Yarn cone winder v2 - manual or motorized

Wind your yarn skeins to a cone for knitting.

This winder comes in two main versions: manual and motorized, see description and STL folder structure for further details. 

(Due to continuous design upgrades, I will not replace every picture posted to reflect all the changes made, but add additional pictures, so that you can judge yourself what has been changed.)

• Notable changes, mostly improved through kind maker's comments:
  
  29.01.2024
  - added two more screws for the lid, improves stability and makes winding a bit more quiet
  - added a 45mm clamp screw
  - added new lubrication attachment, for use with large Brother paraffin rings
  
  05.02.2024
  - added different size lubrication attachment, for use with small Brother paraffin rings

The choice is up to you…

Choosing the main version

You can choose between a motorized and a manual version. The STL folder names reflect the parts to print.

Choosing a cone variant

If you don't have any cones yet available, you can choose between my own cone variant or between a Royal/Empisal/Knitmaster compatible cone. Print both corresponding parts, obviously you only need the holder once, print as many cones as you like.

If you already have Royal-compatible cones, you only need the corresponding holder.

Hints regarding the (optional) Quickchange version:
As I often have to change the cones during modeling, I developed a quickchange mechanism, so that I don't have to unscrew everything to change the cone type I want to use. You print the mount only once and also every holder only once. Then you can simply slide the holder you want onto the mount and use the corresponding cone. I think, for most people it is not relevant as they will use only one type of cone, so it is more a developer kind of feature, but I thought it might be interesting for people who want to remix the cone holder and don't want to mess with screwing/unscrewing everthing only for testing purposes.

Print settings

Print all parts once, only those marked (x2) two times :-). See STL file name comments in brackets for versions or additional information.

• 0.16 layer height
• grooved drum: 4 walls
• fork arm: 4 walls, 35% infill
• clamp: 4 walls, 45% infill
• all other parts: 2 walls, 15% infill

Choose a clamp and screw combination that fits your table best.

Tree support (!) only for obvious parts. Use manual supports for the spring-like yarn guide on the drum fork for easy removal.

If the yarn cone slips too easily over the holder and does not really stop by friction, adjust your print settings (slightly reduce XY size of cone), or simply use a bit of tape on the inside of the cone to narrow it a bit.

See 3mf file and plate names for details.

Regarding printing the grooved drum

Your printer has to be dialed in rather well regarding tree supports - it will be nearly impossible to print with normal supports. See pictures for details. It is absolutely important that you orient the drum as shown to minimize support and to get the best surface quality.

You can imagine, the more support artifacts you have, the more you have to sand later on, the surfaces have to be really smooth so that the yarn can slip easily.

After removing the support (you can see, it is possible to remove the support all at once), check the surfaces for artifacts and sand accordingly. It is really helpful to have a deburring tool for 3D prints (like these: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=deburring+tool+3d+printing)

Additional parts

Parts needed for both versions:
(as some parts are needed in different amounts, see parenthesis for further details)

• M6 rod 147 mm (grooved drum fork shaft)
• M6 rod 66 mm (winding shaft)
• M6 rod 20mm (connection between upper and lower grooved drum cap, loose fit)
• M6 nyloc hex nuts (manual 4x, motorized 3x)
• M6 normal hex nuts (manual 2x, motorized 1x)
  - lock big gear in place (only in manual version)
  - top of fork shaft (so you can hand-adjust how tight or loose the drum fork can move)
• M3 screws 6mm (manual 4x, motorized 11x)
• M3 screws 20mm (2x, fork arm)
• M3 screw 35mm (1x, yarn tensioner)
• M3 hex nuts (2x, fork arm inside housing)
• Skateboard bearing 608-2RS (3x)
• short rubber band (for grooved drum)
• long rubber band (as drum fork spring, not too strong!)

Only for manual version:

• M6 rod 140 mm (drive shaft)
  flatten ends 10mm (crank handle side) and 15mm (gear side) wide, see picture
• M4 screw 35 mm (1x)
• M4 hex nuts (2x)

Only for motorized version:

• 12V 550 RPM DC motor (https://www.amazon.com/Greartisan-Electric-Reduction-Centric-Diameter/dp/B072R5G5GR)
• 12V DC speed controller (https://www.amazon.com/CenryKay-Controller-Adjustable-Reversible-Switch（2PCS/dp/B09TGZ5MRN)
• 12V DC power socket, choose what fits best for you (i.e. https://www.amazon.com/MEETOOT-5-5mm-Female-Socket-Electrical/dp/B09JP19XKP)

Assembly

Instead of a long assembly essay ;-), see pictures for details, I think you will not get into any further problems / see last pictures on how to fit the components for motorization. I will not get into any details here on how to wire everything up. Google will help you in case ;-)

But wait, there is one more thing… :

• By widening the upper hole in the bottom part of the housing where the fork arm is attached, you can slightly tilt the groove drum assembly towards the cone. This may lead to a more even wound cone - experiment with it.

Optional attachments

• Yarn lubrication attachement
  If you want to wax your yarn during winding, so that it is prepared better for machine knitting, you can use this optional attachement. Simply place some kind of appropriate lubricant (ie. tea light or Brother paraffin ring) into the appropriate holder. If you use a candle, prepare it so that the yarn can slide easily over it. See picture of my setup for reference.
   
• Yarn counter holder
  If you want to attach a yarn counter (aka fishing line counter) to measure the amount of yarn wound, use this attachment.

The attachments can be used independently from each other or together.

Hints regarding usage

With the new yarn tensioner you are able to fine tune the winding process in case your yarn does not wind correctly. See picture on how to feed the yarn through the tensioner.

You have to play a little bit with the tension of the yarn that is fed into the winder. Too tight, and the yarn is not able to slip correctly, but too loose also isn't the best. You can see in the short video down below, that it is absolutely possible to wind a skein without any problems. As I don't own a swift I cannot say anything about how well the winder will work with it.

Does it really work?
(I only post a video of motorized version :-), manual is the same, only slower)

I provide the Fusion360 files of both versions. Be kind, I tried to keep the timelines as clean as I could ;-)

The grooved drum workes for me. There is definitely room for improvement of the shape, but after a lot of revisions and test prints it works now and I wanted to test different yarns over some time to find out how and where the shape could be further optimized.

Credits:

• Many thanks to Roel Vanhout for his comments and suggestions on the whole build.
• Thanks to Yasmin Kock for her wonderful Royal-compatible cone model. See https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5181557 for further details.

Regarding the license

It is not allowed to build and sell this winder commercially, like via Etsy stores, eBay or so. Build one for yourself or a friend, but simply don't make money with it.