This Multipart post (part 9 of 13) is a series of photos I made after a
recent Speedy Wheels build. Speedy Wheels series is a series of handmade
wooden toy cars I made from 1-1/2-inch thick pine and trimmed with
walnut.
The car's body comprises two parts of 1-1/2-inch thick
wood I cut into two parts and finished separately with contrasting
colors of clear and amber shellac. The two parts are glued back
together, producing a car with a two-tone body with a clearly defined
line that is almost impossible to get otherwise.
I don't usually
make wheels; however, in this case, I did not have ready access to the
correct size flat/slab wheels. I dug through my cutoffs and found enough
pieces of wood to make a batch of wheels. Small wheels are an excellent
way to use all those small cutoffs toymakers accumulate.
I have
made many wheels over the years using hole saws. Hole saws produce a
rough cut wheel that requires a lot of sanding to get a smooth wheel.
This time I decided to try something different. Using Inkscape, I
created patterns for my scroll saw and cut all the wheels with the saw.
Cutting wheels with my scroll saw is much better than the old hole saw
method. The wheels still need sanding after cutting with the scroll saw,
but not anywhere near as much sanding as is required using a hole saw.
The sanding was mostly due to my inability to cut a perfect circle.
Using a simple jig, I sand the wheels perfectly round and the same
diameter. The patterns I used for these wheels are available in my Etsy
shop.
Another issue I have with making wheels with a hole saw is
that the hole size must be the drill bit's size in the hole saw arbor.
You can't have a smaller hole, and if you want a larger hole, you must
drill it after the wheels are cut. Cutting wheels with a scroll saw
allows you to use any size axle you want.
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