Make your own steel wheels.
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Cajun Wheels
I've always felt that I could build my own engine trucks if I could find the wheels for it. Well I've looked for wheels at garage sales, junk piles, flea markets and antique shops, with only limited luck. When I did find them it seemed there was only one of a kind or at best maybe a pair, if I was lucky. But, one thing was consistent. They were always expensive.
This is when I decided I would try to make my own wheels. I bought a 20' joint of 3/16" x 2" band iron or flat bar. I first figured on 8" wheels and being able to get eight wheels out of one joint. A local fabrication shop cut rolled the band iron into 8" diameter circles. I then welded them up and make the rims for the wheels. I then took scraps of 1/4" plate, available from the fab shop, and cut out 8" circles using a circle cutting attachment (available from Harbor freight tools for $6.00).
Next, I laid out an 8" circle (8" x 3.1416 = circumference) on poster paper and divided it into 5 equal sections, using these lines for the centers of each spoke. I made each spoke 1" wide at the outer edge and 1 1/4" near the center. I left the center of the plate about 1 3/4", and drew the spokes back to this point. After laying out and cutting the template into a circle, I transferred the points on the line to the steel center with a center punch. After center punching, I scribed the lines on the centers. At the juncture of each spoke I drilled a 1/2" hole so that when I cut out the spokes they appeared rounded out where they meet the center of the wheel.
Next, I cut out the scribed portion of the wheel between the spokes, down to the outer sides of the 1/2" holes drilled earlier. Then I cut the holes for the center. I cut out a circle big enough to accommodate 1/2" threaded black pipe collars and drilled out the centers with a 3/4" drill bit to accommodate the 3/4" axle. Next, I welded the wheel centers into the rims, centering them up from side to side in the rims. After the centers are welded to the rims, I placed the wheel flat on the welding table and welded in the pipe collars.
I have now started making some 10" wheels for the back of the trucks using the same process of laying out on poster paper first. The 10" wheels take a little more than a full 20' joint of band iron. I will use the 20' joint and weld the scrap left from making the 8" wheels onto the full joint. This makes it long enough to get eight 10" rims.
Making the templates out of light sheet metal makes them more durable for future use.