Solving This Can Save Me So Much Time

[@detsuh]

I worked in a bindery for 16 years. When we mailed out our rolled wall calendars instead of using rubber bands or putting tape on the rolls themselves I wrapped a small scrap piece of paper around the roll and taped that to itself. It also meant that we could use any tape we had on hand because the scrap slides right off without damaging the product.

[@mrjackson2k]

This is what I was thinking would work best, simple and effective with no chance at damaging anything.

[@VAXHeadroom]

excellent suggestion - I was worried about the tape leaving residue on the prints...

[@LA6NPA]

I second this! Scrap paper and tape!

[@FordFastback]

That is how my blueprints were shipped to me from the printers.

[@susan_halla]

That’s exactly what I use - I send a lot of rolled up paper in my business and I use scrap paper to wrap around the rolls and then fasten with tape.

[@jbergenudd]

Trained as an architect so I’ve had some experience with printed plans. Excellent solution! The only thing I would add is to roll it up with the plans on the outside! It’s non-intuitive because you want to protect them but when you roll out a tightly rolled paper it’s easier to make them flat if the want to roll ”into the table” (downward) rather than curling up and together. It’ll be easier for your customers!

[@tammyfinch6735]

Very true. I'm an architectural draftsman and we did that very thing. It also left the title strip out so it could be easily read. One other thing, too is that we would put a binder strip on them so they would always stay straight but being able to roll them tight like that is everything!

[@C3DPropShop]

Hey Bob, I've been working with professional large format printers for the last couple of years, and we have a "take up reel" that lives where your printer basket is. Our jobs come off as a continuous strand(i.e., no cuts) and get taped to the take-up reel that will turn and keep light tension on the spool. Job done-cut paper- tape spool- slide reel out. The most effective solution is to remove the problem. If you can go straight from printer to reel to tube, there wouldn't be a need for a secondary operation. That said, this was a good first pass, and I'm looking forward to seeing it continuously improve over time like your camera mount. 🤘

[@a3jan]

The only issue I see with this is the customer ends up getting a long ass piece of paper thats hard to work with. I guess cutting frequently would solve that but then again Im just a youtube commenter and not an expert lol

[@MrJoesephwhetsel]

Can the printer make perforated lines for easy separation later so you can send one long roll and the customer can separate them when ready

[@C3DPropShop]

@MrJoesephwhetsel Not on ours. It's a drag blade that zips along the rail and gets docked. Perforations would be ideal.

[@C3DPropShop]

@a3jan I guess I saw that as roll out a print and zip across like wrapping paper, rinse and repeat. Agreed that from a customer service standpoint, having individual prints is the correct answer. If I were to assume, that's Bob's priority, hence the custom-built solution.

[@ToxNano]

@@MrJoesephwhetsel That should be relatively easy to automate though. Just run some kind of pinwheel over the paper at the right moment. Should be simple enough with some extrusion, a motor and a belt.

[@ConnorVisser]

I beleive there is a ThisOldTony video about over centre mechanisms that would make your paper tension piece pretty slick

[@GameCyborgCh]

I was literally screaming "OVER CENTRE MECHANISM BY THIS OLD TONY" at the screen xD

[@FrontierlessCraftsman]

I third over centre mechanism for the tensioners 😉

[@SeanPClark]

Hah, I also came to the comments to say Bob’s gotta watch the This Old Tony video.

[@WihanStemmet]

Exactly my thoughts as well Can still 'lofi' it with rubber bands, but if they mount on the axle/pivot point it should work

[@brkel]

I was just going to post: ..for the rubber band fingers thingies - over centre mechanisms... ...aaand now I see Im late already. Somebody mentioned ThosOldTony... Thanks for all the wisdom, ConnorVisser from the interweb... :)

[@andrewzanto8591]

Not only are you a maker, but an inventor, engineer and artist. I don’t have a need to build this, but watching you design and build it is inspiring. One thought I had for the side rails: leave one fixed and the other could slide or flip into place. Great work!

[@Andre_the_Lion]

I imagined the less-accessible far rail being static and the closer one sliding on a couple of rails like a tablesaw sled

[@HindkyrikoTheDegenerate]

If he put the springs on the "tension arms" closer to the bolt in the center, the ideal being dead center, he can design the arms to have a 135 degree pivot. At some point, after they are moved back far enough, the spring will pull tension from the "open/disengaged" side, as opposed to the "closed/engaged" side. I think 135 degrees would be best so that the last 15 degrees are in the "open/disengaged" side and the other 120 degrees of play going to the "closed/engaged" side from vertical. I'm just adding on, and hopefully it's helpful or inspirational for someone who can take it farther than me, or can use it in their own projects!

[@michaelsteinbach]

For your little holder arms, design it so that it holds the rubberband or spring on the side and make the part that holds the bottom end LOWER than the hinge. This way when you open the holder past halfway, the rubberband passes the hinge point and pulls from the other direction and holds it open for you. No more fiddling with taking them on and off.

