Mud wheels

[srichard44]

I shared with the forum at lumberjock.com. Maybe be a help to others here.

How I make the ‘thread’ for a mud tire.

1. Using the table saw, I get the thickness (7/16”) for the blanks. Then use a drum sander to smooth the 3/8” thickness.
2. I cut the blank by use a hole saw on the drill press. I cut all the through the side using a sacrificial board. My hole saw uses a ¼” drill bit that has a brad point bit.
3. Then to the lathe, using a mandrel (for making a pen), the wheels are placed with a spacer between each one so there is space to smooth and all the size. When using a ‘mud’ thread wheel, you do not want to round the edges. I smooth 8 wheels at a time so all are the same size.
4. Make a jig to mark the wheels. I found this at:

Woodworking Forum – Australia Toy Making
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f174/

munruben
Most Valued Member

Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Munruben, Qld
Age: 71
Posts: 9,411
Blog Entries: 2


Template for segmented wheels etc
I think this has been mentioned before but for those of you who may not be aware of it you can make a great template for segmented wheels or an indexing plate template using Microsoft Office Excel program no matter how many segments you want to use.
Simply type the number "1" in each row until you reach the number of segments you want, For instance if you want a segment with 14 pieces just type "1" in each cell from A1 to A14 inclusive and then click on the "Insert" tab and choose to insert a Pie chart. This will place a segmented pie chart in the worksheet. It will be in solid colours but is simple to change to an outline drawing by clicking on the "Format" tab and selecting the "Shape" style. and you are done. Just a matter of printing it out and adjusting the size to suit your needs.

Segmented template.jpg

I made a jig using a piece of wood and drilled a hole for a 1/4” dowel and fastened to the meter gauge on the table saw. Set the angle to 15º to the LEFT. Set a dado set to for ¼” thick and 1/8” high. Cut the number of wheels you need to make a set for each completed wheel. Then set the 15º to the RIGHT. Cut the other side for the wheels.
5. Sand the ‘threads’ on the halves.
6. Place a RIGHT side and a LEFT side on the lathe mandrel and glue them together. (RIGHT-glue-LEFT-spacer- RIGHT-glue-LEFT-spacer etc.-nut). Allow to dry over night.
7. While on the lathe, smooth top and round the edges.
8. Remove the wheels and mandrel. Place a chuck (I just use the chuck to mount the mandrel for making the wheels) on the lathe. Mount a wheel on the chuck so it is flush to the front of the jaws.
9. Mount on a drill chuck on the tailstock. Using a 3/8” drill bit, resize the hole. Remove the 3/8” drill bit, place a fortner bit to your size, and drill the center to 3/8” deep.
10. Finish hand-sand the wheels.

I hope that makes sense to you.
Richard Smith

P.S. If you do not have a lathe, mount the mandrel in a drill press. Use a wheel jig to drill out the centers on the drill press.

Using the same method – drill press and lathe- can produce highway threads by cut the groove using a parting tool.

[crowie]

Thanks Richard,
It's been put in the memory bank for later on.
Cheers, crowie

[AUSSIE]

I am getting old.I cant fully work it out.

[srichard44]

Would you like me to put this into 40 steps instead or the 10 or use smaller words?
The pictures or a video are on the way after Christmas.
Enjoy every day,
srichard44

[crowie]

Would you like me to put this into 40 steps instead or the 10 or use smaller words?
The pictures or a video are on the way after Christmas.
Enjoy every day,
srichard44

The WIP Photos idea is a good one and extra explaination steps would also help some of us, thank you....

[munruben]

Would you like me to put this into 40 steps instead or the 10 or use smaller words?
The pictures or a video are on the way after Christmas.
Enjoy every day,
srichard44

Look forward to seeing the video or pics.