# How I will make my monster truck wheels.



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Not sure how it happened, but the last picture should be #5 I think.

I've had this figured out for some time now, but thought I'd pass it along. My monster truck bank is loosely based on Grave Digger, the only monster truck I actually like. For those not familiar with monster trucks, I posted a couple pictures of Grave Digger, and you now know why they are called monster trucks.

I wanted treads on my tires, but simpler than Grave Diggers, so did some research, so I didn't end up reinventing the wheel. Ha. Came up with some nice examples, but too bothersome and time consuming for me. Even found out that some people cut each wheel separately, and sanded them round. I wouldn't do that, even on a one only project. Couple of the wheels I found posted below. Those were formed by making each side separately, then gluing them together. Found various instructions for doing this, none of which appealed to me. I'm not making a scale model, I'm making a bank, so doesn't matter if the wheels are not quite real looking.
Wooden toys wheel making #1: Take-off - by Dutchy @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community
Loader wheels with a heavy profile - by Dutchy @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community
Toy costruction #99: WS Tractor Semi Making wheels - by htl @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community
Toy costruction #121: Playing with a Bob Cat More on the wheels - by htl @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community
Toy costruction #120: Playing with a Bob Cat wheels... - by htl @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community
https://woodworkingweb.com/entries/523-making-tractor-wheels
Combine #14: Jig for making tractor wheels - by Dutchy @ LumberJocks.com ~ woodworking community
I made tractor tires! - Woodworking Talk - Woodworkers Forum
https://www.woodtalkonline.com/topic/14561-how-do-you-make-toy-excavatortractor-tires/

And here are a couple of how tos on making round wheels. Which also did not appeal to me.
How to Make a Router Circle Cutting Jig: 8 Steps (with Pictures) 
Perfect Circle Using Drillpress: 7 Steps

I will be making my round wheels, by gluing the diagram on my wood. May be a bit difficult to view because I had to take it with my camera. Used a compass to draw a circle on 1/4" graph paper. Then laid a ruler down, centering on the point left by the compass. Then proceeded to divide the circle in equal divisions. I will drill a 1/4" or so hole in the very center, rough cut the outside circle, which will be 9 1/4", the size of the largest truck wheel. Wheel sizes will be from 2 5/8" to 9 1/4". I'll clamp the bolt in the hole, held tight by a nut, then spin the rough cut against my portable belt sander (still need to make a stand to hold the sander), which will give me a nice perfectly round disc. Picture below. What you likely cannot tell from that circle pattern is, each line will be where I will rout a small cut, to make my treads. Real rough sketch below showing what I mean. I'll need to cobble a fence, just a chunk of wood, with a notch for the router bit, and clamped in place. Each line on the disc will then be lined up with the bit, and a notch of about 1/4" made, until all lines are notched, evenly. 

OK, that will give me the first step in my actual master. The notched disc will be nailed to another piece of 1/2" plywood, rough cut to just over 9 1/4", then routed. This will give two discs, exactly the same, and notched for tread. The disc without the paper glued to it will then have the center cut out with a hole saw, varying sizes, depending on the size of the wheel, using the small center hole for a guide for the hole saw bit. This 'finished' piece will then be glued to another rough cut piece of plywood, which will be routed, using the top pieces as a guide. And the finished piece will be a 1" thick master, to let me clone treaded discs all day long. Actually, I will nail the master on a rough piece, rout that, including the center, to get a wheel look. That piece will then be glued on to another rough cut piece, and routed, except not the center this time. Repeat gluing on, and routing, until I get the desired width (1/2" increments) of that size wheel. This will give a tread pattern similar to the vehicle picture below.

Then it's bolt back in, mark the next size smaller wheel I want, back in the drill, and sand it down to size. Then it's a repeat of above, just with a smaller wheel. Repeat until all of the masters are done. This will give me accurate size wheels time after time. Easy peasy. Don' need no steenkin' CNC.


----------



## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

well thought out and nicely done..


----------



## jj777746 (Jan 17, 2015)

Grave Digger & other monster trucks put on a show at a town just north of here last year.I didn't go, but I sure heard them & I saw them on the TV. Holy smoke that's a hard act to follow.


----------



## MEBCWD (Jan 14, 2012)

Once you get your masters and jigs made everything should go pretty quick. Your monster trucks will be rolling around collecting money in no time.


----------



## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Those are beautiful toys, and lots of informaltion about how you did them. Hard to imagine a little boy who wouldn't love one of these to play with. Us old guys would just fondle them while remembering being a little boy with toy truck. I particularly like the tread you've cut into the tires.


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Thanks guys. On my first monster truck (for the grandson) I don't recall if I cut the wheels with a hole saw, or a circle cutter. I do know I used the circle cutter once, for a size disc I did not have a hole saw for. What a pain. Cut well enough, at the size I wanted, but took oh so long. Hole saw is faster, but a pain to pull out of the saw after. Picture below. I got fancy, cut locking pieces on the most inward wheel, and all in all, a pain. 

It was when I started thinking about making a better looking bank, and simpler, that I came up with my quick and easy way to make custom size wheels. Did a bit of research to see how other people were doing, it and maybe simpler. Well, it is absolutely amazing how many people on utube have videos, long videos, on making toy wooden wheels, and all with hole saws. Sheesh, apparently a 10 minute video is considered essential to teach someone how to make a hole/disc with a hole saw. I must be a real genius then, because it took me about 15 seconds, on my own, to learn how. But I was after custom sizes, that no hole saws are available for. I figured that a circle cutter was the only other option, and it was way too slow. Right now I have 7 sizes of trucks planned, with wheels sizes of 2.65", 3", 4", 5.25", 6.75", 8.25", and 9.25". 

And then I wanted treads. My way is the fastest and simplest way I could come up with. Not the way you would want to do if you were making a scale model, but I think will look good on a truck bank. The wheels will not be rolling by the way, I figure playing with a truck will break any axle sooner or later, so the wheels will be glued into a cutout sized to the wheel, to make placement accurate. 

Now just need to get back in to the shop. But life has been kicking me in the butt lately. Hope to get a running vehicle tomorrow, been about a week and a half with no transportation. That and a few other issues have been stealing all my shop time.


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Think I forgot to mention this, dunno, didn't re-read what I wrote. LOL I think I've got the heights of my wheels pretty much locked in. But for the width of each, I don't think I can calculate that, I will have to wait until I make a truck body, then put a two layer wheel in place and determine how wide I want it to be for that particular size body. When I figure that out, I will write the info on my wheel master - I write any pertinent info on all of my masters (magic marker), that way I don't have to remember anything. LMAO


----------



## 197761 (May 2, 2017)

Even remembered to take the skis along! I really like that little truck!


----------

