[KwartzLab] Making a spoked, wooden wheel

[Punkin3.14]

My understanding (which may be entirely incorrect) is that inertia is moderated by the size of the flyer whorl, so a heavier wheel may mean I want a larger whorl to start with. I've noticed that the more expensive, "professional" wheels advertise heavier fly wheels as a feature for fast spinners. Which, admittedly, I am not. Yet.

How important balance is, is a good question. I noticed that the wheel I was using would occasionally  rotate back in the opposite direction, but I'm not sure if that's a failing of the wheel or the operator. Probably the operator ;) To some extent, I think a (slightly) unbalanced wheel can be compensated for in the treadling.

On 2011-11-15, at 12:30 PM, Chris Bruner wrote:

> A couple of things that come to mind. 
> 1. The spinning wheel has inertia, so a solid plywood spinning wheel will have more. Could this be a problem?
> 2. Does the spinning wheel need to be balanced?
> 
> On 11/15/2011 12:07 PM, Jeff Schmidt wrote:
>> 
>> Because way back when, they didn't have plywood.  ;)
>> 
>> Be sure to use plywood (or chipboard or particleboard or even MDF) that has a nice smooth surface.  Roughly cut out the pieces with a table saw or jigsaw, then use the bandsaw to finish the cuts.  You could use a scroll saw, jigsaw or even a CNC machine to cut out the "spokes."
>> 
>> - Jeff
>> 
>> From: Punkin3.14 <punkin at mag3.14159.ca>
>> To: KwartzLab Public Discussion List <discuss at kwartzlab.ca>
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 11:53:56 AM
>> Subject: Re: [KwartzLab] Making a spoked, wooden wheel
>> 
>> Ah! Because they always have spokes? This sounds way too easy; I'm going to try it.
>> 
>> Thanks  ^___^
>> 
>> On 2011-11-15, at 11:41 AM, Jeff Schmidt wrote:
>> 
>>> Why does it need spokes in the first place?  You could just as easily cut a wheel shape from simple plywood.  Here's what I'd suggest:
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Cut out three pieces of plywood.  The "inner" layer will be of a slightly smaller diameter than the outer layers.  This is where the string will run through.
>>> 
>>> Drill a hole through the exact center of each layer, and the offset hole for the pedal.
>>> 
>>> Using the center hole and offset hole for alignment, glue the layers together with a good wood glue, and use something nice and heavy to press the layers together.
>>> 
>>> Sand the edges of the plywood to round them over.  Apply putty to fill holes so that the string won't get caught.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> That'll get you a very basic and rather heavy flywheel.  If balanced properly, it'll spin for ages.  If you want to get fancy, you can cut out "spokes" - but don't just settle for basic radial spokes!  You can cut out patterns if you like - simple circles, lightning bolts, text, bar codes, whatever.  You could even cut different patterns into the layers and have them overlap in cool ways.  As long as the wheel remains balanced you're good to go.
>>> 
>>> Hope that helps!
>>> 
>>> - Jeff
>>> 
>>> 
>>> From: Punkin3.14 <punkin at mag3.14159.ca>
>>> To: KwartzLab Public Discussion List <discuss at kwartzlab.ca>
>>> Sent: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 11:04:10 AM
>>> Subject: [KwartzLab] Making a spoked, wooden wheel
>>> 
>>> I'm making a spinning wheel. 
>>> 
>>> I'm a complete novice at woodworking, but I'm working from a very utilitarian model (i.e., non-decorative), and most of the pieces are straightforward to cut. 
>>> 
>>> The bit that I am puzzling over is the fly wheel itself. Its 19" inches across, and needs a 1/4" rounded groove along the outer edge, which the drive band fits into. [1]
>>> 
>>> Have we any knowledgeable woodworkers who would be available sometime in the next couple months, to help me make such a wheel (assuming this is not an unreasonable project for a novice -- I honestly don't know how advanced this is)?
>>> 
>>> OR
>>> 
>>> Have we any knowledgeable woodworkers who would be willing to make me such a wheel, in exchange for appropriate compensation?
>>> 
>>> OR
>>> 
>>> Can anybody recommend a carpenter I might contact to commission such? I can look up names in the yellow pages just fine, but if there's a recommendation to be had, so much the better ^^
>>> 
>>> Steph
>>> 
>>> 1. If it helps to visualize what I'm talking about, this diagram shows the parts of a spinning wheel. Imagine Part A (the fly wheel), but with plain spokes: http://www.joyofhandspinning.com/wheel-parts.shtml  
>>> 
>>> 
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>>> 
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>> 
>> 
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> 
> 
> -- 
> Chris Bruner
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