Spools for events and gardens
Venues, wedding and event planners and nurseries around Los Angeles and Orange County use wooden spools as cocktail tables, cake and sign stands, centrepieces and plant displays. What they need is a matched set: the same size, clean flanges and a similar colour. Tell us the size, the count and the date, and give us time to put the set together from the runs.
Set sizes and what they are used for
| Flange | Height laid flat | At an event | In a garden or nursery | Request |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 in | About 15 in | Low lounge table, seating for children | Pot stand, step | Ask |
| 30 in | About 22 in | Side and lounge tables, card and favour tables | Display riser | Ask |
| 36 in | About 22.5 in | Cake or dessert table, sign base | Plant display, potting bench top | Ask |
| 42 in | About 30 in | Seated guest tables for four | Garden table | Ask |
| 48 in and up | Varies by build | Standing cocktail tables on edge, backdrops, centrepieces | Raised beds, landscape features | Ask |
What "matched" means
Reels come off the runs from many makers and many jobs. Two 30 inch reels can differ in plank width, drum size, colour and stencilling. For an event, guests notice when one table is a different shade or height. So when you ask for a set, we sort for:
- the same flange size and overall width, so every top sits at the same height;
- the same build, all nailed or all bolted, with a similar plank pattern;
- clean flanges, with little or no paint or printing on the top face;
- dry wood with a similar weathering colour.
We will tell you how close a set is before you agree, and whether waiting for the next runs would get a closer match.
Getting a set to a venue
Ten 30 inch reels are about 5% of a deck and weigh under 400 lb together, so delivery rides on a run toward you. They can be hand-carried from the truck. Ten 48 inch reels are a much bigger job: over a thousand pounds and more than a third of a deck, needing a forklift or a ramp and several people. For any venue, we need the address, the loading dock or gate, a delivery window and the name of someone on site.
Before the day
- Sand the top flanges and pull every staple a guest could catch a dress on.
- Seal or wax the tops if drinks will go on them.
- Check each reel stands level on the venue floor; carry felt pads or shims.
- Outdoors on grass, set reels on boards so heels and table legs don't sink.
- Keep large reels chocked. A reel on edge on a slope will roll.
Nurseries and garden centres
Nurseries use reels as display tiers: a 36 inch reel on a 48 inch one makes a two-level stand for potted plants, and the arbor hole drains water. Reels used outdoors full time last longest set on gravel, with the end grain sealed. If you dress a garden centre each season, a standing order for a few reels a month can be arranged; see used cable reels for trade orders.
Ideas that work with reels
A row of 24 inch reels stood on edge, flanges facing the aisle, makes a rustic border for a ceremony. Three 30s stacked flat and offset become a tiered dessert display. A single 72 inch reel on edge, chocked, is a backdrop for a welcome sign or photographs, and the arbor hole can take a lantern pole. Barns, ranch venues in the Santa Clarita Valley and backyard weddings across the San Fernando Valley and Orange County all suit the look; formal ballrooms less so. Whatever the plan, measure doorways and the route from truck to floor first.
Words on this page
- Flange
- The round end of a reel; its diameter (24 to 96 inches and up) is how reels are sized, sorted and loaded.
- Drum
- The barrel between the flanges that the cable winds on; its diameter sets how much cable a reel holds.
- Arbor hole
- The centre hole a reel stand's spindle goes through; a torn or oval arbor hole takes a reel out of service.
- Pickup window
- The span of hours a dock is open and staffed for loading.
- Deck
- The flatbed or step-deck trailer floor; 102 inches wide on a California legal trailer.
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Event and garden questions
How much notice do you need for a set?
For a handful of 24 or 30 inch reels, a week or two is often enough. For ten or more matched reels, or anything over 48 inches, give us a month.
Can you take the spools back after the event?
Ask when you book. A return pickup can ride a run like any other stop; tell us the date and the dock or gate.
Do you rent spools?
No, we sell them. A venue that wants to keep a set for repeated events usually finds buying cheaper than hiring decor.
Are spools safe for a cake?
Put a sealed board or a cake stand on top; raw reel wood is not a food surface. Make sure the reel stands level and cannot be knocked.
Can the spools be painted to match a theme?
Yes, once you own them. Sand first and use an exterior paint for outdoor events. Ask for lightly marked reels if you plan to paint, because they cost less to find than perfectly clean ones.