Hello, Folks!

[Zulu]

I bet Max Caliber could teach me for a whole lot less.
He makes a fine set of wheels,
Zulu

[Double D]

I looked at the Moscow Carriage site.  He gives one week lessons on building wheels.  I sure would like to do that.  Idaho is a long way away from Houston.
My wife says go for it.
It would be an expensive trip.
I sure would like to know how to do wheels properly.
Zulu

Lets see, expensive trip, wife says do it...I think you better pay attention to her....git to idaho!

Bet you could do the whole trip under a $1000 if you flew.

Round trip air.
Rental car for a week.
Motel for a week.
Food for a week.
Fee for wheel lessons.
Out of work for two years now.
I don't know.
Zulu

It's called new skill training and being out of work for two years is a good reason to do it!

[Zulu]

Now, Wife says, it would be fun to go along.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Zulu

[Double D]

Do it!

[rampa room artillery]

go for it!!!   we need some oen to build wheels in smaller sizes for good prices.

 

[gunsonwheels]

Zulu,
I have the Morrison Book sitting here next to the computer... was looking at an 19th century implement the other day and the guy was trying to find out what it was... looked like possibly a tire starter (I had to build one before setting the tires on my first wheels).  After searching the Morrison book I told him to take a picture of his implement and send it to Twigg and ask his opinion...


Do you have any specific questions about the book I might answer?

[Zulu]

Zulu,
I have the Morrison Book sitting here next to the computer... was looking at an 19th century implement the other day and the guy was trying to find out what it was... looked like possibly a tire starter (I had to build one before setting the tires on my first wheels).  After searching the Morrison book I told him to take a picture of his implement and send it to Twigg and ask his opinion...


Do you have any specific questions about the book I might answer?

Do you feel the book is a good tutorial of how to build wheels?  Have you built them following the books instruction?
Zulu

[gunsonwheels]

The book is an excellant overview of the whole process... however there are a lot of subtleties and techniques that contribute to ending with a completely satisfactory product.  Twigg does a climatology study of the locale where a customer lives so he can be sure to have the proper amount of moisture in the wood making the wheels... I bought a pair which had the hub bands fall off when I moved to Wyoming.  Customwagons wheels do not have the feloes butted finely enough so no gaps can be detected... also the tires have gaps here and there between the tire and the feloes.  As good as the book is I would take Twiggs's course if I could.  He and I have spent considerable time on the phone and his knowledge of the subtleties it takes to make a superior wheel is apparent to me... What I would do is start with buying the book... from there I would get a few "graduate" names from Bill and contact them for references.  Talking to Bill is good too as some students have not really shown up with the proper aptitude and attitude to be a quality wheelright.
After reading the book and thinking I could build to its lessons, I have had enough dialogue with Bill to realize if I wanted a top quality wheel I would order them from him or go out and do my own under his tuteledge.  Especially after seeing the imperfections and inconsistencies in my own and others wheels.

[GGaskill]

Round trip air +
Rental car for a week.--~$500 (roundtrip, Priceline)
Motel for a week.--$50 a day.
Food for a week.--You gotta eat wherever you are.
Fee for wheel lessons.--don't know.

Add wife--~$400 airfare (round trip)

Consider it your vacation for this year.

[Ex 49'er]

Round trip air +
Rental car for a week.--~$500 (roundtrip, Priceline)
Motel for a week.--$50 a day.
Food for a week.--You gotta eat wherever you are.
Fee for wheel lessons.--don't know.
Add wife--~$400 airfare (round trip)
Consider it your vacation for this year.

Consider it as your last vacation; until you start raking in the bucks from making wheels for everyone on this forum that needs quality small wheels  for their cannons. Then you can give the lessons and rest on your laurels!

[Double D]

Yeah get busy,  I need a set of 1/5 scasle Siege/Garrison carriage wheels, how much?

[keith44]

Zulu looks like you already have customers lining up, You do not want your reputation for quality to suffer by producing a less than perfect wheel would you??

Seriously though, from the pic's I've seen of your work, if you don't already know how to produce wagon wheels, my vote is to take the course if you can.

[Cat Whisperer]

Does anyone here have the Morrison book?
Zulu

I have 'a' book.  Let me look.  Send me your address in a PM.

[gunsonwheels]

Vern Gorzitski...
In 1970 after I had finished my first gun and won a cannon match we visited at Vern's home and he had a small... about 1/3 scale gun in his home as a "fireside" gun... I remember admiring the fine quality and original design (fairly true to the #1 ordnance wheel in Lutz's books) of his wheels.  He had studied up and made the wheels himself.  He's probably passed by now but I did do an internet search for him a few years ago and he was still living outside of Salt Lake City, UT.

