# Wood Wheel Construction



## Junkhunter (Oct 26, 2016)

Me and a buddy of mine were checking out an old wood wheel bike that the wheels were separating on. Really admiring how they were constructed using what looks like 3 different bands laminated together. I thought I would share and hope to get some opinions.


----------



## bricycle (Oct 26, 2016)

kool post!


----------



## ivrjhnsn (Oct 26, 2016)

Skills that only a few know..The Amish for one, and the Italians ? Ship lap joint and tongue and groove I do believe.. Gotta be cool to see it being done.  I can start the process,,,steam the wood,,and then what ? Nice subject.


----------



## bikewhorder (Oct 26, 2016)

There were a few different methods. I saw one once that was coming apart and it was like a half dozen layers with staggered back cut seams. Pretty impressive craftsmanship.


----------



## David Brown (Oct 26, 2016)

The bad think about laminated wood rims is they are almost impossible to fix once they start to come apart. I have tried many times and it never worked out with good results.


----------



## locomotion (Oct 27, 2016)

David Brown said:


> The bad think about laminated wood rims is they are almost impossible to fix once they start to come apart. I have tried many times and it never worked out with good results.



totally right Dave, I was going to say the same thing, and if you can't do it Dave with your experience ....... no one can!!!
the regular CCM style rims can pretty much be brought back from any condition, that is the amazing thing about them


----------



## filmonger (Oct 27, 2016)

I think if you search the forums you will find plenty to keep you busy.....
http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/toc-wood-rim-makers-info.61555/#post-370141
Restoration towards the end of this thread - http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/toc-1908-i-think-racycle-restoration.58075/page-2
http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/suggestions-for-wood-rims.46152/#post-501032
http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/wooden-rims.87744/#post-551552
http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/all-wood-rim-makers-marks.56709/
http://thecabe.com/forum/threads/wood-rim-washers.41005/#post-229342


----------



## filmonger (Oct 27, 2016)

*RE: Wood rim build*

There are quite a few things to keep in mind when you build your wooden wheels - Old and New.

Keep in mind not to put too much tension on the spokes - they will pop through. Only use the recommended tensions and allow the rim to rest and retrue at least overnight - even better a day or two ...with about three attempts at retruing.

Wood is dynamic and has memory hence the need for the rims to settle.

Wood likes the cross three pattern
Wood likes less tension - 50-60kgf
Some retruing is Necessary due the the dynamic nature of wood. They respond to temperature and humidity. Wood needs time to settle in - give them a few days or more and you can apply any needed correction after that period and your ready to go. Truing to about +/- 1.0mm is acceptable for wood.
Thread compound helps - Loctite is great
Tire Pressures around 65psi partially due to the design of the clincher rim without bead hooks.
Brake pads should be cork or carbon friendly - No black pads period. You can make your own if you like from cork or leather... It is not that hard.

Read the tips on Wheel Fanatyk's blog -

Building wooden wheels

Look at all the tips on the wheelfanatyk blog - below are just a few of those tips ( they are all on the right side of the page in red. )

http://wheelfanatyk.blogspot.ie
http://wheelfanatyk.blogspot.ie/2007/09/some-basic-advice-for-building.html

Maint of wood wheels

http://wheelfanatyk.blogspot.ie/2009/12/seasonal-wood-rim-maintenance.html

Spoke lengths:

CB Italia has a great spoke calculator on its web site: http://www.edgarjakobs.de/cbitalia/raggi_cbitalia.htm

Also have a look at Ricks blog as well: http://wheelfanatyk.blogspot.ie

Some do not like the look of stainless spokes on vintage bikes - I have been told that if you take steel wool to them and distress them it looks a lot like nickel..... I have not tried this myself.

Lastly - if you feel a little uneasy about it and need some advice.... talk to one of the best wheel builders in the country. Rick at Wheel Fanatyk or Jude at Sugar Wheel Works the best. She has built a quite few wooden wheels ( not as many as Rick from wheel fanatyk ) and knows her stuff. Here is her info: http://www.sugarwheelworks.com
3808 N Williams Portland, OR 97227 
Tel. 503-236-8511
hello@sugarwheelworks.com


----------



## OldSkipTooth (Oct 27, 2016)

The father of bentwood construction that pioneered the application:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Thonet


----------



## Junkhunter (Oct 27, 2016)

They did make some nice stuff of of wood. For sure. True craftsmanship.


----------



## filmonger (Oct 28, 2016)

Are there any markings on those bars? Lovely


----------



## Junkhunter (Oct 29, 2016)

I never found any.


----------



## kunzog (Oct 29, 2016)

whenever I restore a wood wheel bike, I strip the paint from the wheels and varnish them to show off the fine construction


----------



## patmil (Jan 2, 2017)

wooden wheel from Italy


----------



## rustNspokes (Jan 2, 2017)

If you have time to kill there are some great videos about how ghisallo builds rims.


----------



## filmonger (Jan 3, 2017)

It is my understanding that Ghisallo no longer builds the rims this way........they use modern techniques now. 

Though, the film is a great way to learn to build your own rims in many different ways.


----------



## filmonger (Feb 16, 2017)

Wrong forum - deleted and put in the correct one


----------



## filmonger (Feb 16, 2017)

1897

Wrong Forum.....


----------



## filmonger (Feb 16, 2017)

1897

Wrong forum


----------



## filmonger (Feb 16, 2017)

1897

Wrong Forum ...apologies


----------



## Craig Allen (Feb 16, 2017)

Noah Stutzmon in Baltic, Ohio builds new wood rims and does an excellent job. Any spoke hole number you want.


----------



## moparrecyclers (Feb 26, 2017)

Thanks for sharing the video. Goes great with morning coffee


----------