[@zachandrews458]

Was on my way to the comments to suggest the same thing.

[@chdmorrison]

Same Honestly if he just increased the size of the back hook on the orange piece the current geometry may work.

[@super_slo]

The initial height looked really good versus the paper feed slot. If you cut a relief out of the bed that's larger than your largest roll, or made the spool assembly capable of sliding out versus the rest of the table, then you could keep that alignment and the guide slot almost all the way to the dowel. Thinking this through, spring-loading the spool against the edge of the table where it can move away as the roll grows larger and keep tension automatically feels like a really simple way to make it all work together and give you a dynamic spool capacity while retaining ideal alignment of the parts. Regardless - cool build and I was surprisingly satisfied by the end results! Great job!

[@nickblondeel5556]

I was thinking the same 😊

[@BrBobMackeSJ]

Nice project. Always great to see clever solutions to unique problems. I was thinking that, instead of raising the support higher for clearance for more paper, you could cut a gap in the wood platform where the paper rolls up, so that there is always clearance and no awkward angles.

[@JeroenBrosens]

Had the exact same thought and came here to check who already commented that. The 'fingers' with rubber bands could be changed into an axle with wheels that just sits in two vertical channels on the sides of the platform so that it rests on whatever diameter paper roll by gravity.

[@Zip197]

Make it so the axle supports are hinged with a longer moment arm. The increasing thickness of paper will raise the dowel and the weight will help keep tension on the roll. Should accommodate any reasonable possible roll thickness.

[@TonyBullard]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@michaelsteinbach]

@@Zip197 I came to recommend cutting the board under the roll but I this idea much better!

[@susan_halla]

I cannot believe how much I need this and how useful it will be! I send a lot of 4’x12’ paper to my pressing partner that is the basis of my custom countertop laminate. No matter what I do, it always goes off center when I roll it which not only makes the box longer (which then costs more money to ship) but it also makes the edges more prone to crushing in transit. There are a few mods I’ll need for my specific situation, but I have a woodshop and a 3d printer, so I’m up for the challenge. Thanks, Bob!

[@malvoliosf]

Make a video of it!

[@dariushmilani6760]

One more improvement you can make is to add a crank handle to one end for easy turning.👍👍

[@mikebond6328]

Or a stepper motor.

[@biglevian]

Or add a little piece so you can just use your electric drill

[@VAXHeadroom]

came to make the same suggestion :)

[@MrDmorgan52]

With a foot pedal​@@biglevian

[@reneberthold334]

American Style V8 xD

[@elpetay]

Like a high-volume copier machine, that collates, have one guide rail fixed. Then the other guide rail on the side could be on slots, so that it moves laterally. Then when you get the paper in, however haphazardly you want, you can use the other sliding guide rail to adjust the stack of papers, like a deck of cards. You could easily put a 3d-printed cam-lock on top of the sliding guide rail to 'lock' it in place. Also, you could add a crank on the end of the bar, so it's easier to turn it.

[@ejburke8271]

The crank can be square drive - then you just need to add a square end to the bar to interface.

[@catgynt9148]

I was thinking the similar concept but putting a piano hinge under one of the rails and a latch on either end when it’s flipped down.

[@catgynt9148]

Great design Bob. I was thinking that you could have used a piece of plastic or metal conduit with a single slit (think table-saw) for the roller. Perhaps adding a piano hinge under one of the guide tails would allow you to flip it up while loading pages and down when aligned. Perhaps a friction pivot latch at each end to hold it down and firmly in place. Wishing you and your family a blessed thanksgiving holiday filled with gentle seasonally appropriate weather and restful evenings together. Peace brother PS: how is Gia coming?

[@VitaminSte]

Absolutely love these types of videos - process improvement for a super specific problem. I’ll never need this but it’s genuinely enjoyable watching you work through the problems and adapt. Would love a series like these

[@JBNoles]

Two things. First, I love these types of videos. Watching you go through your process of problem solving, even for a specific problem that is unique to you, gives me insight to the process to better tackle my own problems. Second, maybe route out a groove to put a couple pieces of T-track in the surface board perpendicular to the guide rails. The guide rails could then be secured with knobs and screws and would be adjustable. This would allow you to “funnel” the paper in and even roll different widths of paper if you ever needed to.

[@ThoenWorks]

Coming from a industry that makes all sorts of rolled goods, this is so interesting hearing & seeing someone solve a winding problem who doesn't have all the baggage of knowledge. Enjoyed !

[@dcurry7287]

"The baggage of knowledge" is a wonderful phrase. I once had a particularly dim coworker described as "Unhindered by thoughts".

