Thread: Realistic Tractor Wheels

Hello Roger,

I searched for wooden tractor wheels but couldn't find anything in google. However Toys and Joys has plans for 2 different tractors that have realistic wheels. I would assume they were made the same way I made the wheels for my 48' Ford Monster truck.

You make 2 halves 2 left and 2 right. Use a pattern the size of the wheel you want with the number of treads you want and mark off the wheel. So basically the tread would be opposite of the monster truck thus you would remove more material to make skinny raised treads.
Attachment 174373

Then you would use a dado blade the width of tread you want and cut 2 wheels with the miter gauge set to 15* to the left and then the miter gauge set to the right for the other 2. Attachment 174374

Then glue them together and do the roundover on the edge by hand.
Attachment 174372

After they were glued together you could cutout the i.d. of the wheel and drill the lug holes.

I hope this helps,
Bret

Just a little bit to add to Bret's Tractor wheel making.
If the cuts were a little bit wider then glued together-well rounded off on the edges
Then cut strips to fit the grooves in the wheel and stick out of the wheel the same amount as the width if you get what I am trying to say
Spin wheels to clean edge and round off tread
Maybe the inserts are glued in before the 2 halves are joined

Looking at the photo Bret put up and the dark end grain on the tread,I think it is inserts for the tread
Click on pic to enlarge.
A lot of work

G'Day Roger,
Aussie correct about a lot of work, but the results from previous work which Bret has completed are excellent.
It's up to you to make it work.
Looking forward to seeing your efforts.
Apoligises in advanced as it's currently beyond me.
Cheers, Crowie

HI Crowie,
You won't know if it is beyond you or not unless you have a go. It is surprising what you can do if you try.
Cheers Elderly

Thank you Elderly,
I am duly chastened.
Cheers, Crowie

I was about to say the same thing.What are you on about Crowie?
If you look back at my early posts,I winged about trying to make wheels (As an example) I used to buy them from Toys & Joys in USA.I was s#*t Sc%*ed to try to make them.The old excuses like my lathe is too small ,cheaper to buy them,Way too hard,etc.etc.I bought some more machinery and kept making them till I got the ideas and made some jigs etc.
I am not a woodwork Person.I spent most of my live with metal and electronic gear.
I am not well enough these days to do what I used to do,
I only started woodwork after I came across this forum in 2007 and entered a box making Comp.
I thought this isn't too bad,and went from there.So dont say you cant do it.Get out in the shed and give it a go.It will only cost a bit of wood if you make a mess.
It gets easier each time you give it ago.
Just added this.You can fill in a bit of time learning from this.If you scroll down abit you will see a list af articals to click on
HERE

Hi Crowie,
I was not chastising you just trying to encourage you. Like Aussie I am not a woodworker.
I only started doing this a year ago, the stagecoach was my first effort in this field. As Aussie said if you stuff up it is just a bit of wood and a bit of time.
Cheers Elderly.

Hi guys. Like all of your comments. Usually I make my own wooden wheels using a quality Hole Saw, and several spade bits,- one to make a basic rim-tyre effect, the second to drill out the centre hole to fit whatever diameter dowel axle I plan to use, which is basically what most toymakers do, as have tried a lathe, but can never ever get each wheel the same diameter, ( there must be a trick somewhere to getting every wheel identical in diameter ).
**** Treaded Wheels have stumped me for yonks on how to make them, and still do,- BUT an old school mate of mine, who is a member of this Woodwork Forum Site, ( in another section ), has put his inventive, & creative skills to work, and come up with an absolute brilliant Wooden Treaded Toy Tractor Wheel,- out of one piece of timber, which he has kindly sent me a sample of.
That's correct,- no join anywhere.( Checked it out with a Magnifying Glass,- just to make sure I wasn't seeing things ) Wheel is cut and shaped from 90 x 35mm. structual pine, with a finished size of 85mm.Dia x 32mm.wide, complete with a realistic Rear Tractor Tyre Tread pattern, all nice, neat, & evenly spaced, and with a neatly turned center hub, & rim effect. Even the center axle shaft hole is drilled out. All I know is that he did the wheel on a lathe which he has added several modifications to to cut the tread pattern. He is currently doing some more of these Rear Tractor Wheels for me, along with some other size Model-Toy Tractor Wheels as well, ( 1:20, & 1;15 scale, along with some truck wheels too in 1:20 scale ), then later on, after he has added some more modifications to his lathe, ( this is way outa my depth here ), he may deside to manufacture his unique Wheel-cutting lathe .
I do know he's already got one customer on his books,- ME
When I have a set or two of these new treaded Tractor Wheels, fitted to several of my Tractors, -photos will be placed on this thread for all to see.
Roger

Hello Rodger,
You could ask him to do a work in progress on making his wheels in this forum as there is a lot of interest in wheel making here. I am sure we would all love to see his method.
Thanks
Murray

Byc,- Will ask next time, IF he is interested, although I do know he is interested in making some form of profit from his invention. ( He is a struggling Pensioner )

I do know he is using a Miniature Lathe which was originally designed for Pen-Turning, and another second lathe which is a little bit bigger. He did say he has done modifications to BOTH lathes,- one for the larger treaded wheels, and the other for the smaller treaded wheels. He has informed me it takes him about 25 mins from start to finish to make one x 85mm.Dia Treaded Tractor Wheel, and less time to make the smaller treaded wheels.
Roger

I have been watching this thread with interest as it is my intention to make a john Deere Tractor.

The one stumbling block has been the wheels. I could buy some from Toys and Joys but then I feel they will take part ownership of my tractor. I am a selfish buggar, i do not like to share the glory ( Hah ) with any one else who does not deserve it.

I suspect realistic tractor wheels can only be done on an expensive CNC machine, which is not the way I really want to go.

I have a good friend, a mentor really, who is a retired pattern maker. A real smart guy who sometimes in the past I have undervalued his help and advice because I thought I knew best. Dumb ass hey.

He has helped me with my carvings and when I thought i had my gouges sharp in a few minutes he takes them to another level. While I have been searching for a carving instructor to offer some help my friend has been by my side unloved. I have just given myself an uppercut.

I will see my friend on Friday to see if their is away around this. For the information of those who do not know what the old Pattern Makers used to do before computer generated programs, they looked at the concept and then designed an application and moulds so that the equipment could be made to do the job. Wood Turning, Wood Carving, Wood Joinery, Metal lathes, Metal Work and Geometry were essential skills required.

If they did not have a tool or part needed, they made that part. He was in his heyday and served his apprenticeship in England around late fifties early sixties when materials and supplies were still in short supply.

I suspect if he does not know then it might be beyond us mere mortals as well.

Pete

Hi Rog and Everyone else on this forum.
I made the tractor wheels Rog was talking about, by using a Beall Pen Wizard, that I modified by making up a compound gear train for it. The tread is approx 50 degrees off the edge. My biggest problem at the moment is to find gears in the size I need(approx140-1), to be able to make a larger unit, as it is a real strain on the Dremel and not enough weight to push the router tip down into the pine, meaning I have to take 3 or 4 cuts to get it deep enough, which is where the time factor comes into it.
At present there are 24 lugs on the tyre.
When the machine is available it will require a laminate trimmer to give the weight and power to push through in one pass, and it will have the availability to cut more treads, up to 48, to give a wide range of sizes
Regards
Kryn

here wheels made by band saw the wheels was manual pushed to the band

That's a simple clever way to build tractor wheels quickly.

Pete