This afternoon I drove to Home Depot for more dowels, eight 3 footers 3/4″ dia. On the way back I stopped at Healdsburg Lumber and asked in the yard if they have metal banding, they do, I need 40 feet. We went to talk to the yard boss, he said $1.90/lb or just give it to him. We measured 40 feet, taped it round, he gave it to me. Thank you very much. So I have thin steel banding to make the tires for the wagon wheels and such a deal, very cool. Next time we need stuff, let’s check Healdsburg Lumber first.
Back home, I cut another large hub with the 5″ hole saw as the other one has a large chip out of it. Sanded smooth it looks even round. I picked two smaller hole saw blades and cut a quarter inch into the smaller hubs and chiseled out the tween stuff, sanded, they look good like an axle in the middle, paint it black. I measured the sixteen centers around the hub and drilled the half inch holes at a taped bit depth of +3/4″. I hand sawed one of the dowels to two 16.75″ pieces, adjusted the lathe tail stock to fit snugly now with room.
The centers are pinged in with the spring punch first, much easier. A heavy small line visible when spinning at the 3/4″ mark. I cut the line first with an angled skew cutter, then cut the rest with the flat round cutting an angle chamfer on the end and stopped to measure. A little over a half inch lands about here on the chamfered end, back on and cut true to that. Off and removed the part, a bit snug, back in and filed to fit. This time it fits nice, hammered into the hub. I’ll leave it in.
The next one the same, although I grabbed a square chisel as another cutter, this works, hammered in. These are tight and don’t flex much, will make a good wheel. Much better than the first one too large and at the hairy edge with not enough length inside the wood.
The sun is setting, I cleaned up, the tools away. I broke down the first wheel 3 fellows and moved it up on its side out of the way. Bringing the new 40 inch fellows inside, I marked the spoke centers with the square. Ready to be drilled at 3/4″ but too messy to do inside. Next time I’ll cut more spokes and drill fellows then some, a productive day today.
8shotoflove8 