[@esh92]

Hi bob, loved your design. here are a couple of ideas: 1- the tensioner finger thingies: ditch any rubber band and springs, use weights, that way you can flip them the other way to remove tension and simply flip them onto the paper to apply tension, so you got one less "move". 2- connect both tensioners together with a rod, so they move on and off the roll together. 3- slit the dowel like you did, but all the way through, now you have 2 identical halves. Split the dowel holders (the orange ones which you re-printed) along the diameter of the holes into two halves that snap into each other with some sort of quick disconnect (i'll leave this part to your imagination). Now comes the trick: install magnets into the holders and into the dowels, 1 magnet into the top and another into the bottom half-moon of each holder. Then a magnet for each end of every half-dowel at a position corresponding to the magnets of the half moons. Now every half turn the dowel will stop with the split line perfectly horizontal, release the quick disconnect to insert the paper, install the upper half-dowel with it's half-moons (which stay in place thanks to the magnets), roll it as you please, slide the dowel out axially as you did in the video and you got your roll out. Step 3 should work because magnets have much less resistance for separation when moved sideways against each other in comparison to "normal" axial separation. hope that makes sense.

[@malvoliosf]

(1) and (2) were exactly my ideas! (3), magnets, how the hell do they work?

[@yieldforpeace]

Magnets are magic ✨

[@JamesTM]

What if you used the table bed itself as your holding mechanism? You could put the dowel mounts in a track so they can slide up and down perpendicular to the table. Then pull them down with springs (or rubber bands) to add tension and hold the dowel down against the table. As you roll up the plans, the thickness of the paper will push against the spring force to lift the dowel, but the table itself will stop the paper from unwinding when you reach the end. Voila: no extra spring fingers, paper always loads at a perfect tangent to both the roll and table, and it can accommodate any size stack from a single sheet up to your largest mailing tube. You could also make the guide rails more flexible by keeping the width fixed and making them taller, but with little spring-loaded ramps that push down at the end. Finally, a melamine surface instead of plywood might help the paper slide better as you roll it. (Which could matter a lot more in my suggested design, since you'd be adding a bunch of extra pressure between the paper and table.) If you're interested, but I haven't communicated clearly enough, I could whip up a low-fidelity draft in Fusion. (Describing mechanisms in text is hard for me. I would be so bad at patent applications.)

[@scottdavis9442]

This was my idea exactly. Great minds think alike😊

[@xbit97]

Exactly what I thought!

[@pqrstsma2011]

damn, i just commented practically the same thing just before reading this....

[@ChrissYoutube.-eb1kt]

I thought you described it well. It’s interesting to have an idea and then go find how many others had the same one.

[@mcsweeto17]

You made a taller bracket to accommodate a thicker roll (or more sheets if paper), but what about giving the bracket a pivot point and adding spring tension to the bracket itself. That way it would help keep less paper sheets rolling tightly, but it would expand automatically when you are feeding in more paper, and the roll gets thicker.

[@TsczhabyCC]

Exactly what I thought too, nice idea. 2 vertical channels and 2 springs would to the trick

[@ejburke8271]

The challenge here is that you end up with rubbing on the paper to move the roll - this could leave marks on the outer paper. It'll be fine at first, but any dents or dirt will potentially cause issues down the road. It could be an issue, it might not be. Something to consider, though.

[@deejayhamm]

@@ejburke8271unless he put some type of smooth acrylic or something underneath to prevent rubbing and prevent marks while rubbing

[@ejburke8271]

@@deejayhamm My concern is actually the pressure compressing the paper and making it smooth in the case that its not perfectly flat. Less about the friction and more about the compression.

[@klaernie]

Having the bearings on a movable surface is the better way - it keeps the point of the paper exiting the guide rails and entering the roll always the same, and the center of the roll can move upwards no matter the size of the roll (only being limited by the alarm length the bearings are mounted to). And to eliminate the problem of rubbing I would suggest to dog out the surface under the roller, right where pressure between roller and base is applied to the paper, and just place a few strips of slippery material like Teflon for the paper to ride on, not necessarily spanning the whole width, only maybe where the now unnecessary arms were.

[@gregswank4912]

You have so many good ideas! I have a couple to add: First, I'd attach the roller mechanism on the end of the platform, instead of on top. You can line up the edge of the roller with the top of the ramp surface, so there's almost no bend in the paper in between the edge of the roll and the end of the guides. Also, you can make it an inch away, allowing larger rolls with minimum affect to that pre-roll bend. For the paddles, instead of using a rubber band or spring, I'd use gravity, and put a long non-marring smooth bar across the entire width that's held down by its own weight. Super simple to flip out of the way. Your alignment bars worked way better than I expected. I thought the paper might bend over on the edges if it got crooked. I was also expecting the paper to need more tension on the table and could use some plastic drag brake or wheel on the feed ramps to hold tension as it is rolled. If you're not needing more tension, then leave that part off. Whenever I roll things up I'm looking to get the tightest roll possible, and wishing I had some sort of automatic tensioner.

[@ghdtsjk]

So cool! Maybe you could make the whole axis springy against the table to hold the paper tight and auto-adjust to its thickness.