Another excellent reason for going up to Twiggs would be a person could build a set of larger wheels and get Bill to tell him how to modify tools and the process for doing a quality job on the smaller scale wheels.  I think Zulu's "problem" is he has set a pretty high standard for his work quality... Twigg is that way too so the two working together makes a lot of sense... Twigg half scale and up... Zulu 36" (tall 2/3 scale and down).  The tools and techniques not only enable a quality process but doing it in an sufficiently efficient manner to make a profit.

[Double D]

The smallest  cannon wheel available fropm any of the suppliers on the link list is 20 inch.  That would be 1/3 scale for a 60 inch Siege carriage. But off scale for a 57 inch wheel.

We need some one making wheels to scale and 1/3 scale and smaller

[Zulu]

go for it!!!   we need some oen to build wheels in smaller sizes for good prices.

 

Rick,
I'm not sure there is such a thing as a "good price" for something like this.
Zulu

[Soot]

These aren't what I would call historically accurate, but they come in 12", 14", and 16".
Not too bad really at a decent price.
http://www.awagonwheel.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?usr=974076&rnd=1538087&pg=store&sub_pg=main_cat&ref=6

[gunsonwheels]

These guys are probably the same as Custonwagons.com... they have the same location and mailing address.  Again I have a pair of 42" and 30" wheels of theirs and they are a good "Chevrolet" quality wheel.  Jay assured me the wood was less than 20% moisture so we did business.  Of the four sets I built/obtained through the years they are second best...  If you call and ask to talk to Jay he is very accommodating to minor changes to get what you want.  Also I think if he thought there was adequate market for smaller wheels they would add them to their product line.  They are a family owned/run business.  As a reference their 42" wheels are $515 each while Twigg's were $1000 for the same product... with both you do get what you pay for...

[Zulu]

These aren't what I would call historically accurate, but they come in 12", 14", and 16".
Not too bad really at a decent price.
http://www.awagonwheel.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?usr=974076&rnd=1538087&pg=store&sub_pg=main_cat&ref=6

From that same link, here is a 30" wheel for $155.  I can't even imagine trying to compete against prices like that.
Zulu

http://www.awagonwheel.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?usr=974076&rnd=9569232&pg=store&sub_pg=prod&ref=26

[gunsonwheels]

I'm composing a note to Jay Jones right now about smaller wheels... later???

These aren't what I would call historically accurate, but they come in 12", 14", and 16".
Not too bad really at a decent price.

The ones I ordered are only off from accurately scaled #1 ordnance wheels in ONLY a few minor ways...

[Double D]

Small wheels to standard scales that look like cannon wheels

[Double D]

These aren't what I would call historically accurate, but they come in 12", 14", and 16".
Not too bad really at a decent price.
http://www.awagonwheel.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?usr=974076&rnd=1538087&pg=store&sub_pg=main_cat&ref=6

From that same link, here is a 30" wheel for $155.  I can't even imagine trying to compete against prices like that.
Zulu

http://www.awagonwheel.com/cgi-bin/cp-app.cgi?usr=974076&rnd=9569232&pg=store&sub_pg=prod&ref=26

Probably not, but don't even try to compete.  You have your own niche, us.  You do not have top build a true to scale wheel but one that looks good will work.  If some one wants a true scale wheel you can charge more.

I would pay $155 per wheel if you would build me two 19 " No.1 Field  Carrige wheel...and I would even pay more than that for good one.

Zulu stop selling your self short...you can do this!  We have seen your work and we have the utmost confidence in you skill.  Do it and don't look back!!!!  You have our support.  But more importantly you have your wife's support..what more do you need?
 

[Zulu]

I got an inquiry the other day from someone who had a small barrel.  He wanted a field carriage for it.  He said his budget was $30.
I was really at a loss as what to say to him because I don't want to discourage any newcomer to this hobby.
But $30?  What was he thinking?
Zulu

[Double D]

I got an inquiry the other day from someone who had a small barrel.  He wanted a field carriage for it.  He said his budget was $30.
I was really at a loss as what to say to him because I don't want to discourage any newcomer to this hobby.
But $30?  What was he thinking?
Zulu

Tell him the truth...and point him to a set of plans.

[Max Caliber]

Dollywood, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee has a carriage shop which makes and sells well made wagon wheels in several different size. They use professional wheel building equipment. You can go there and see wheel building but you should call ahead to find out when they are working on wheels.



The wheels on this potato wagon are around 12-14 inches in diameter. One could buy the wagon for the wheels and come out with a good price per wheel.

[gunsonwheels]

I received the following e-mail today...

Hi George,

 

How the heck are you?  Yes, we can build them wheels, from what you are telling me they are looking for 19” wheels and down to 12” 14” and 16”.  Let me make sure that we can get close to being “historically accurate” when we get down that small.
 

Should you have questions, or if I can be of assistance, please feel free to contact me.

 

Thank you, we are a family owned and operated business and your business is appreciated.

 

Jay Jones

Custom Wagons

www.customwagons.com

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