Parts for the first wheel rolled off the lathe this week. The engine truck wheels are only 8 mm in diameter, and have eight spokes. The spokes themselves are only a couple of millimetres long, and so, I have elected to make these wheels in two parts – a tyre and a centre.
I actually formed six centres (a couple of extra never hurts), but so far, only one good tyre has come out. I cut five profiles in one operation, but wrecked the first profile when parting it. Yeah, I wasn’t happy with the flange anyway. The second one was that much closer to the chuck, and so, I successfully parted it ,albeit with a hacksaw, rather than the parting tool.
Counting on my fingers and toes, one tyre required eight different tools to get to this stage with a rough back. With my low-tech setup, that was a lot of work, and diminutive 622 needs 15 more! So glad I’m not making a Big Boy!
Pembroke:87 