When Scott built the for our boys, I contributed one piece. A wooden steering wheel that I bought at a craft store. It quickly fell to pieces with all the abuse the boat bed got. I should’ve known better…
Years later Scott decided he was tired of looking at that sorry broken wheel so he took matters into his own hands. He constructed a ship’s wheel.
Although he wanted an excuse to build a steamer, he found a way to construct the wheel without bending the wood…
Process:
Handles were carved on the lathe. The rounded pieces were cut on a bandsaw. He staggered the cuts as shown in the second picture.
MATERIALS USED:
Handles - Redwood. It was a FAST solution for a ‘toy’ steering wheel. Had this been constructed for a true boat, he would’ve used an exotic hardwood, such as ipe.
Wheel – Hickory
Center – Jatoba