are enough to collect.

How many fit on a truck

On a 48 ft flatbed with a 102 in deck, 24 in reels standing on their flanges go four across and twenty-four along, about 96 in one tier. Because they're light, small reels are often stacked a second tier high and strapped, roughly doubling that. Most loads of 24 in reels go on a box truck or a smaller flatbed instead, since the numbers rarely fill a full deck.

Who wants them

• Supply counters and electrical shops rewinding cut lengths for customers
• Gardeners and nurseries for hose, drip line and twine
• Makers and market sellers for side tables, plant stands and displays
• Workshops storing extension cords, air hose and welding leads
• Event planners who need light, matching pieces they can move by hand

Selling 24 in reels

Single small reels aren't worth a truck trip on their own, but they add up. A branch that empties a few a week, or a data-cable job that leaves fifty identical ones, has a load worth collecting. Keep them dry, especially plywood ones, and stack them by build. Count them when you ask for a pickup, and say whether they're plywood, nailed or plastic. Sound plywood reels in matched batches are the easiest to sell on.

As a table

A 24 in reel makes a side table, a plant stand or a stool, not a dining table. On its side it stands about as tall as its overall width, 15 to 21 in, which is low-coffee-table height. Sand the top flange, fill the arbor hole or use it for a lamp cable, and seal it if it'll live outdoors. Our spool table guide covers the steps.

Checking a small reel

Small reels get thrown around more than big ones, so check them properly before reusing one for cable. Spin it on a bar: it should turn without a wobble. Look at the flange where it meets the drum; hairline cracks there spread fast under load. On plywood reels, press a thumbnail into the flange edge. If it sinks in or the layers lift, the reel has taken on water. On nailed ones, look for staves that have shifted, leaving a gap you can slide a coin into. And make sure the arbor hole is clear of splinters and old tape, which jam a spindle.

Why matched batches matter

A single 24 in reel has many possible uses; fifty identical ones have a market. Shops that rewind wire, makers producing furniture in runs, and event companies all prefer matched sets, because the reels stack, display and price the same. If a job leaves a batch from one maker, keep it together.

Questions