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Wheelwright - an overview Made of wood and bound with iron, the wheels of the carriages, wagons, and riding chairs that navigated what passed for roads had to be strong and tight, but first of all round. 
Producing them required strength and ingenuity, a combination of the talents of the carpenter and the blacksmith. Good measuring skills were also needed. Starting with a hub fashioned on a lathe from a properly aged wood like elm, a tapered reamer opened the center to receive a metal bearing, and the chisel created rectangular holes to take the spokes around the circumference. Carved from woods like ash, the spokes radiated to meet a rim of mortised wooden arches called fellies that joined to form a perfect circle. The blacksmith supplied a big hoop of an iron tire precisely matched to the distance around the fellies. The wheelwright heated the tire, which expanded just enough to be coaxed on with a heavy hammer. He then doused the wheel with water so that the tire would shrink to bind the assembly. At The Show You'll see this fascinating skill in action as our wheelwright assembles his craft. |