Send your reel list

Send your reel list

The form on this page is the quickest way to start. It asks for the few things needed to answer: whether you want to sell, recycle or buy (nothing is chosen for you), the reel type if you know it, a rough flange size, how many reels and your ZIP code. The second step asks for the product, the pickup or delivery address, a name and an email address or phone number. The message box is for anything else: access, deadlines, photos you will send by email, or a table of reels by size.

If you would rather write, email info@phillywoodenspools.com. That is the only contact address for this site. There is no published phone number and no street address; reels are collected where they are and delivered where they are needed.

What makes a good reel list

The more of this you can give, the more precise the reply:

• What you want. Sell, recycle, buy, or a question.
• Reel type. Nailed wood, plywood, bolted wood, plastic, steel, fiber optic, compartment, or "not sure".
• Flange size per group. Edge to edge across the round side, to the nearest inch or two. See measuring a reel.
• Count per group. Within a few reels is fine.
• Condition. Sound, a few broken, mostly broken.
• Markings. Any stencils, painted numbers or tags. Those may mean the reel is returnable to its maker.
• Location. ZIP code, the kind of site, and where the reels stand.
• Access. Forklift on site or not, gate hours, height limits, steps, soft ground.
• Timing. A window, or a deadline if there is one.

A sample list: "Sell. Montgomery County, 19406. Nailed wood: 22 at 42 inch, 9 at 48 inch, 3 at 60 inch with tie rods. Plywood spools: about 30 at 18 to 24 inch. Two 42s have split flanges. One 60 has a maker's stencil and a number. Forklift on site weekdays 7 to 3."

Photos

Two or three photos answer most questions before anyone drives out: one straight at a flange face, one from the side showing both flanges and the drum, and a close-up of any stencil, number or tag. For a yard, one wide shot of the whole pile helps. Send photos by email after submitting the form, mentioning the ZIP code so they can be matched.

What happens next

We read the list against the catalogue and reply by email or phone. The reply puts each group of reels into one of four outcomes: we would pay for them; we would collect them free; they are recycling; or they belong to a cable maker, with the maker named. For a buy request, it lists matching reels with their real measurements, or says when suitable ones are likely. Nothing is booked until you have read the reply and agreed.

Buying a reel

Choose Buy reels on the form. Give the size or the use (a table height, a hose reel, re-spooling cable), how many, and the delivery ZIP code. If plain unpainted wood matters, say so. See buy empty reels.

If you are a homeowner

Found a reel in the garage after buying a house, or have a few spools left over from a renovation? Give us the town or ZIP code, roughly how many there are, how big the largest is, and where they sit: driveway, side yard, basement or shed. If someone else will be home when we come, include their first name. Single spools and small reels usually wait for a truck passing nearby, so tell us whether there is a date by which they must be gone, such as a settlement or a dumpster pickup.

If you are a contractor or facility manager

Tell us the company, the site address and the person who can release the reels. For active construction sites, mention induction or safety requirements, gate hours and any delivery booking system. For yards and warehouses, mention dock hours and whether a forklift operator will be available. If you want a regular collection, say how often reels accumulate; weekly, monthly and quarterly schedules are all common.

If you are buying for a project

Event planners, designers, restaurateurs and makers often need several matching reels. Give the quantity, the diameter range, whether you prefer timber or plywood, the finish you are after (raw, sanded or weathered), and the delivery date. Ask early for anything over a dozen.

After the pickup

If you need paperwork, ask for a pickup record in your request: it lists what was collected by size and outcome, which reels were set aside as returnables, and anything left behind and why, with the date and address. Keep it with your job records. If something on it looks wrong, reply and we will put it right.

When the form will not work

If the form will not send, perhaps because of a strict browser setting or an office firewall, email the same details and photos instead. Attachments are fine; several smaller pictures travel better than one huge file.

Questions without a reel list

Choose Ask a question on the form, or email. Common questions have short answers on the FAQ page, and the guides cover identifying, measuring and valuing reels, returnable reels and manufacturer return programmes.

Privacy, briefly

What you send is used to answer your request and arrange a pickup or delivery. It is not sold. The privacy policy has the details, including the optional text-message consent on the form.

Service area

Philadelphia, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester and Delaware counties in Pennsylvania, and Camden, Gloucester and Burlington counties in New Jersey. Requests from just outside are welcome when the load makes the trip sensible. See areas.