[@MrModTwelveFoot]

That's what I was thinking, get rid of the tension fingers and just spring load the main roller down to the table. Notch out the table/ramp at each end to make room for the end roller/knob.

[@xwd3914]

Hello ILTMS long time subscriber here, I'd like to say that even if I don't watch as much youtube as I used to, you've always been a huge inspiration for me, I now make stufff too an it is thanks to people like you... Loved this project !

[@Aetheos]

If you make the side pillow blocks so that they can telescope vertically with some downward spring force you can remove the tensioning fingers and solve the thicker rolls height problem at the same time. You might also be able to get away with just a single center piece of tape... If so you could integrate a dispenser/cutter so you just anchor the tape with the plans in the dowel, give it another turn to tape it closed and use the cutter to quickly trim the tape before removing the dowel.

[@JonathanRansom]

Obviously it is missing the most important part... Automation! A little Arduino here, and little motor there... You get the point.

[@reforzar]

A sensor that knows when the paper is rolled up and stops?!

[@michaelsteinbach]

@@reforzar Then a tape dispenser that feeds on the last rotation.

[@OG_Jack]

.....and, that would render my idea of a crank on one side useless.

[@jaedhan37]

Was just about to add this.

[@diysquare]

​@OG_Jack I think your crank idea is not useless. Don't forget motor broke sometime the simpler the better

0:20 As a Drafting Technician, I’ve had this same problem for almost 20 years. 😂

[@wcbuchanan]

Loved this project! Bob’s barely-contained glee when it worked absolutely made my day. Totally relatable. 😄

[@KaleSings]

Artist here, if you could make a smaller one I think a lot of us would buy these for conventions. Most of the time we have to give out our prints in plastic sheets which arent environmental friendly and are more cumbersome to carry around. If we had a way to onsite get them tube ready that would be a life saver

[@mandrakejake]

What's a common size for you?

[@bytesizedengineering]

This is my favorite kind of video Bob. The kind where you solve a problem that nobody else has, but you do it in a really interesting way. I love watching the troubleshooting and iteration. Your result is always impressive!

[@bradygoldman6319]

The guide rails could have a simple slotted hole from left to right with thumb wheel screws to tighten them down against the paper. In the table below you could have a tighter slot on the underside of the guide rails that interacts with a pin to ensure the two rails stay parallel to each other.

[@JSeed47]

the joy on your face when it worked. that's what this kind of tinkering/making/sharing of knowledge is all about! This looks way more satisfying than you described on the podcast. nice work, Bob!

[@DavidWilliamsThatsMe]

Before you had printed larger pieces to get the paper roll higher, I had thought you were going to cut in a small groove. It was pretty neat seeing how the paper needed more space and sort of the directions we had to go about it. I think your idea is better because the 3D prints are so easily adaptable but cutting into the wood is more permanent. Also! For the guide rails, would something like a piano hinge possibly work?

[@Eff917]

Or just print a stand with vertical grooves, so as the roll gets thicker, the dowel can move up, and you always roll on the wood. The fingers hold it down anyway

[@Utoobhero]

Fantastic job as always! Guide rails used slots instead of holes, widen them, load paper narrow them up, funneling the paper, and then a cam lock to lock down the guide.

[@mikeyb7263]

Instead of 2 rubber-banded fingers, why not a full top roller made from steel or aluminum that swings completely out of the way? Use gravity as your downward force. It would have the added advantage of even pressure across the entire width of the roll.

[@mikewilkerson276]

Thanks for the video Bob. I'm enjoying your invention series, and I was yelling at my screen. Thanks for the castle nut solution. I hadn't heard of those before. Here are some ideas: 1. Mount the main bearing blocks to hinged arms so that the height of the roller can increase as the roll gets thicker. You may be able to do away with the rubber band tensioners and instead rely on the friction between the bottom plate and the roll. The hinge could attach on the outside of the paper guides. 2. Look at paper printers for advice on paper guiding. Perhaps a sliding guide to accommodate additional paper sizes?

[@marcg2233]

a bit of acetone on the hot glue will disolve it and let you take it off. it'll soak under the wood and release. then it evaporates. also the tension things could be an over center mechanism, this old tony made a video on that a few months ago.

[@Jeff121456]

isopropyl alcohol works as well.

[@neilgillies6943]

better actually as it won't dissolve 'regular' plastics - etc ABS​, styrene etc @@Jeff121456

[@VAXHeadroom]

that's a great tip - I didn't know acetone would release hot glue!

[@marcg2233]

@@VAXHeadroom saw it on a video by the the channel create "Unique dovetail bar table" at about 7:18 he uses it to attach clamping cawls.

[@robdean54]

Great work! Love the ingenuity. One possible solution for your height issue for thicker final rolls might be to cut out a section of the wood ramp in between the rollers you could essentially do this to accommodate for any amount of plans and not have to keep reprinting.

