For many cable-pulling applications, you will have to purchase the cable on a spool and put the spools on a reel. If pulling three conductors and a ground wire, you'll need four spools on that reel. The weight can add up rather quickly, so choose your spool carefully.
Spools may be metal or wood. To ensure metal spools don't cause problems, inspect them for bent sides and sharp edges; repair before mounting on a reel.
Setting up a reel of spools on a stick of conduit suspended between two empty reel stands works fine when the weight on that stick doesn't add up to much. But as the weight increases, the friction at the mounting points (plus the deflection in the stick itself as it bends) will introduce added tension in the pull.
Properly designed, reusable cable-pulling reels come in a variety of configurations. Your electrical distributor can help you select one. If your cable pull is for critical cables, don't even attempt it without using a reel that is adequate for the number of spools, size of spools used, and their combined weight.
It's false economics to "save money" with a homemade reel only to repeat the entire pull again after removing the damaged cables you just pulled. Also consider the time wasted by repeatedly setting up homemade systems.
