# Making Wooden Wheels



## me5269 (Jun 2, 2011)

I'm making a tractor trailer toybox I found in a 2001 issue of Popular Woodworking. 
It calls for 18 - 3/4" x 3 1/2" dia wheels (or [email protected]/4" and [email protected] 1/2"). I can find them online up to 3" dia. I know i can get a circle cutter from Rockler or Amazon to cut them out and have a 12 spd drill press that will go down to 250rpm, but prefer not to buy a cutter (tight budget). Also have the following, table saw, router and table, small Craftsman benchtop band saw, scroll saw, jig saw.
Anyone have any ideas how I can make these? 
Thanks
Mike


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

(tight budget)

Get the hole set below...quick way to make wheels..

18 Piece Carbon Steel Hole Saw Set

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## Gene Howe (Jul 10, 2007)

In Hylton's book, Woodworking with the Router, he describes and has plans for a circle cutting jig that will cut a small as a 1" dia. plug up to about 11". I made one in about 2 hours. 
But, for the $$, Bob's suggestion would work, too. With Hylton's jig though, you could make the grooves on the face to make a more realistic tire.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

If you want to dress up the tires you get the tool below, you can get many patterns and do it on the drill press if you want to..


H7570 Knurling Tool Holder
Grizzly.com
http://www.grizzly.com/products/T10056

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## me5269 (Jun 2, 2011)

Bob, Thanks, I got the 10pc set to make jig knobs a while back, wasn't too impressed with it. I have upgraded my drill press, the old one had min. 600rpm. maybe too fast. I'll try it again at 250rpm. I like the knurled thing. I have some .100" scroll blades (don't know what I was thinking when I picked them up, brain freeze) was going to try and score them at 45 degree's each way to see if it would like like tread. The axles are 3/4" dowel I may bore a 1 1/2" - 2", 1/4"-3/8" deep counterbore for a recessed look and put a fender washer and lag bolt in it.
Gene, Thanks too, I have Hylton's book around here somewhere, I'll check it out.
This is for a 2 yr old and his brother that should be joining us next week. 
Thanks again guys.
Mike


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## Harrison67 (May 30, 2012)

To save some bucks, you can always use this to cut, and form, the treads.:


Shop Fox D4088 Lathe Attachment for Drill Press


I didn't see a lathe on your list of tools.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Mike

The HF hole saws are not the best but you can buy some good ones but they are not cheap the HF will do the job but only if you go 1/4" deep at a time.

Amazon.com: DEWALT D180005 14 Piece Master Hole Saw Kit: Home Improvement

http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-D18005...d=1347577777&sr=1-2&keywords=3+1/2"++hole+saw







me5269 said:


> Bob, Thanks, I got the 10pc set to make jig knobs a while back, wasn't too impressed with it. I have upgraded my drill press, the old one had min. 600rpm. maybe too fast. I'll try it again at 250rpm. I like the knurled thing. I have some .100" scroll blades (don't know what I was thinking when I picked them up, brain freeze) was going to try and score them at 45 degree's each way to see if it would like like tread. The axles are 3/4" dowel I may bore a 1 1/2" - 2", 1/4"-3/8" deep counterbore for a recessed look and put a fender washer and lag bolt in it.
> Gene, Thanks too, I have Hylton's book around here somewhere, I'll check it out.
> This is for a 2 yr old and his brother that should be joining us next week.
> Thanks again guys.
> Mike


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi

I got one from Grizzly and it sucks so I used the parts on the router lathe..

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Harrison67 said:


> To save some bucks, you can always use this to cut, and form, the treads.:
> 
> 
> Shop Fox D4088 Lathe Attachment for Drill Press
> ...


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## brucenelson (Jan 7, 2012)

bobj3 said:


> Hi
> 
> I got one from Grizzly and it sucks so I used the parts on the router lathe..
> 
> ===


Knob jobs?


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Yes and great for making toy wheels,up to 4" diam.... 

++++++++++=



brucenelson said:


> Knob jobs?


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## me5269 (Jun 2, 2011)

I may have found another solution. Saw a fence post at a friends house that was 3 1/2" in dia. straight and smooth. There's a cedar fence co. in town, may run down and check out a post, as long as its not treated. There's a fellow member at the legion that will let me use his "real" bandsaw to cut it.


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

I'm with Bob get the HF hole saw set, it won't last a lifetime but will do what you need done. If you are having a problem going all the way through then just turn the board over and finish the hole (wheel). If you have a store near you then you probably get a 20% off coupon every week. These are very cheap disposable tools that border on junk but you won't ruin anything by using them.