[@brianredd.d]

cool reams

[@forby_]

😂

[@TheGingerWorkshop]

😂😂

[@Devoider]

Cool trick for using hot glue on wood for temporary fixtures, adding a little bit of isopropyl will release the hot-glue flawlessly, especially on semi-porous material like 3d prints, wood or foam(check it doesn't dissolve it on a scrap piece)

[@VikingProbe]

Maybe you can make the side rails like a printer paper tray. That way you can lay down the paper and then push the sides in.

[@branmanss]

This is the best suggestion I've seen for alignment

[@toddsaffell9695]

It's so good to see you so happy that you made such a good build. We are happy with you. Congrats! Great vid.

[@TheGingerWorkshop]

Ooooooh the time this could've saved me when i was still working with printed architectural plans.

[@ChrisKnowles1170]

Some ideas from a shop that had to handle thousands of sets of drawings: - Include a ~2" print with your logo/brand info with each print to fold and use as a spine. This keeps your set lined up not just during packaging but for the life of the print. Orientation of the logo lets you know at-a-glance which side is face up. - Drill out two holes on your dowel like a pocket jig. Now you can drill your plans in consistent spots and bind them with brass paper fasteners, and/or hang drawings. - Instead of a cylindrical dowel, use two flat strips (preferably metal with some weight to them). With a nut and bolt at either end, you can squeeze together prints of arbitrary thickness. Only one strip needs to sit in the rotating piece. The best feature of this is that if you make several of these pairs, you can hang prints (imagine the dowel holding the print captive while resting on two sawhorses) - We had a pair of wire grates that we'd stand prints up in for storage. Maybe you'd be better served by wood or plastic? Might not be worth if it depending on your volume.

[@ChrisdeCastro]

Instead of splitting a rod just use two thinner rods. The core doesn’t have to be perfectly round for it to work.

[@psullivan6]

Was thinking the same thing; separate them with a tensioning system, so you don’t have to pull the whole rod out to load the paper; just an “open” state and a “closed” state almost like vice jaws but quicker to collapse together

[@smirkingrevenge6]

The joy on your face of seeing it all come together and work as intended.... love that feeling. Congrats on another successful project Bob =D

[@jimsicle]

I've been following you for a very long time and I love all your projects, but seeing this work at the end was incredibly satisfying for me. Good work sir!!

[@MickelMart]

That’s awesome. I’m a graphic designer, and we had a big printer at the office for printing large posters, and rolling up lots of them can definitely be a pain. Only thing I can think of to improve would be adding a crank handle just to make it easier to roll up. I enjoy watching you come up with solutions like this. Great job, man!

[@dhack7552]

Awesome video, I currently have not had this issue. For the multiple plan issue, instead of making a taller block your dowel goes through, make the dowel holder like you paper holder down. This way it rises as you wrap paper, and the weight of the plans may keep it tight when taping. This would take out the need for the fingers, and solve issues if more than two plans were ordered. Let me know what you think. Great example of thinking through an issue.

[@BreakdownBoxes]

I work in an architecture/engineering office. We, like many offices like ours, have switched nearly completely to digital plans, but there's still the random client who wants paper copies. Something like this would be amazing to have around for rolling loose sheets even when they're all the same size (typically 24x36). Nice design!

[@sgsax]

The ILTMS Paper Rollator 9000! Great problem solving here. My suggestion is for the anchor (pillow?) blocks. You printed a larger set to accommodate more paper, but what about having a spring-loaded block that could move up and down as necessary. You could handle as many or few sheets as you needed, but always keep the roller bar in a more or less optimal position, relative to the feeder guides. Maybe that's over-complicating things though. This was a fun one. Thanks for sharing!

[@tamurlane6]

I think projects like this are great. It's a very specific use case, but there's elements that people can take away and use on something else and that's fantastic!

[@kmalczewska]

It is heart warming to see your joy and smile when the design proved to work 😊

[@eitanspuzzles]

As a Mechanical engineer myself, I find your approach to problem solving highly satisfying. It's how I live my life. 😊

[@smitcher]

Great work! The support brackets that you printed again taller could probably be made in two pieces: a support and an o which is spring loaded. So the dowel is always pushed down to to the table but as more paper is rolled on then it rises up as it's spring loaded. Then the guides could be moved closer back again keeping the paper aligned for longer.

[@cantdrawatall]

Would the dowel need to be spring loaded? Could it just be held down with its own weight?

[@fieromike1]

This is a great idea and I’m definitely going to make one!Maybe at the very end add just one sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper to wrap around the set of plans and put your tape on that to ensure it won’t stick to the plans. You could even print on the sheet of paper, a packing list or a note. Another wonderful video!

[@SchlegFace765]

What a fun and useful project. Classic ILTMS!

[@JointerMark]

I was a cartographer for many years and dealt with your exact problem for my years. For what it's worth, I would use a piece of letter size paper inserted near the end of the roll and then tape the paper to itself as it wraps around. It is much easier than sliding rubber bands down the ends.

