July 4, 2026
Description
Updated July 4, 2026
After publishing my floss bobbin winder one of the first questions I got was if I knew of anything to hold the embroidery floss while it was being wound onto bobbins. I pointed the person to some yarn swifts that were already out there, but realized that work with embroidery floss was a at a completely different scale. After researching some options, the squirrel cage yarn swift jumped out as a design with much potential.
I've gotten a first iteration of a functional squirrel cage embroidery floss swift down. It takes two standard 608 bearings, and everything else is printed. This first version is a simple, vertical only mounting that will be the first step. The next refinements are to get the main plate piece into an adjustable mounting instead of just being fixed vertically. However, that would only require re-printing that one main plate, and all the rest of the pieces will still be used.
Basically the literal "cage" part of the classic swift was most likely a combination of efficient use of materials combined with a simple route to an efficient shape. After starting some sketching to get a classic cage shape with multiple components, I realized that with 3D printing you can gain those without having to cut things up into a bunch of pieces to assemble. So we can get nicely curved sides that keep the floss in place without having to break things up, light weight due to hollow with infills, and strength by keeping to a single drum.
gave bolts and nuts chonkier threads to try to hold better for more people
made the original "bolt" a horizontal one for better strength
added new "BoltV" for a vertical bolt version with no cuts
filled in instructions and pictures
Moved from pre-release to first release.
functionality finalized for v1.0
rotating and locking via Hirth joint.
slightly longer bolt (mainly to accomodate the Hirth joint.
shapes rounded
more testing
MainPlate and Bolt updated, HexNut and Mount added.
Full instructions with pictures
Designed to print at 0.28mm layer height. Print with 3 or more walls if you need a little more strength. All pieces should be in their correct orientation for printing.
I've included .step files because they give smoother results with smaller files as long as your slicer (such as Orca Slicer) supports them. The .stl versions are included for those who need them for their workflows, but are normally of a poorer quality due to tessellation being baked in.
Do not be fooled by the Printable's 3d preview. They recently added support for .step files (nice!), but run their preview conversion at a much lower quality than Orca slicer and its ilk use when opening .step files. So it is still better to use the .step versions if your slicer supports it.
You will need
3x Bolt (or BoltV if you know what you're doing with it)
2x Cage
1x Key
1x MainPlate
1x Mount
3x Nut
1x HexNut
2x Washer
Additionally from my floss winder download and print
1x Bolt
1x Cap
1x Clamp Base
1x Connector
And for non-printed part needs
2x 608 bearing
print all needed parts and get two 608 bearings ready. Plan out your color distribution if you are going to be printing in more than one color (for this sample I used three colors)
insert a 608 bearing into the bottom of a cage piece. Once it is started you can place the bearing end down on a table and firmly press the cage down onto it until seated well and flat.
set the key down and place a bolt into to the top. Carefully lower a cage down onto the bolt, then place a washer on top of that
set the main plate upside down on top of the cage and bolt
using the key as needed, screw a nut down onto the bolt until it is fully tightened (do not over tighten)
The first cage should now be firmly in place at the top of the main plate, but still rotate freely
set another bolt on the top of the key
repeat the stacking process, then set the main plate down onto it upside down
secure the bolt with another nut, but do not tighten fully. Once the main plate is turned right side up, the second cage should slide without much effort
Assemble the clamp based on the instructions from the Winder page
Follow the steps
mate the Mount into the Connector on the clamp sub-assembly
insert the last bolt into the hex nut
firmly work it into place as much as you can (when tightening later it will seat more)
push the bolt up from below the mount and set the main plate down onto it
use the remaining nut to tighten and lock the two pieces together
with the top cage tightly screwed into position at the very top of the MainPlate, loosen up the bottom cage just enough so it will slide
loop a new skein of embroidery floss down over the top cage
remove any remaining wrappers and then loop down under the bottom cage (gravity should be helping hold it down against the floss at this point
use the key inserted from the front and your hand on the nut from the back and tighten the nut until it is holding firmly. Be sure to keep enough tension on the floss
make sure the floss is held well but the cages can still turn freely with it
if desired, change the rotation of the MainPlate by loosening its bolt and nut, rotating it, then tightening the bolt again.
clip a loose end of the embroidery floss into a bobbin
fix the bobbin into the winder
lightly guide the floss with your one hand as you crank the winder with your other
you now should have a bobbin with floss wound neatly onto it
License:
Creative Commons — Attribution
10
joncruz
