To buy or make a coil winder?

[Alan Douglas]

Regarding the feed, I have always put the supply spool on the floor between my feet and taken the wire over the top flange. There's no inertia to worry about. The upper flange does need to be smooth enough to not snag the wire. For large (ten-pound) spools I have a urethane-foam sleeve that is a loose fit around the flange, to provide just a little drag to keep the wire from tangling.