[@EPortillo5000]

Hi Bob, If the orange holder pieces on the ends instead of just having a hole they are more like an oval or a rail and you put a piece with a spring to push the dowel down you will be able to roll any quantity of paper and the presure on the dowel against the bottom surface will do the work of the small orange arms. So as more paper is rolled when the papel fills all the space at the bottom the dowel will start going up the rail so it wont be stuck. Also the side rails can have some kind of hinge mechanism, maybe in just one side so you can charge the paper from the side and once you have them all aligned you just flip the hinged side in place to start rolling.

[@NoahLRobotics]

Very neat! Here are some of my thoughts: 1) make the rails longer, but also make them angled, and then have a small straight section at the end, so that you can just start pushing the paper in and by the time it reaches the end of the rails the papers are all straight. 2) add a spring loaded ramp that starts at the end of the rails and finishes just before the slit in the dowel, so that as you push the paper through it loads the paper in the dowel. Then, as the roll gets larger it pushes the ramp down out of the way as its no longer needed. I suppose it would act similar to the 'fingers' :D 3) add a motor to the handle/turn gear, a button to start it, and a sensor to detect when the paper has finished rolling to stop the motor! There are definitely some other cool suggestions to check out!

[@stuartkorte1642]

We always used scrap paper to make a double folded binder and 3 staples to put our construction plans together. Works great for rolling plans.

[@Brett_is_Veng]

i love that your sponsor is a great resource to help other people to get more skills and for a bargain price. Awesome

[@rock1soul]

I used to visit factories with continuous roll processes, definetly the opening of the rails is something often on printing processes. Also on the winding shaft, tension is key to make the roll straight and avoid telescopic effect (as you showed when rolling it by hand). So keeping tension with the flaps you made on the winding shaft (the dowel) is just half, you need to keep tension on the paper that is on the table, you could use a roller on the ends to press on the paper (could be mounted on the ramp) or a roller that keeps pressure on the entire width is also ideal. This roller needs to have a rubber surface so it can compress and have grip. If I can find a video of what I have in mind, I'll add it on an edit.

[@MossSteiger]

My dad, an old engineer, would roll up his sheets from his drafting table by using two yardsticks - well, ~52” slats. He’d line up the edges and put a binder clip on the ends. That, along with decades of practice, let him roll plans up neatly. I’m excited to see your take on it - Dad would’ve loved it.

[@redpug5042]

For the tension arm, look into over center mechanisms. This Old Tony has a great video about them. You could use any spring or rubber band you want, depending on where you want the components to go.

[@mercutiojb]

Really loving these "figuring out the problem" videos!

[@autokymatic]

Very cool invention, and very cool to see the design process. You could print risers of various heights to put under the dowel brackets to increase the diameter of rolled up orders instead of printing new brackets altogether.

[@SouthernStyleDIY]

This worked so well! Since you mentioned leaving ideas, for the guide rails, if they were 2 pieces instead of one, the top part could slide away so the paper could be loaded and aligned, then snapped back in place to keep everything aligned during the roll

[@BobBrittonBespoke]

Great job Bob! Taper the entry ''rails'... so the paper moves into alignment as it's drawn into the roller.

[@X22GJP]

Inspirational! For the paper feed alignment, you could take inspiration from printers where you effectively have trays that slide over each other, allowing you to load the paper and then push the guides up to the paper.

[@AiSavvy]

nice project as always! room for improvement is center the plane of the paper (plywood sheet) with the center of the roller. it'll be easier to put the paper inside the roller cut + you can roll much longer sheets without tuning anything. mount roller not on top, but on the front edge of plywood with some gap. you'll have no steep angle for paper to roll, so less potential damage, theoretically easier load.

[@joepie221]

I enjoy challenges like this. if your 'Rolling' shaft was on spring loaded pivots, you wouldn't need the hold down fingers. It may possibly result in tighter rolls initially and you could also roll bigger diameter rolls. Currently you are limited to the fixed gap below the rollers as your 'wall' thickness on the rolls you make. Just a thought for V3. Good job.

[@nguyenchester]

That's a good solution for what you needed. You should make latching hinge for the guide rails. It will make it two pieces but then you don't have to be so precise in sliding the paper through because the paper will align when you close the guide in the down position.

[@abcefg2533]

I would remove the ramp. Make the mechanism live over the edge of the table. So the roll is hovering over the ground. Set the rod slit at table height. And accommodate for the largest orders. Using the edge of the table with a pop up guide that lives under the table to guide the paper. (Or some dowels with guides you can insert into the table. So you can use the table normally. When you use it, you just pop up the guides, slide the paper into the dowel slit. Roll it up. Then the only time you have to remove the dowel is at the end. Oh and a crank for better mechanical advantage.

