David Davis Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 (edited) While practising for La Coupe Des Barons last week, one of the Flair wheels fell of into the plough and was lost forever. I am currently using small wheels but I would lose points in the competition if I were to use them. Rather than pay 55€ for a pair of Williams Vintage Wheels, I'm going to have a go at making a pair out of balsa and ply as Cliff Harvey has for his Sopwith Triplane. Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2jzMr8K-UI&t=2s. I notice that he has used 0.8mm ply discs seperated by 6mm balsa for the basic components of the wheels. Given that my Baron fitted with an OS 52 in the nose and with fuselage longerons made from basswood weighs 4lbs 4ozs or 1.9 kgs, do you think that 0.8 plywood would be strong enough for my purposes? I expect that Cliff's triplane is much lighter. Edited March 16 by David Davis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Walby Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 Don't forget to make three wheels...if you have a spare I'll never need to use it! As for the wheel material, I think if it tries to ground loop hub failure/tyre peeling off is more likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wagg Posted March 16 Share Posted March 16 I made some ply wheels years back. 1/16" (2mm) for the outer discs but I don't remember what I used for the inner. No reason not to use balsa. Neoprene tube for the tire, bonded with superglue as per Cliffs video. Discs cut out using large hole saws. I have also used small toy pram wheels and some are available on Ebay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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