
19th Century Wagon Wheel Release Date: 1900 Price: $1,400 (Source: 1stdibs ) The prices on this table are sourced from verified platforms and void of any imitation.ġ. Here’s a list of the five most valuable antique wagon wheels ever sold. 5 Popular Antique Wagon Wheels to Collect These spokes were believed to have been made in Anatolia or around the Turkey region for many uses, especially warfare. SpokesĪrtisans added spokes to wagon wheels to make them lighter and move much faster. Putting an iron tire on the wheel while it was still hot and letting it cool down would cause some of the holds and pull the wheel together, which would dish the wheel and produce a braced spoke, thereby making turning easier. The only way to stop the impending accident was to slow down the chariot’s speed by making it stop before a turn, however, the Romans knew this was a bad idea during the war. The pressure from attempting a turn exerts pressure on the hub and causes the wheel to fail. Artisans created the early Egyptian war chariots with flat and straight wheels, and while these wheels were known for speed, they were terrible with sharp turns. Wagon wheels are dished for strength, and the Romans introduced this style. The felloe holds still alternate ends of the spokes in place on the outer face of the wheel.

This attachment can be done in two ways- the wheels can have bent felloe or cut felloes.įor Bent felloes, they’re put into a steam cabinet and left there until the wood fibers become hot and wet and placed into a jig and formed into the shape of the wheel created.Īfter a level of thickness is achieved, the wood gets too thick to be bent and must then be cut into six to eight different sizes to make a complete felloe. The most important part of the wagon wheel is the felloe which is the outer wooden part of the wheel to which the steel tires is attached.
#TAILS OF IRON WAGON WHEEL DRIVERS#
The major difference between the old and new is that drivers can now turn the tire spokes on a lathe instead of a drawknife. Although the time adopted in making these tools are now shorter and less labor-intensive, the technique is still quite the same. Modern Day Wheelsįast forward to the present day, the manufacture of wagon wheels hasn’t seen much of a difference. If a wagon is being pushed, human effort to affect the movement is zero to none, and the only presence of friction is between the axle and the wheel.

They dig deep into the ground and rotate to turn on their axles when the wheels turn. Well, wheels helped to reduce the friction. Here’s a video of artisans building a wagon wheel.

Artisans added the iron tire to the already spoked wagon wheel a thousand years later.ĭuring construction, wagons were weightier than horse-driven carts, and had a box-shaped body suitable for lifting freights and food crops ensuring a smoother ride due to the stability of being driven on four wheels rather than two. Then came the spoke wagon around 2000 BC, which was easier to carry, more flexible, and had a controllable wobble. The Mesopotamians made the first-ever wagon wheel from wood which was weighty, hard to make into a round shape, and would not wobble. The invention of antique wagon wheels is one of the most significant moments in human history.

The Fascinating History of Antique Wagon Wheels
#TAILS OF IRON WAGON WHEEL HOW TO#
