Wooden toy wheels in France

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Smithy

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Hi can any of the French resident members of this forum help me. I am looking in France for wooden wheels for toy making. I have searched the net without any luck. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Mike
 
Hi John, Many thanks for the reply. Yes I have got a lathe and I have turned them before but it is a time issue. I am hoping to do well at the Christmas Markets. I have seen your photos and must say your work looks superb. My toys are a little more basic. I have done a few markets this year and have found that basic and not expensive works for us around here, perhaps it is the financial crisis.

Many thanks

Mike
 
Mike,
I wouldn't mind betting that sourcing pre-made wooden wheels in France will be expensive. Are you sure it's cost pro-hibitive to have them sent from the UK. I've had quick google without success.

In the UK http://www.craftshapes.co.uk/item_woode ... _3_5cm.htm will delivery to france 50 x 3.8cm wheel for 50p each.

How basic/quick do you need them?. And what size? I have made all my wooden wheels using a hole saw in a bench drill. The hole saw cuts the axle hole at the same time and for final sanding I place a bolt through the cut wheel and spin that on the drill too.

Andy
 
Hi many thanks your replies and thanks John for the offer. I have found this site in the UK
http://www.woodworkscraftsupplies.co.uk/index.php. For the moment I will use them and rely on friends to bring them over for me. I will look for a method to make them myself in the future or find a French source, but time is precious at the moment and the prices in the UK do not look bad.

Once again many thanks

Mike
 
Good luck Mike! Simple wheels are really easy to do for your self on a lathe. Never tried them on the crudities of a hole saw and a drill, but it depends on what your end is I suppose?

I'm retired and have no reason to earn my living from what I make. So people ask and I say either yes or no. I love a challenge. One of the guys on the slippery turning forum came up with the idea of a lazy susan and came up with a lovely bit of kit. He used a bought jig, for a better discription, to make the balls. Me, being a glutton for punishment, have just done 36 X 5/8" balls by hand, no jig. That's how I am? I just love working on a lathe.

Thank you for the compliments on my toys. I have made 3 of the tractors, the first for me, second for one of my grandsons and the third for a commision. I am tempted to do another because I liked doing the other 3. My daze of Christmas fares went when we moved over 7 years back and I loved doing that too. I had an offer to do a craft market in Carcassonne every Sunday morning, but I can't be a r s e d... I like my retired life and there is just too much else to do, like take our lovely, old chokky lab for her walks!
 
Thanks John, I will have a play and see if I can come up with a good system later. I took my civil service pension this year it was early but it gives us a comfortable living. I do the markets because I enjoy the making, I love doing the markets and the little bit extra that we earn pays our coitsations and for a few extras.

We were in Carcassonne a few years ago and liked it very much, it must be a great place to live. But I think it might be a bit to hot for us.

Mike
 
Not really too hot. Doesn't go much over 35ºC very often and we have the pool to cool down in...

When I am doing a number of wheels I selact a long blank and drill hole down the center to the size I want the axel, turn it to a cylinder between centers and turn a spigot on one end. Remount it in my K8 chuck with the O'Donnel jaws and if it is quite long support the other end with a conical tail stock bit. Turn the end of the cylinder so that there is an inlayed spigot that will form the hub and finish the one side of the wheel

1IMG_2897.jpg


I had 4 wheels from this cylinder.

Once you have got to the end of the cylinder/s I fit the correct size jaws on the O'Don and mount each wheel to finnish the other side. This way you know that the wheels are all the same size and the axel is smack in the middle so it will run true.

Once you have started it is a very quick way to make them and you can do them as plain or fancy as you wish for very little extra time. Makes your things look that little bit more special too! 8) 8)
 

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