Homemade reel winder

[Cgrutt]

Thinking about making a reel winder as a project with my son. Maybe using an old variable speed drill or maybe motor from old sewing machine with foot pedal. Drill seems ideal as you can use chuck to hold attachments. What do you guys think?

[Cgrutt]

Thinking something like this

[usmcveteran]

For a reel winder you just need something applying small amount of tension in opposite direction and wind it on reel.

Or how do you plan on having reel wind?

[Cgrutt]

Mount reel to old section of fishing rod attached to "gizmo". Spool on spindle with some sort of spring loaded device to apply slight pressure. Feed line through at least one eye on rod onto reel. Motor engages handle of reel with a rod mounted off axis to centerline of chuck. The off axis part would be adjustable to accommodate different reels.

[Sailor Jerry]

how about a pencil thru the spool of the new line, place pencil ends on a box that is notched out for pencil ends and something placed on spool to reduce the free spin. pretend your fishing and reel the big one in until there is enough line on the reel.....

[Cgrutt]

Yeah but what fun would that be?

[Togmaster]

Run a pencil through the spool of line and support the spool. Run the line between the pages of a phone book then to your reel and wind.

The phone book applies the pressure to the line to keep it right.

[Cgrutt]

Yeah yeah yeah what nobody appreciates a project?

[harleyhutch]

I clamp a piece of threaded rod in a vice and put an o-ring on either side of the spool of line for tension and reel away.

[thughes]

Yeah yeah yeah what nobody appreciates a project?

Of course I do! I built this particular reel winder a few years back, wanna borrow it?

reel_winder.jpg

[Chicken Shoot]

You're on the right track with the sewing machine. Foot controlled speed would be awesome. Now, you'd merely have to hook up drill chuck to the motor output shaft. The line on the spool only needs to be on a rod or bolt. You can create the tension on the line by merely applying light pressure to the spool of line as the reel is being cranked by the motor. You could also get fancy and create a series of eyelets that with one that is on a spring where YOU control the winding from front to back on the spool of the open face reel. (obviously this feature wouldn't be required for a baitcaster as they already have a line level to do that ... except they work side to side) To hook up the baitcaster, you could use an old section of rod where the reel would be attached and tightened in place and this is where the "T" handle will be required to crank the reel for you while you control the amount of pressure on the spool. I suppose an open face could somehow be left all together to get the line on the reel as well if you come up with another reel mount at a lower level to accept the line.