Just felt the need to show off again. Built this a couple of years ago for a client in Durant, OK.
The wheel was quite a challenge. I didn’t understand the size of the job until the day I took the contract. When I was pumping gas at the local QT I looked up and saw a sign,14′ Clarence. Man this thing was going to be only 1′ shorter.
Didn’t fit into my plan to build in the shop. Built it in the back yard. Made a platform out of extension ladders and sawhorses. Set a pivot pole in the middle and laid 3/4″plywood on the ladders. Seriously leveled the surface.
The pivot pole was to guide the 7′ swing arm that held my 3 1/2 hp pc router.
Used clear heart Redwood,(wanted Cypress but the architect insisted on RW), Gorrilla glue baltic birch splines at the segments and an occasional heavy galvanized twist nail.
Oh ya, and a big honkin homemade band clamp.
Half way through the neighbor lady looked over the fence with concern and asked what I was doing. I told he I was “Makin a spaceship to Jesus”. She hasn’t talked to me sense.
Anybody else with big jobs?
See photo next post.
Edited 8/7/2003 6:41:59 PM ET by Bob
Edited 8/7/2003 6:57:41 PM ET by Bob
Edited 8/7/2003 7:27:49 PM ET by Bob
Replies
Sorry here's the photo
Bob
Man thats cool, whats the building for, is it new also?
Doug
This was a clients new home built by a company here in Tulsa that I built the wheel for, Barron and McClary Construction Co.
One of the best I've ever done work for.
Very cool!
What turns it?Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a carpenter to build one.
Fortunately when it was assembled the architect decided to make it inoperable. Water just runs over it. They cut part of the bottom to give it the appearance of being deeper in the water.
With all I studied about waterwheels before I started I was worried about the balance and strength of the architects design.
There's a little more to waterwheels then meets the eye I realized.
Very good looking, so it doesn't spin at all?
either way it looks beautiful
Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, Professionals built the Titanic.
I agree... it's beautiful.
Great job. It looks like one of those projects that give great satisfaction to the builder.
But you wouldn't want to build them all the time.
And it does seem a shame that it is not doing it's thing all day.
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