Thread: Toys for Big Boys - Making Wheels

hi bigd very interesting thanks for sharing

Hi BigD
Great ideas with your wheel making .All ideas are welcome.Are you going to make another model shortly.I am sure the Forumites would love to see one of your work in progress jobs.
BTW I and one or two of us are members

You've just solved one of my problems with this tutorial, thanks much and thanks for sharing!

G'Day "Big D"
I see that a whole heap of blokes on the other forum are as impressed as we are here.
Well Done, Top Tutorial, Very good deal, thank you.
Cheers, crowie.

Big D, you are truly a wheel and tire craftsman. Wow what awesome and ingenious jigs. I wonder how you came about these jigs alot of trial and error or you are just plain awesome. Look forward to seeing more projects from you. I am going to attempt to make your spoke wheel jig at some point. I might be asking you some specs.

Bret

Originally Posted by bj383ss

Big D, you are truly a wheel and tire craftsman. Wow what awesome and ingenious jigs. I wonder how you came about these jigs alot of trial and error or you are just plain awesome. Look forward to seeing more projects from you. I am going to attempt to make your spoke wheel jig at some point. I might be asking you some specs.

Bret

There is some trial and error, but a lot of it I design with a CAD program. I am a retired Mechanical Engineer and I have designed a lot of tooling fixtures over the years.

With my CAD program, it gives me the ability to do a lot of "what if" versions to come up with what looks like the best way to do something. I don't like to get into making something and THEN find a problem or see a better way.
I am not saying that it doesn't happen , but using the CAD, it eliminates a lot of it . I also use CAD when I design a project for the same reasons. I can then print out dimensioned drawings as needed.

Feel free to ask for more info when needed and I will try to help.

Hi BigD
I have a question about the tractor wheels you made.First of all Have you any pics half made?Are the tires turned then slotted to take the treads or are they done another way.I have been thinking about them for sometime now

Welcome BigD.
Love the write-up. So much so in fact, I've linked it from the Best of the Best in the Library.

Originally Posted by Yonnee

Welcome BigD.
Love the write-up. So much so in fact, I've linked it from the Best of the Best in the Library.

Originally Posted by AUSSIE

Hi BigD
I have a question about the tractor wheels you made.First of all Have you any pics half made?Are the tires turned then slotted to take the treads or are they done another way.I have been thinking about them for sometime now

Pleading -Please show me how you make the tractor tire Here is a pic of yours to show people

Although I haven't made any of these yet I have an idea. Make the tire only half the width of the tread and make two. Slot each in a different direction then mate the two sections together.
John T

Originally Posted by jatcod24sci

Although I haven't made any of these yet I have an idea. Make the tire only half the width of the tread and make two. Slot each in a different direction then mate the two sections together.
John T

That is pretty much it. I don't have a lot of skill on a lathe, so I made my tire halves with a router. First, I routed the outside diameter and the outside corner round over. Second, the slots for the treads are cut at a 45 degree angle (left half of the tire is slotted opposite to the right half). This was done by mounting the tire half on a pivot dowel that is in a board mounted on the miter gauge. I made a paper template with index marks every 18 degrees (for 20 treads).

I ran the tire half over a dado blade to cut one slot, then turned the tire half to the next index mark and so on and so on until all the slots are cut. You just half to do the opposite for the other tire half using the opposite miter gauge slot and indexing the miter gauge to the opposite 45 degrees.

When all the slots are finished, then I cut out the tire inside diameter (again in my case using a router and template). Each tread is a seperate piece that is glued into each slot. They have to be flush with the inside face of the tire half (the face that joins it to the other half), and I sanded by hand the radius on the outside ends of the treads.

When I made my wheels, I actually made three just is case I messed up one. I did not want to go back through all the set ups to make another. I did not have any problems, so I have an extra tire/wheel assembly.

The link in the original post is not working any longer. for me anyway.

Originally Posted by munruben

The link in the original post is not working any longer. for me anyway.

I have just been there and found the same. If you go to the main forum page and look at the topics it states that "Threads/topics expire after 365 days."

As I thought that it would be good to look and see if wheels were made different or easier