Model originally uploaded to Thingiverse at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3655256.
This reel was designed to manage the power cord on a fuel pump that I use at work. Wrapping the cord around a spool was a pain, not to mention the constantly tangled wires. I based this idea off of the little auto-rewinders that they use on headphones and earbuds, only I scaled it up to a more industrial size.
This utilizes the recoil spring out of a Troybilt TB22 trimmer I had laying around the shop. According to diagrams, this particular spring is available only as a part of the recoil housing assembly, but it's a pretty standard design among 2-stroke trimmers, so it should be relatively easy to track one down.
Once the wire is wound on the reel, you simply pull on both ends at the same time to retract the cable as far as you need and press the handle down into one of four holes in the reel to lock the reel in place while the cord is in use. Once you are through, just lift the handle and the reel will retract the wire back into the spool, ready for the next use.
Donations Welcome! *This is the first time that I have ever asked for donations for a model. To be honest, it's the first model that I've thought worthy of a donation! If you like this model, or if it helps you in any way, I would really appreciate a small donation to the beer fund so that I can continue to come up with these great ideas. After all, all great ideas come from the bottom of a beer bottle, doncha know ;) *
NOTE Due to either a Thingiverse bug or (more likely) shadowbanning, my models no longer show up under the [Newest] listings. If you want to see more of my models, please be sure to 'follow' me. If you print this, it would really help if you'd post a 'make' so that others could find this model.