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Hi Coley I've just caught up with you and read through the last page of posts, I must admit that those bearing are a concern to me, with the care you have taken with them I would have expected them to rotate without any resistance at all! They would have been under much greater stress as a...

Stan The boxes remain stable even when the lids are open and the drawers are out, it's probably the weight of all the tools and junk inside. The boxes to the left are my sons tools in similar boxes. Mike.

The above are my method of hand tool storage. Its based on the joiners sutcase style of toolbox which I originaly had 57 years ago as a apprentice. In those times a joiner would travel to a new place of employment with his tool case standing on his bicycle pedal with a bit of string securing the...

Hi When you say a tool chest do you mean somthing like this?

I don't think you will need to do it but it would be possible to add a retaining lip to the front edge of each compartment. We are after all only spinning the wheel for ornamental purposes rather than delivering power. Mike.

Hi Coley I think that times are not so good in the world of magazines generally, subscriptions are a discressionary purchase and people have been looking to save money and just buy the occasional magazine. The net must also be a factor, you can find plans and instructions for all sorts of things...

Hi Coley The cat house was featured in an article I wrote for good woodworking so it's already public property, I should be able to find a set of plans if you needed them. I've knocked the magazine articles on the head for now since two of the magazines like to reuse your work without payment...

Hi Coley I think the round spokes will look good. How will you fix the spokes to the outer rim, machine a flat on the outer ends of the spokes and screw through? I've used the last of my teak off cuts for another small wheel to have another go at a water mill, I have some ideas for moving...

It's the weight of water on one side of the wheel that makes it rotate, each litre is a kilo so not a lot is needed to make it go. I've never dealt with a wheel that size but if we assume that it's well balanced and running true I think it will work brilliantly with just a small flow of water...

Hi Coley That looks great to me, I agree about the need to dodge the Iroko dust, the truth is that it's only great advantage is that it lasts for a huge length of time in outside use. Mike.

I reasoned that the slats would be best if they were horizontal and shedding the last of the water when they reached the 4.30 position on the clockwise turning wheel. I cut the grooves for the slats by fitting the disc onto a jig which allowed it to rotate under a hinged jig that guided the...

Hi Coley I did much the same as you suggest but I housed the ends of the circle of boards into a groove in the inside face of the circular discs. Each of the boards is rebated on both edges where they meet one another and the groove was wide enough to easily take the straight bits of board...

Hi Coley I was able to turn a pair of teak discs and sandwich the spokes between them after screwing the spokes to one disc (one pair of discs each side) epoxy glue holding the whole together. I think your bigger wheel will probably need two hubs with the spokes tenoned and pegged in place a...

Hi Coley Although you are working on a much larger scale with your wheel, we are both using the same jointing method. With regard to the bearings, again mine are much smaller but I found simplybearings to be a good supplier for both bearings and bearing collars to keep them in place. I my case...

I failed to mention the solar lighting! I dismantled one of our garden lights and put the LEDs inside the house with the little solar panel mounted at he back left hand corner. It works well but I think an external solar floodlight directed at the front of the house will be on the plans for next...

Hi Coley Thanks for posting those for me! The wheel starts with one compartment slightly full of water compared to what they catch when running, that means it starts slightly quickly and then takes up the speed according to flow. I wouldn't worry about gearing slowing it, even my little wheel...

Hi Coley The wheel is 115mm wide with the spokes of the wheel outside that. I will be happy to send the photos to you, they are already posted on the getwoodworking forum if you care to look at that. I'm sure that there won't be any problem making the wheel turn. My difficulty related to the...

Ive recently made a small wheel (350mm dia) complete with a mill house and two moving figures driven by the wheel. The wheel is made of teak and mounted on ball bearings with the shaft going right through the house. The figures are driven by an eccentric wheel mounted on the shaft. You will have...

I have always found that teak has a very strong smell and is very different to Iroko in appearance, the main drawback to using teak is the fact that much of it has a high silica content which gives it a severe blunting effect on HSS cutters. The use of TCT planer knives is usually essential. I...

It's true that a hand cut dovetail is easily recognisable by other competent woodworkers and usually underlines the quality of the work. To a practised hand they are quick and easy to complete and assemble. I think that cutting box joints by hand would be a longer process and require much more...