Someday, I would like to have a great or walking wheel. In the mean time, my husband and I put together this bicycle wheel. I hope to use it for the 4th Grade Pioneer Day demonstration in May.
The wheel has a frame built from 2x4 lumber. All pieces were screwed together using long (~3") deck screws.
The bicycle tire rim is attached to a short section of angle iron which had pre-drilled holes. Our first version had short (1") screws holding the angle iron to the upright, but it was not stable. The longer deck screws do a much better job of holding it securely. The axle from the bicycle tire rim is bolted through one of the holes on the vertical side of the angle iron.
The upright is an "L" shaped piece with a slot in it. It is able to move back and forth and twist a little to tension the drive band. It is held in place by the wing nut and washers on a bolt that comes up through the 2x4 of the frame.
The spindle is a knitting needle. I originally used a us#10.5 needle, but recently swapped it for a us#9, because the 9 fit into a straw, which I am using as a bushing to make it easier for it to spin. The drive band is waxed linen from my leather toolkit. It does a good job of grabbing onto the slick needle and making it turn.
Many thanks to the following blog posters for their contributions:
Ed Jenkins --beautiful walking wheels, and the idea for the L-shaped upright.
Alden Amos --I discovered Alden's t-frames after constructing the first version of this wheel. This is cheaper, but I imagine that his require less fiddling! (And they look so pretty!)
1 comment:
A little ingenuity got you pretty far. Hope the demo goes well!
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