Genuine skill on display here - repairing a wood coach wheel

[AJB Temple]

Intstead of doing what I was supposed be doing, I watched this. I had no idea that spokes on wooden spoked wheels had a bend in them, and the skill in remaking the spokes, getting the wheel remade and getting the solid rubber tyre on with welding inside of it (!) is fascinating. These skills are disappearing, more's the pity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaFGOCou_7I

 

[Garno]

Good find,

I wonder how heavy they are :shock:

 

[samhay]

He's one of the real gems on YouTube and I expect has a bit of a following on this forum.

 

[Trevanion]

Christ, he works quickly.

 

[MikeG.]

I've been watching him for about 2 years. He's excellent, and it's a nice mix of simple blacksmithing, timber work, and some wheel-wright-only skills which I find compelling. He's also a really nice laid back guy, and with lots to say about the history of carts and carriages in the USA. Very interesting stuff.

 

[Fitzroy]

Yup been watching a while. He made a crazy big chandelier wagon wheel weighed 1500lbs and was authentic to boot, just for some crazy coot to hang it from the ceiling.

Fitz.

 

[thetyreman]

my grandad was a coach painter, never met him but he would have been very highly skilled, back when they were all made out of wood and it was all done by hand.

 

[AJB Temple]

We need a sticky for "must see" real craftspeople? I came across it by accident and next thing I know some fellow forumites are already aware.

Clearly he uses special tools. Like the machine that turns the iron hoops whilst the torch is on it.

When I was a kid I lived next door but one to a blacksmiths shop. When I was little I was always in there watching him make shoes, repair agricultural machinery, make hinges and so on. These places are pretty much gone now.

 

[Noggsy]

Brilliant, thankyou for sharing. Now where can I get one of those revolving propane thingys?

 

[fiveeyes]

Yep..been watching since he did the borax wagons. A national treasure.

 

[Max Power]

Dave Engels is very entertaining, and knowledgeable. A lot of his stuff is peculiar to America though. Sarven hubs are an American invention and not very common over here, although you do get the odd set to repair.
That type of tyre with the wire through isn't used here, our rubber has a T profile on the under side that is pressed into a C profile steel channel
His tyre heating contraption is a great piece of apparatus. He uses a torch at both sides when he's heating heavy tyres up and uses his traveller to measure when the tyre has expanded sufficiently to fit over the wheel. Something you aren't able to do when your heating them in a fire, you have to judge by the colour of the steel. Broken pallets are cheaper than gas though :lol:

 

[AES]

Very interesting vid from someone I hadn't seen before. Thanks for posting.

And agree 100% AJB Temple, we do need a sticky (or separate "Infotainment" (?) section, but ONLY for stuff of the highest quality). That would no doubt lead to some interesting "discussions" about who should be included/not!

 

[Wrongfoot]

[...] Sarven hubs are an American invention and not very common over here, although you do get the odd set to repair. [...]

Just to help me google, what hubs are common in Europe?

 

[Eric The Viking]

Couldn't sleep last night. Now 1/2 way through the Borax wagon build series. I think he probably has the world's strongest (and flimsiest) sawhorses!

Brill craftsmanship, especially the blacksmithing, outstanding attention to detail, and real toughness - I couldn't even lift half of the stuff they are just casually manhandling around the workshop.

And is it just me that's surprised about the lack of sideways bracing in the wagon tubs? I would've expected wide crosspieces, with diagonal braces up to the outsides of the sides to give lateral strength. I realise they are copying, but it looks like a real weakness of the original design. He mentions chains going across, and I haven't got to the end of the series yet, so all might be made clear, but so far it looks like all the thinking (originally) went into the running gear, and the actual load box was almost an afterthought.

And I really, really want to know what the final bill was

E.