English wheels

[DLinson]

It's been a while since I've posted but I thought I'd share this with you all. Harbour Frieght is selling an English wheel for $260. It's a floor model with a 27 1/2" throat depth. They also sell a set of lower rollers for $80.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95359

I designed an English wheel a while back and even looked into making them. I remember sending out several set of the plans to several members on the sight. It would have cost about $600 just for the rollers and the top wheel when I look into it.

Dennis

[68RS350]

If you go to www.englishwheels.net (http://www.englishwheels.net) they make the machines out of Illinois. OCC, A couple Nascar teams own the machines, Arlin Ness, Trucks, Musclecar TV, Majority of the Biker Build Contestants.

[Rick D]

I just saw these this weekend on their web site to. I remember Dennis when you were where going to do this. I lost your plains when my old computer crashed. What ever happened to the Nova?? you where building?? I think it was a Nova?? Any pictures??

[DLinson]

I am just about done with the Nova. I am in the process of redesigning the rear brake brackets, (the first set didn't work too well), and then just tune the fuel injection. I had a setback last year when I found out I had cracked the engine block and had to get a new one.

My web site hasn't been updated in a long time so there aren't any completed photos.

If I get some free time, I'll make some smaller sized pictures and post them.

Dennis

[BRIAN]

Be careful with the cheaper wheels they flex like crazy and do not track correctly.

The quality of the wheels is also very important. It is not a tool where a cheap quality will give you good results. It kind of defeats the purpose.

There is a Grizzly machine that looks strong but again the wheels are questionable.

[F70t/a]

Could you buy a english wheel from harbor freight and reinforce the brackets that hold the rollers?

[68RS350]

There would really be no point to try and reinforce the anvil wheel holders. Does it say what the material the wheel is made out of? When you crank the wheel up to try and shape the metal i wonder how much pressure you could put on in to before it starts to deform the machine. Especially if that upper piece is bent. I wonder how much is flexes when a pressure is put on. If your building a high dollar car I would cheap out of the tool I use to make it......

[BRIAN]

If you could rotate that upper wheel so you are working your piece in and out of the throat of the machine it would help. The way that it is set up it is putting a lot of twist in an already weak? machine.

I guess the question is what are you trying to make with it?


Look at Grizzly's web site the machine looks strong and I guess the wheel would be your biggest problem. I have zero idea what you would do with the grooved wheel???

[DLinson]

When I designed my English wheel, I made the rollers rotate 90 degrees so I could form long pieces. I used my English wheel to roll out the top of my dash, rear spoiler, front spoiler, piece to cover the cowl vent, and my rocker panels.

I made mine on casters which is a mistake. I had to clamp it to the wall or to my work bench in order to use it without pushing it around the garage.

The rollers should be made out of 1045 steel. They don't have to be heat treated either. If you know a machinist, you can have a few rollers made to your specific diameters. I designed a tool for our lathe to cut some different radiused rollers.

Another helpful tip is to get or make an upper roller out of a hard rubber. This will roll a straight length of material to the radius of the roller, like a rocker panel.

The cheap Harbor Freight wheel looks like the frame may twist as you roll the material throught it. If you lighten up on the pressure it could work but just take more strokes to achieve the form.

[68RS350]

How would rotating your wheels 90 degrees let you do longer pieces? If you rotated the wheels 90 degrees from the way it is in harbor freight and other ones you are limited to your throat length as the length of your piece?

[Bow Tie 67]

I believe he meant he rotated his to look like the hf machine for longer pieces, whereas his would normally be used in the direction that supports the rollers with more stability.

[Buff]

try these english wheels they have been designed by the members of metalmeet http://imperialwheelingmachines.com/. they are the best ones on the market.

if you wan't high end wheels try these guys.
http://www.hoosierpattern.com/

[BRIAN]

No better wheel than Kerry's Imperials. A little pricey but well worth it. I have Hoosier wheels (not their machines) and they are very nice. Sorry but I can't say the same about their machines. Nice and good bargain but not up to Imperials in stiffness. They use the same wheels so stiffness is the deciding factor.

Once you use the rubber uppers and poly lowers will wonder how you ever did without it.

[68RS350]

MetalAce has two cast machines that have a lot more rigidity than the welded ones and Ron Covell use them and markets them and many other people in the Pro Touring and Chopper world. They can also do custom wheels with custom radii. They even offer kit so you cant weld your own machine together and give you everything you need to start. And I just looked at there site they are cheaper as well for the Bench Machine and have a 1" smaller throat.

[BRIAN]

Never heard anyone say those cast machines were more rigid? What are you using for a comparison? Just curious?

[68RS350]

The other welded machines that they produce. They have a 44" Cast Machine and a 44" Welded Machine. The Imperial Line are 28" and 44" Throats and are able to put more pressure on the material than the welded ones.