How to build a cart wheel?

[hedgesparrow]

You want it as dry as you can, otherwise they can loosen & creak in hot weather when the mc% drops, do you remember the famous painting, 'the haywain' by Constable, they would stop in shallow water to expand a creaking wheel, (& water the nag).

In very sunny conditions I used to hang my bedding over the wheels facing south, to air the bedding & protect the wheels from prolonged exposure.

 

they dug out a small pond near to were i was working and that was lined with cobbles for the carts to go in to get them wet and let horses have a drink.

[twmarriott]

here you go did some of mine 5 years ago now and still very tight

I used all oak as I was struggling to get ash in 6" dry boards that was not streaked with olive, if any one has any large ash butts local to Worcester I'd be interested....

[twmarriott]

get the timber as dry as possible that keeps it all tight, I air dried it a summer an inch then kilned it down below 10% max.

[twmarriott]

heres another project we did some big bits of timber!

[geoff]

Lovely & fascinating work TWMarriott, thanks for showing those!

[sandspider]

heres another project we did some big bits of timber!

 

Is that on the Norfolk Broads? Looks familiar somehow...

[twmarriott]

no its in Bromsgrove, worcs, at avoncroft open air museum but I've done a few in Norfolk too before I was tied up with kids and wife!

[sandspider]

Ahh, OK - never been there as far as I know!

 

Nice work. Good to see the old skills (and old mills!) being maintained.

[Hornbeam]

I have made traditional wheelbarrow wheels with shrunk-on tyres; they are easy to make. But larger wheels require a lot of careful thought and you need to allow a fractional gap between each felloe and make sure the spoke is fractionally shorter than the full radius to allow compression. All wheelwrights have a wheel collapse when tyring sometime in their career! It really is a case of practice makes perfect!

 

The tyre circumference depends on whether it is hearth-welded or arc welded as one 'absorbs' metal and the other adds metal. Practice!

 

As to the camber, it much depends on the load. Elm is usually used for hubs as it doesn't split with multiple mortices, but hornbeam is fine for small wheels/especially 2-spoke wheelbarrow wheels. Oak spokes and ash felloes are usual but much depends on the loads and road surface. There are many different county styles, which best suit local terrain, and or good reason. There is a brilliant book, 'The English Country Waggon' (I think) by Geraint Jenkins - I have a copy somewhere.....

 

You really need to talk to wheelwright - as you may as well do the job methodically and properly! You will enjoy the experience, believe me! Good luck!

[Graham w]

ok, so after a lazy afternoon heres half a hub! i gather these are made on a lathe but i dont have one so tried the router, takes much longer but left a good finish.

 

the wood is elm and the band is two inch by quarter inch flat bar that i welded up with the mig. it then took quite a beating with a large hammer to make a curve/band.

 

this is going to take forever but i will keep the pics coming!