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## me5269 (Jun 2, 2011)

Bob and Art, I tried your advice this AM. I used the 2 1/2" hole saw from my HF set. Slowed the drill press to 250rpm, slowly cut from both sides. Final wheel was 2". Just needs a little sanding, figure i'll need a 3 3/4" holesaw to make 3 1/2" wheel. Got a knob blank out of the test tho. For the cost of the HF set (and from the cit quality of the set I have), the fence post, etc. I'm kinda leaning toward getting the General Tools 55 circle cutter on amazon for $23. I think the replacement cutter from Rockler will fit it of needed in the future. I don't have any experiece with using a circle cutter and am kinda nervous about a 4"? steel bar whizzing around the drill press. Attached 2 images of test wheel, not sure it it will work tho.








https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...Bs/SgHE-DQxggA/w239-h179-n-k/test+wheel-2.jpg


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

bobj3 said:


> (tight budget)
> 
> Get the hole set below...quick way to make wheels..
> 
> ...


Yep, I have that set too, but must have gotten it on sale, because I only spend about $7 for it. Works well, but got to peel the wheel out of it. I don't like that much, so if I were making a bunch I'd just make one, get it ll nice and smooth and rounded, then glue it down to another piece of plywood. Then rout that out, an you've got a master. Drill pilot holes thru it, then tack it down to the piece you want to mke a wheel of, rout it out, repeat as needed. It'll take a day for the glue to set, but I'm usually not in a hurry anyway. That'll let you repeat a perfect wheel over nd over. That's apparoximately the way I make masters for most of my projects.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

me5269 said:


> Bob and Art, I tried your advice this AM. I used the 2 1/2" hole saw from my HF set. Slowed the drill press to 250rpm, slowly cut from both sides. Final wheel was 2". Just needs a little sanding, figure i'll need a 3 3/4" holesaw to make 3 1/2" wheel. Got a knob blank out of the test tho. For the cost of the HF set (and from the cit quality of the set I have), the fence post, etc. I'm kinda leaning toward getting the General Tools 55 circle cutter on amazon for $23. I think the replacement cutter from Rockler will fit it of needed in the future. I don't have any experiece with using a circle cutter and am kinda nervous about a 4"? steel bar whizzing around the drill press.]


I have a similar circle cutter. Used it once. Worked well enough, and no anxiety about using it. But it cut SLOW. Seemed to take forever got get thru a piece of 1/2" plywood. So, on the whole I will stick with my hole saw set. MUCH faster, then for more, I'll just make a master and rout the rest.


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## Drew Eckhardt (Aug 2, 2008)

me5269 said:


> I'm making a tractor trailer toybox I found in a 2001 issue of Popular Woodworking.
> It calls for 18 - 3/4" x 3 1/2" dia wheels (or [email protected]/4" and [email protected] 1/2"). I can find them online up to 3" dia. I know i can get a circle cutter from Rockler or Amazon to cut them out and have a 12 spd drill press that will go down to 250rpm, but prefer not to buy a cutter (tight budget). Also have the following, table saw, router and table, small Craftsman benchtop band saw, scroll saw, jig saw.
> Anyone have any ideas how I can make these?
> Thanks
> Mike


It only takes a few minutes to make a router circle jig. For smaller diameters you can have the pivot (a short steel dowel works well) beneath the router base.

Take a piece of convenient 1/4" or 1/2" sheet goods, transfer the sub-base pattern from your router base, counter-sink mounting screws, cut the middle out, and drill pivot points at the required distances (you loose half a bit diameter for circles and gain one for pivots).


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## UlrichJ (Feb 16, 2012)

You can make them on your bandsaw with a simple circle cutting jig you can make.


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## mgmine (Jan 16, 2012)

With a circle cutter (at least with the one I have) the cutter has a bevel on it so when the cut is finished the wood also has a bevel on it. If you go with the hole saw the easiest way to sand the wheel is to put a bolt through it and a nut on the other side to hold it tight then turn it in a drill and hold the sand paper against it. If the wood gets stuck in the hole saw knock it out from behind by taking the bit out of the saw.


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## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

OK, saw this a day or two ago, and forgot about this thread until it popped up today. 
How to make consistent round wheels on the scroll saw. - YouTube
I figure this is about as good as it gets, and very inexpensive too.


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## Hutzul (Oct 4, 2012)

Router Jig For Cutting Circles - YouTube This might help 

I've always used a hole cutter myself


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## Neil Tsubota (Mar 20, 2010)

Hello Bobj3,

How do you put a pattern on a 3.5" diameter wheel ? 

Does this make a "pattern" for the "tread-of-the-tire" ? or the sidewall ?

Do you any pictures ?

Thanks


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Neil

On the bigger wheels I use the bit below,it will put the real look of the truck tire and the sidewalls and the hub(wheel) at one time it's a Irwin hole bit that was rework on the grinder,sorry no pictures but they come out great..

I did find some old pictures of the wheels,they are the smaller ones 2 1/2"- 3" .

You can also us the cutter below for some of them
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shop...html/pages/rosette.htm#rosette_cutters_anchor


Amazon.com: Irwin #45002 Lockhead Adjustable Wood Bit: Home Improvement

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neiltsubota said:


> Hello Bobj3,
> 
> How do you put a pattern on a 3.5" diameter wheel ?
> 
> ...


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