Guess Who Actually Did Some Woodworking...

No, my boat isn't an ice breaker. I've thought about putting runners on it so it would function as an iceboat. That could be fun.

I down hilled skiied for quite a few years but since breaking my back.....I don't ski......and I shy away from those high speed winter sports....like a sail boat with runners on an iced over lake in Minnesota in high wind conditions!

Oh yeah. Thanks for reminding me. Gravity is out to get me anyway. I guess I'd better not do anything to tempt it.

Right! You lot already forgot about my steering wheel project. Probably thought it beat me and I gave up. Well, not yet but I'm getting close to considering what color I should paint it.

Actually, I've been working on the wheel mostly in very short periods due to other things going on. I've also forgotten to take pictures as I went. I finally remembered to haul the camera out and get some shots and here they are.

You can see Ken Fitzgerald's excellent work here.

First, the wheel as it sits now.


I've got the entire wheel assembled and in this shot you can see the bungs in the screw holes on the front. The wheel is glued together with epoxy slightly thickened with fumed silica. There are screws into the spokes but they aren't really useful once the epoxy has cured. the bumngs are "glued" in with spar varnish which is what I'll use to finish the wheel. The varnish will hold the bungs in place just fine and there won't be an unsightly glue lines around the bungs.

the inisde ends of the spokes were varnished since I'll never have access to the ends again.

Here are the bungs for the opposite side.



As you can see, I cut the bungs nearly free but left a very thin bit of wood so they stay together. This made it possible to dip them into the varnish and place them without getting varnish on my fingers. after dipping the bung in the varnish, I set it in place over the hole and drove it in with a little hammer which also managed to break the bung free of the strip. Leaving the bungs in the strip also makes it easier to align the grain.

And, FWIW, here's the steering shaft made by a friend from a bit of stainless steel round stock. The center is drilled and tapped for a machine screw and a key way is cut to mate with the keyway in the hub. the key is glued into the keyway with CA glue.

Your wheel is coming along real nice Dave

Dave...........it's looking good! I'd say it's not too bad for a couple of 'tron chasing amateur woodworking nerds!

Ok will the real dave stand up!

in the pictures of your boats are you the one in the white t shirt? couldnt read the name tag dave? thats a fine sterring wheel and then to turn it into ice boat whoopie those things look like riot saw several round here when the ice gets good enough.. the can almost fly real nice progrees report as well on the making of it. even if ken did help

Thanks guys.

Ken, I was asked by a fellow in Maryland if I wanted to build another wheel. He's got a hub ready and teak blanks for the spokes ready for the "turnin' machine" as he calls it.

Larry, I'm the fat guy in the red shirt with my back to the camera.

I want one of these ice scooters. They're designed to be able to scoot over the open water you sometimes run into on frozen lakes. There's no rudder. Steering is done by shift weight (rail meat) and sheeting the sail.

Varnish is still wet but here it is.

Dave

Great looking job! Let's see one coat down, 8 to go?

Jay

Thanks Jay. Do you think 8 cmore coats will hide the flaws? I was figuring 10 or 12 and then a coat of paint.

Hi Dave,
Turned out real nice with the clear cote. It is a work of art.

Dave,

I have been watching this as you go. Wow, I thought I was prepared but that is bee-you-tee-full!

Aw shucks guys. Those are very kind words. It's Ken's spokes that make the project.

Ken and I are talking about collaborating on another steering wheel. I think we both have some ideas as to what we would do differently next time. Maybe this coming winter we'll have a new one to show.

That's gorgeous, Dave. The attention to detail is apparent.

I'll put in my vote for blue paint after all the varnish. Like the ocean, don'tcha know.

Dave, VERY well done!

I'm sure that you will have many years of fun behind that wheel!

Hats off to Ken for the great spindles as well!

Cheers!

Thank you gentlemen.

Vaughn, please don't add more choices for paint colors. I'm having a hard enough time choosing between Donkey Brown and Magnolia (whatever that is). Now you go and add blue to the choices. It'll never get finished. Anyone got a three-faced coin?

Dave

Say it ain't so! If you are going to paint that wheel you should have never built it! Remember that stainless steel destroyer wheel suggestion a while back?

No, No, No! You are fated to years of varnish maintenance to keep that wheel gleaming. And it will all pay off when you are in the cockpit having a sundowner and look over at that piece of eye candy gleaming in the sunset!

And, eight coats was just the beginnning

Jay

No worries on the paint, Jay. I haven't got time to put 8 more coats of varnish on it and then paint.

By the way, someone told me you are an expert at the varnish thing. I'm hoping you'll come and give me a lesson or two.