[@GunnyArtG]

This is the type of project I live for. I built a similar jig for dispensing sealing stickers from a giant roll. Thanks for sharing.

[@JTWoodworks]

Great solution! An improvement you can make is to put one of the rails on T track (the other would be fixed). That way it can slide out of the way to load the paper under the fixed rail and then slide it in to lock in the other side. You can also make the track extend to the opposite fence so it will work with narrower paper as well

[@HansAndreasR1]

so there is the camera arm, the spray paint holders for pilars , this paper roller and that plug in... you are going from "searching for a product" to creating a catalogue in a few weeks! GREAT video, love the problem solving and thinking out loud!

[@aaronpennington7297]

Couple ideas: 1. Don’t know if someone has mentioned but checkout the paper trays on 8.5 x 11” printer. There is a bunch of little mechanisms in the trays to help align a huge stack of paper. Maybe studying a tray or two could give you some inspiration. 2. you didn’t show the underside of the guides but they looked straight. if you angled them so wider on the far side and right where you want them at the close side. 3. You could get rid of the slit in the dowel by adding a similar clamping mechanism you had with the rubber bands to the under side of the dowel. So when you start paper on the dowel you start to wrap around and the new clamps catch it and keep it in place. This spot is such that when you start rolling it forces the paper to catch on itself and the paper on paper friction keeps in place. 4. Instead of the rubber band clamps add a small diameter rod of some kind that you can add 3d printed TPU wheels with bearings inside. The rod would connect to the two down pressure clamps, may need a third. Again think printers or your craft paper holder. This will allow you to slide the paper to the dowel/rod, engage the clamps and start rolling. Without changing any of the other 3d printed parts you would still have to pull the rod out at the end.

[@billbucktube]

I like your paper tensioning jig. I had thought of weighted polyurethane wheels in the same positions. When not in use they would pivot back. Your friction fit works!

[@rosly_yt]

This is a great representation of how 3D printing can give you a "good enough" result in a reasonable time frame with both durability and upgradability. A similar tool without 3D printing would be much harder to build and probably less reasonable to upgrade. And the printer is cheaper and in a smaller cubic footprint than most power tools, and uses material that's low-cost enough that it's okay to throw away prototypes. Fantastic showcase. I also love the "thinking out loud" segments, reminds me of my favorite parts of a lot of Mythbusters episodes.

[@nathan471]

I really like seeing this type of video! I really enjoy watching you go through the design process!

[@Texas2NC]

Nice! I deal with long prints like this often. I think you hit the idea with at least one of those rails being able to slide and or flip. Then you can use it like the copiers tray buffer and align all the paper when you slide it back into place. The other thing I thought of was leaving one end of the rod attached with a hinge so it opens up and you can slide the paper off without monkeying around with the rod each time. Sort of like your large HP’s paper spindle , the one side is stationary and you pull the lock side off to load a new roll. The next thing is to NOT cut the sheets when done and then you have an incredibly long piece to roll up. But it might be unmanageable to start with.

[@ElionoNailo]

Mounting the dowel on a weighted hinge. Removes spring, paper angle kinking, and part count... Replace dowel with two thin metal rods with a clamp. For ease of removal. For guides look at a printer tray.

[@camerons.8322]

I'm thinking of a few ideas. Tension bar: a spring loaded bar placed beneath the rolling rod. It pushes upwards with positive tension (or pulls upwards with negative), and has a set of barrings placed along the bar to roll against the prints and shift downward as the roll expands. Rolling rod: Instead of sliding the rod in, it can be dropped into place with mounts on either end that open from the top, releasing the bar. The rod can be keyed so as it can interlock with a hand crank when lowered into place. (It would then press down against the aforementioned tension bar.) Alignment bars: Sliding bars that either slide away or towards the sides of the prints, pushing the sheets together and aligning them.

[@CJICantLie]

The solution to the tensioning and the different thicknesses can be handled by having the ends themselves tensioned, so the surface replaces the little arms you made, while keeping the paper always inline with your rails.

[@zacharygrant2177]

Engineer here - love your channel. I rolled hundreds of sets of plans up sometimes 10ft long - the trick is using 2 hands and let it dangle to the floor. That said - awesome idea here. I think the infeed to your machine should be somehow coming directly off of the outfeed of your plotter. Skip the step of taking it out of the plotter, moving it to the next room, and lining them up again. That can cause creases and is awkward with such long pages. That could get interesting and take up some room, but I think some sort of incline/decline track could help.

[@nzlemming]

For sure, with single sheets, but I don't think that would work for multiple sheets. When Bob says "sets of plans" it seems to me that means multiple sheets. Oh wait, I just read another comment that says to tape the 2nd sheet to the first roll and continue winding so, okay, but it means the receiver has to completely unroll the outer skin to detach it from the next one in line which I don't think is as optimal as having them all rolled up in parallel. Or am I missing something?

