The Wheels Came!

This is a 20mm diameter bolt that will be the axle.

IT IS HUGE!!

That is a 1/4" diameter bolt below it.

I purchased it at my local Industrial Fastener store.

Big-Box and TSC don't carry something like this.

I'm thinking of getting the center turned down a little bit.

The Mickey Mouse ears just arrived today.

The top one has the 20mm axle bolt in it.

The ring on the rear drive wheel is for my GEBE engine.

I've got it leaning up against the tree so you can see the 20mm axle bolt in place. I'm sure the two of them will handle A LOT MORE than 300 lbs. (which is more than I weigh) ... just a little engineering overkill. Next time I'll use 15mm axle bolts and hubs.

Need Longer Spokes

There is something wrong with this picture ...

Notice the nipples in the rim ... which means there are some spokes attaching the rim to the hub ... but the hub extends well below the rim (it's the black pedestal in the middle) ...

I need longer spokes. Guess I'll have to visit the local bike shop ...

It looks pretty good from a top view -->
However, ...

How to mark holes?

I dismantled the rear hub ... which has a large ring on each side (it's just pressed on) ...

So when I tapped the ring off ... I discovered (to my delight!) that it was almost the identical size of the AN970 Washers that I bought from Aircraft Spruce.

I just laid the ring on the washer ... used one of those fine point Sharpie markers thru each of the spoke holes ... giving me a washer like the one on the bottom. Then I used a needle punch to mark them for drilling.

Hey! This is progress!

Making 20" Hubs?

OK. My grandchildren have been bugging me to make one that they can ride ... so I decided to use 20" wheels. I didn't happen to come up with a used 20" bike that had more than 28 spokes (not 36) ... but since it would only be used by individuals weighing 50 to 100 lbs --- a lot lighter than a 220 - 300 lb. man. So, I figured that 28 spokes should work. On the left you see me using a spoke wrench to remove the spokes, nipples, and hubs out of the wheels.

It's always easier to "dismantle" things than it is to put them together and make them work ...