# Making wheels, suggestions please.



## nev (7 May 2017)

Evening all,
I'm having a bash at scooter number 2, a Lambretta, and this time its my own attempt at a plan and it just might work 
Heres the first mock up...







Making the wheels is proving a little frustrating, I'm just no good at cutting circles :evil: , I know its just down to patience and practice but just when I think I've got the hang of it the blade decides it'd rather go somewhere else and that somewhere else is usually on the side of the piece I want to keep #-o 

The front wheel above was made by drilling a series of 6mm holes around a hub sized circle then cut out on the SSaw, and fitted within the tyre but as you can see the gods of accuracy were not present.

On the Vespa I used shop bought ones sliced and glued and they work well, but before I splash out another 8 quid  does anyone have any suggestions as to a cunning way of creating a facsimile of a Lambretta wheel and tyre :duno: 

They will be walnut tyres with oak hubs/rims, approx. 43mm dia. 12mm thick and look like this in real life...






Lathe is still in boxes under bench, so scroll saw, bandsaw, wobbly pillar drill or neanderthal hand tools are available weapons.
Suggestions on a postcard please


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## gregmcateer (7 May 2017)

I was just about to write; "I'm sure I've seen some very elegant Nev-turned wheels on a little racing car", when I read that your lathe is still in boxes under bench.

Might I make an impertinent suggestion? - Get your lathe out and spin up some more of those lovely turned neat wheels like you made before.

Go on - you know it makes sense!


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## sunnybob (7 May 2017)

Cut them out with a drill and hole saw.
mount them on an arbour and spin them in the pillar drill, using hand held sandpaper to make them round and to your required size.
If you dont have a hole saw the correct size, just cut them over sized on the scroll saw and then as above.
a pillar drill is just a vertical lathe.


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## NazNomad (7 May 2017)

Make 'em in thin layers, similar to the method I used for my tractor wheels. - topic105003.html

Centre layer - basically just a plain disc with a hole for the axle.
Layer either side - same size as before but with the d-shaped holes cut in it.
Two outer layers - tyre.
The outer layers will need a bit or rounding-over to get they tyre shape.
If you're steady, you can get close enough to a circle that nobody will see it's not, but the spin-and-sand method above is a great way to true them up.


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## nev (7 May 2017)

Thanks gents,



gregmcateer":39dg7n9z said:


> ...Get your lathe out and spin up some more of those lovely turned neat wheels like you made before.
> 
> Go on - you know it makes sense!



Love to, but theres a distinct lack of bench space at the moment, we moved and my workshop halved in size 

The spin and sand shaping is fine for the outside edges, how do you do the inside edges?


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## novocaine (8 May 2017)

as said above, hole saw. 

drill your hub the way you did last time, then use a hole saw to drill it out. 
then make your tyre using a bigger hole saw followed by a spade bit to drill the centre out to the right size for your hub. 


as to why you circles arn't working on the SS, you pivot point (the centre of the circle in this case) is moving either before or behind the blade. try sticking your finger in the middle of the circle and holding it in line with the blade as you rotate it.


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## AES (8 May 2017)

+1 for sunnybob's, novocaine's and Naznomad's suggestions - hole saw then true up in the pillar drill (or if it's that wobbly, try fixing an electric hand drill to the bench with a lashed up "tool rest" and go from there.

A coach bolt with the head cut off makes a good mandrel to mount the wheels on.

There are loads of other methods too, some good, some similar to the above, some "too clever" (in my mind anyway).

Visit the world wide web toymakingplans dot com and look at their Forum. It's divided into various sections (a bit like this Forum) and among the "How to ... " section you'll find several suggestions. Look especially for posts by someone called Udie, and also Ken (the owner of the site).

Also look at the header of that Forum start page for a tab - "How To videos".

HTH

AES


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## nev (16 May 2017)

Update: 
Got an hour in the shop today and had an experiment in wheels.
Todays method, which just might work
1. 26mm Forstner bit for inner of tyre.
2. 30mm hole saw (I have only 2 sizes) for outer of wheel hub.
3. 6mm nut and bolt for a mandrel in drill and applied to sanding thingummy to reduce size to push fit into tyre.
4. Hub pushed into tyre and outer tyre cut oversize on scrollsaw.
5. tyre reduced to size and rounded on mandrel/sander.
6. 6mm dowel glued into centre hole and redialled for cocktail stick.

et voila!

Going to work on maybe shaping the hubs a little and rounding the tyres but I think we're there 
Thanks for the suggestions folks.


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## AES (16 May 2017)

Looks good nev. As you've said, perhaps just a bit more shaping on the tops/sides of the tyres? And also, IF you fancy it, a little more "profiling" detail on the hubs? (Those you showed originally had a bit more detail on them).

OTOH, I certainly - and I think some/many of us? - tend to get carried away on the extra detailing bits which take a lot of time and which largely go unappreciated anyway, assuming the "toy" is going to a child and not as a "desktop" fancy for an ex-Mod.

Good job.

AES


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## novocaine (18 May 2017)

while you've got it chucked in the drill for sanding you could take a small chisel and add treads to the tyre too. remember those cross plys that only one grooves round the tyre (I do anyway).


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## nev (31 May 2017)

Well I bit the bullet, had a sort out and unboxed the lathe. Completely forgotten how to use any of the tools :shock: but I'm sure it'll come back to me eventually.


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## AES (31 May 2017)

Looks just the job nev, well done.

=D> 

AES


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## Claymore (31 May 2017)

.........


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## AES (31 May 2017)

I wouldn't know Brian, being a simple "twowheelophobe", but it certainly looks right to me! 

AES


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## Claymore (31 May 2017)

........


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## bodgerbaz (1 Jun 2017)

Great job Nev


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