[@bdelapen]

you can use isopropyl alcohol to remove the hot glue. It comes off easy and does not damage the surfaces (including wood), then it will evaporate and leave no residue behind. I like to use a cotton swap to encourage it to get between the glue and the material.

[@SOfilmable]

I already can't wait for the follow-up video and the other improvements you did. So interesting

[@mysterdarque]

In a previous lifetime I worked in a offset printing factory and they used a "jogger" - a table that vibrated that made lining up large bundles of paper easier. One was set at a slight tilt that had a guide along one edge that the pages line up against.

[@BeaniesBuilds]

Hi Bob, the one idea I had for this project was having a spring collet chuck like thing on the end to clamp the dowel. This would mean you wouldn't have to press the 3d print on the end, instead you could twist the collet chuck and it would instantly clamp it. I don't know if you would remember me but we met at maker central 2022 near Matt Denton's stand and we spoke about droids and much more. I still love and watch your videos and it was lovely to meet and chat to you in person!

[@eklevmyr]

I always enjoy how excited you are when something works out great video.

[@AndersVestlund]

Sliding rails, like the paper alignment on a laser printer would make it a lot easier I feel. Awesome video btw, love this type of problem solving! 😊

[@tommcallister5835]

Quick idea 💡On the spring hold down mechanisms, you could make the hooks that capture the rubber bands into nearly complete circles, and add a backstop to catch them at some point over center. That way the runner band could hold them open and closed. Then you wouldn’t have to pull the bands off and on every time you utilize this device.

[@ralphparker]

Ideas: #1, Make your spring resistive features come up from and through the base at the bottom. Since the pressure is light and there would be enough play, it shouldn't interfere with the rolling process. #2, If you use different sizes of paper make the guide slide on one side. You can do this by getting a couple of T tracks. and #3: Use velcro cable ties in lieu of the tape (I'm scared of the tape on the paper long term). Nice Video.

[@DeanCovert]

You might be able to combine your idea of the roller mechanism mount and the "thing from the paper roller" to allow for varied roll sizes by mounting the roller on a pivot that's held in tension to the base with springs. This would keep pressure on the roll as it rolls up, but also accommodate larger roll sizes.

[@markvreeken]

Nice work The "castle" pieces arrangement you refer to is actually known as a Dog clutch. You do come up with some pretty cool 3d printed stuff. It is really cool to see you go through the design iteration process. Thanks

[@idahoverland_208]

Great project. My first thought was to lower the dowel so the slot is inline with the ramp bed, & shorten the ramp to allow for the 2-3” diameter roll.

[@VoidingWarrantiesAgain]

This is slick. I like the whole design. The tape though! Fold the edge over on the rolled sided so when you peel it it doesn't pull/tear the roll open, looks neater that way too. Or get fancy and print a label to put under as a pull tab to attach to the tape.

[@Photokapi]

Super cool project! I think having a slight slope up on the roll end, and a slight curve outward on the opposite end would guide the paper easily, and making a crank for one (or both ends) would help with hand fatigue if you were doing a bunch in a day. Nice job!

[@ga5743]

Love your ingenuity and knowledge of Fusion 360. Those 3D printed parts are so cool, said by somebody wishing they had a 3D printer. 😀

[@Toolz1980]

This is awesome, as always! My two cents: how about using bearings/rollers for the pressure mechanism and make the funnel more like a funnel (start out wide and decrease the width to the exact width of the paper and slope it upwards to the dowel).

[@scratchinjack608]

The yokes on the ends holding and having the dowel spin can be spring tensioned to the flat surface eliminating the rubber band arms. Of you're going to use low tack tape to hold it together, the tape itself can be "tensioned" on.

[@jonathancusick123]

For your guide rails you could have it so the base/bulk part of the rails is spaced like they are now, the same width as your paper, then have the top layer of your rails with the overhang be either on a hinge to flip up out of the way or even slide out of the way so the overhang goes to the outer edge. so you can just flip up or slide out the top part, put your paper in and then flip down or slide in. Could even hold it down with small magnets. To better visualize how i'm dividing the rail, the base part of the rails is a 2x4 with plywood on top 4 and 1/2'' wide overhanging on the inside to hold the paper down, and a piano hinge on the outside. (not saying use wood, just trying to help with the visual haha)

[@OtsoNick]

Couple ideas for making it better. 1) Adjusting the spinner bar. First Idea, make it so that one side it just rests in a cradle (that can close over the top of it) it can still spin without needing to be locked in each time (small saving of time) Second idea, make the main rotator spot able to rotate 180 degrees so once the paper is loaded you can flip the bar and unload the paper without deconstructing the whole aparatus. Third idea, make the lower part of the wood detachable so that you can feed the paper through then attach it the bottom, this would allow loading to take place without needing to fiddle so much with the bar, This allows you to bring the paper up, load the bar in place, rest it in the cradle, wind the paper, then flip to unload (unlocking the bottom bar at this point) unload the paper and then flipping the bar back to go for the next one.