Making Balsa Wheels

[Phugoid]

The wheels provided in most of the Guillows kit are actually quite light as they are thin and hollow provided as they are in two parts.

However the wooden ones are not light, and lighter wheels even than the hollow plastic ones can be made pretty simply.

First get hold if some 1/16" balsa sheet and some aluminium tube, which has a hole in the centre just big enough for the U/C wire. Do not use very light balsa as it will just squash.

Use a compass cutter if you have one to cut discs that are around 3mm bigger in diameter than the wheels you want, cut enough discs to make a total thickness that is around 1mm more than you want I will have 5 discs for this wheel.



Cut the aluminium tube about 1" long and deburr the end



I'm going to have hidden axle ends with "hubcaps" so I've removed the centres of three of the five discs

[Phugoid]

Glue all of the discs together cross-grained , putting some heavy weights on top to keep everything flat.



Using the hole from the compass cutter as a pilot, drill through to suit the aluminium tube. Harden the hole using CA and a pin, the glue in the tube using more CA, with the end flush with the inside base of two rear discs leaving the excess sticking out the rear off the wheel. Take care not to block the hole in the tube.



Hold the excess tube in the chuck of your dremel type tool and reduce the diameter to within 0.5mm of what you want the final wheel to be, this should true everything up



Shape the front and edges of the wheel, I've recessed the front of the wheel to accept a paper "hubcap" later



Move the wheel out of the chuck until the rear is accesible as shown, then shape the rear.



Give everything a run over with progressively finer paper, the last I used was 1000grit.

[ADW 123]

Thanks...

[ADW 123]

so we slide the landing gear wire into the aluminum tubing we put into the hub, and then use some string with ca, or other means to hold the wire inside the hub, so the gear wire cant slip out. then we cover up that little area and we are done?

[Phugoid]

Pretty much. the balsa needs sealing and painting etc.......

I'll finish them up this weekend with luck.

[Squishyp38]

Now If only prop carving was this easy!