AC Six Part 5: Wheels, tires, Steering wheel, and other miscellaneous parts

Today I started working on the tires and wheels for the first AC Six.  The wood used is simple poplar but since they will be painted or dyed, I did not want to use more pricey stock.  I will also say that the assembly shown here is my 2nd attempt of completing them.  No project goes without some screwup some where and this one is no exception.    I looked at the plan and thought that I would change up the tire/wheel mating schema a bit and so only drilled the tire 10mm deep to accept the wheel.  The key was to make sure that the axle hole was drilled dead straight and accurate in both mating pieces.  Not sure how I screwed it up, but I managed to be off by about 1mm or so.  Rather than screw around with it, I chucked the first 5 and remade them as the plan calls for.  (Actually the trashed tires were used to test laser the logo and the sidewall tick marks.)

I made the tires and wheels parts on the CNC after bringing the stock to final dimension:  Tire, 14mm, wheel, 10mm.  Then just ran the file and got 7 clean sets.  I always make a couple of extra since a spare or 2 might come in handy.

Next came the sanding and shaping the tire into a final shape before adding the tread to the road surface.  For this, I use the layout Dutchy included in the plans for  treads.  It is a simple layout and will still provide a good approximation of early auto tires.  I made a template so I could easily layout the tread design.  If you decided to add more treads, the same technique of making a marking template to lay them out uniformily.

Once scribed, use a thin parting tool or the nose of a skew chisel to make the tread profile. 

The last add to the tire is the Logo and the side ticks.  The logo presented no issue but for the life of me I could not think of how to cut the rim tick marks.  I thought about creating a jig for the Dremel tool and using a 1/16" bit to mark them but that would be a lot of finicky trial and error so I finally asked Dutchy and he said "laser".  Duh!!!!!! (Thank you Dutchy!  Sometimes over thinking gets in the way of progress.)  So I made a laser multi part jig and lasered the final tick marks and logos on all 5 tires.
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Here is a side and street contact side view of the  lasered tire with rim inserted.  On the actual AC Wheel,  there is an additional ring where 4 lug nuts secured the assembly to the axel.  I added that feature to the model wheel and will add the 4 lug nuts a bit later.  I was able to find a circa 1926 Dunlop logo and so went with that.  I will dye the tires with India Ink and the wheels will receive the same color treatment as the auto body, once I decide on a color. 

STEERING WHEEL Fabrication
Today I fabricated the steering wheel for the AC Six.  I saw Dutchy's excellent blog about making the wheel and while I use much the same technique, there are a few differences. 

First, the steering wheels of the '20s, '30s, '40s and into the mid'50s were much larger than the steering wheels of today.  I made version of the plan steering wheel and the small scale just didn't thrill me, so I made mine larger.  My decision is in no way a criticism of the plan as printed.  Each of us can decide what we add or take away from our models and that is what makes each an individual creation.   The finished wheel measures 1.5" in diameter (38mm).  I also use a 1/4" shaft for the steering column and so the center hole of the wheel is 1/4" (6.35mm).  Another reason for using the 1/4" hole is that I turn the piece on me pen mandrel which is 1/4", so all of this helps me to complete the wheel.   After laying out the wheel on a block of 3/8" thick maple, I turned it to final diameter and marked the 1/8" offset for both the side and front edges.  I also marked the 1/2" (12.7mm) center hub on the front and the back side.

Here is a view of the front side of the steering wheel after turning to size and initial shape.  Note the 1/8" rim around the outside and the 1/2" hub in the center.  Using a skew, the area in between the two features is cleared out.  Not too deep but enough to define the inner landscape between the hub and the outside "grip" area.

Accounting for the 1/8" measure of the outer rim, the back is then reduced to the 1/2" hub diameter.  I use a parting tool to first create the size of the outer rim then reduce the remaining to the 1/2" diameter.

Next is the layout for the interior portion of the steering wheel.  For this wheel, I chose to go with a 3 division wheel which was used on the original AC Six.

Here is the back view showing the 3 division lay out and the 1/8" rim boundary.  Since this will be an interior scroll saw cut, each large area will have an entry hole drilled for blade insertion.

Ready to take it to the bandsaw.

I used a #2 ST blade and went slow.  This is the time when anything can happen and it probably will.  This is a thin, delicate piece and so caution is the key.  Don't rush and don't push too hard.  I also recommend using an either a tape or thin backer support so that the wheel doesn't slip down into the table opening.  Initially it's still pretty much in tact but once one or two of the areas are cleared, the degree of fragility increases exponentially.  Be prepared to it to break so have a couple of blanks prepared. 

After the sawing is done, all that remains is some cleanup sanding.  Again, so lightly and handle with care.  I use sanding sticks and shop made sanding boards of sandpaper attached to popsicle sticks.  120,180 and 220 grit are as strong as I go on this.

Here is the completed wheel.  It still needs some cleanup work and if you look closely, you can see where this one broke but I managed to save it with some CA glue.  Once sanded and in this case, painted, the break will be hidden.  I usually end up making a minimum of 3 when I  fabricate steering wheels.  It's all part of the adventure. 

This is another version with a slightly different divider set up. 
Hope this helps anyone who wants to make their own steering wheels.  As I said earlier, the blog Dutchy published a day or so ago is excellent and he shows how he crafts the wheel.  

It may be a few days until my next chapter as I am going out of town for a week.