Love your suggestion. I have been using the inside of an empty Gutterman spools (small or medium size). I twist the bottom inner piece (down where you wind the thread when done with spool) and give it good twist and pull. This pulls the inside out and makes a perfect adapter for the larger spools. When I need to use a machine where the spool lays down, I use two of these end to end in the spool and they help it to ride smoothly. I also use the rest of the spool to wind ribbons on for storage. Hope this is clear for everyone.