Decrease Tread Width

[Derby Monkey]

Does anyone have any recommendations for decreasing the wheel tread width?

Our district rules allow for us to sand the wheel tread as long as we maintain at least a 1/4" tread width. Stock BSA wheels are, of course, considerably wider than that.

I do not have a lathe. I do have just about every other pc of equipment though.

Any recommendations???

Thanks

[JustaDad]

I put the wheel in a wheel mandrel hub side out, then use my drill. I have the drill mounted horizontally and I have it hooked up to a rheostat so I can lock the drill on full and can still control the speed up or down without holding the drill. I start with the drill turning quite slow and mark where to cut. I have tried many things to cut the wheel with, but I find a coping saw works best. It is a thiner blade and does not heat up like the xacto knife blades do. While the drill is turning the wheel I place the saw blade on the line, once it starts to really cut into the wheel I start sawing back and forth slowly.

This seems to work really well and I am able to make good clean cuts quickly.

Remember to cut down the hub as well. I do this with a vise and a flat saw. Then I sand and polish it up.

Good Luck!!

[Derby Monkey]

OK... I just cut one down. I used my drill press and it was really pretty easy. First, I placed the belt so that the drill would turn as slow as possible. I screwed a coping saw to a flat board. I rested the board flat on the drill press table.

It easily cut through the wheel. I then sanded the cut rim with several grits of sandpaper finishing with the 8000 that I use for axle polishing. The new tread edge was perfectly smooth and uniform.

I cut a stock BSA wheel to give it exactly 1/4" tread. That means I cut off about 1/16". That reduced the weight of the stock wheel from 3.6g to 3.3g.

So, if I did the same thing to a Pro-Stock Speed Wheel I could reduce the weight down to 3.0g.

Now, some questions...

1. Is that 0.3g reduction in weight worth the effort?
2. Will it make that much of a difference?
3. How should I compensate for rail riding?
a. Should I cut the wheel hub down 1'16" too?
b. Should I inset the dominant wheel an additional 1/16"?

Please chime in...

Thanks

[ichiban]

Can you post a picture of the finished wheel?

Thanks

[Derby Monkey]

The wheel on the left is the narrowed BSA wheel. The wheel on the right is the stock BSA wheel.

[Derby Monkey]

This is how I rigged up the jig to cut the wheels down.

[Sappington R]

Just goes to show that a MONKEY can build a PWD car!!! ;D

Great Work! Love that rig.

[Derby Monkey]

Jan 9, 2009 8:56:28 GMT -6 Sappington R said:

Just goes to show that a MONKEY can build a PWD car!!! ;D

“By trying often... the MONKEY learns to jump from the tree”
-- African Proverb

[JustaDad]

I like the set-up. Man I just got to get a drill press