# How do you make wooden wheels?



## HuntleyBill (Dec 9, 2009)

Happy Thanksgiving LJ'ers:

I'm looking to make some wooden wheels for some toys for the kids. Some wheels will be 4 inches and some will be about 3 inches. I have made a few on my lathe but they didn't turn out as well as I think they should ( no pun intended)!

My lathe is a home made lathe I picked up and it doesn't have a lot of fancy features…in fact id doesn't have any fancy features. Basically has t centers and thats it. Anyway, I thought maybe if I used my router to to recess the insides hence making an outer wheel and an inner hub. I then thought I'd drill some holes in that recess to simulate spokes…sort of.

My questions are: Can I do it with a router? 
Has anyone already made a jig to accomplish this?
Is there a better way to do it (besides buying the wheels)?
If so, please explain.

Thank you all for your help
Bill


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## skywalker01 (May 19, 2009)

How big are you wanting to make the wheels?

You could use a router with a circle cutting jig that you could make yourself but not if they will be really small. I believe it's called a router trammel. Sounds like a good idea drilling out the middle, it would kind of have the look of billet truck wheels that you see on some pickups?


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## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

Have you considered a circle cutter like this?

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=2393&filter=circle%20cutter


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

Just use a Forstner for the recess, then cut the wheel out with a hole saw. 
Drill press necessary!


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## SCOTSMAN (Aug 1, 2008)

The lathe will make the very best result no question I have made many you need to make them individually with an expanding mandrel or block wiith between centres making up to four or more at a time this way it's easier to visualize what the sizes are like but for facing cuts/finish with some kind of expanding jaw mandrel set up don't cut into end grain they won't be strong you must cut the wood as if for a bowl turning session have fun Alistair


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## MrsN (Sep 29, 2008)

I buy most of my wheels, they are a lot of work to get right and I would rather spend my efforts elsewhere. 
3 and 4 inch wheels are bigger then most of the toy wheels that I use, With the proper jigs you may be able to safely use a router. I would use a hole saw like Gene mentioned. 
Good Luck
mrsn


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

I don't think there would be anything at all wrong with making wheels on a lathe. As a matter of fact you could gang them up to machine the outside if you were set up to do it. You might have to make a fixture to do it. Then you could chuck 'em up and machine the inside or make a fixture and do it on a drill press. I'm not speaking from experience on a wood lathe but I've done similar things with steel on a metal lathe. I'm just thinking out loud here - sometimes you get in trouble when you think out loud - somebody might hear you.


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## bobdurnell (Sep 24, 2007)

HuntleyBill-I have made many wheels for all sorts of vehicles without using and lathe or router. Just the desired size hole saw. I remove the wheel from the hole saw and then I make a mandrel using another wheel a little smaller in diameter and then gluing a 1/4" dowel thru it some goes thru to allow the wheel to spin and the other is for the hand to hold. Now I use a horizontal drum sander or a 6×48 vertilcle belt sander and let the wheel spin as you touch the belt or drum and the profile of the wheel can be established accordingly. I hope this helps. bob


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## twokidsnosleep (Apr 5, 2010)

My way:









Easy and consistent; the center hole is always dead on


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## RalphBarker (Oct 26, 2010)

Another vote for a (good) hole saw of the desired diameter - on a drill press. You can glue the "tire" board to a sub-board with craft paper in between to avoid the wheels staying in the hole saw. Just set the depth short of drilling through the substrat.


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