Changing the wheel material won't necessarily solve that problem - getting the wheel to run dead true with an insert (regardless of the material) is a huge challenge. Often the best strategy is to use a thicker material (such as Baltic Birch with thick veneer faces on each side) that is oversized for the final thickness, assume that the wheel blank will have some wobble, and just trim the wheel sides on the lathe to get rid of it.
Another place that errors can creep in is in the threading inside the insert. What thread are you using, and does your shaft have a stop collar? Alden > Thanks so much I'll try to switch to a Baltic Birch wheel, I tried that first > but it wouldn't turn true on the lathe.. I think the fostner bit didn't drill > perfectly straight into the center of the wheel for the threaded insert I made > for it on my metal lathe... I'll keep trying or I'll make a few different > wheels... Thanks, Seth > > Alden Hackmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Seth - if you're making a banded wheel, I suggest using Baltic Birch or > Finnish Birch as the core. It will be a lot more stable than a piece of > solid wood. If you use solid wood, it will shrink and grow > disproportionally as the humidity changes, and your band will come unglued > (and likely you will also.) > > For the band, we typically use holly, about 1/8" (3 mm) thick after > scraping and shaping. Holly is great because it is easy to bend, and it's > practically grainless. The downside is the shortage of long clear holly - > it's kinda like the Holy Grail (holly grail?) of HG builders who make this > style of wheel. > > The fun (ahem) parts of this process are getting a nice clean bend around > the wheel, and making the scarf joint, and clamping the band. > > Trimming the band on the lathe before final scraping in the instrument is > tons of fun: the holly comes off in long, long strands. With a sharp tool, > there's a magical feel to watching the wood pour off almost like water. > > Good luck, > > Alden F.M. Hackmann [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > "Beati illi qui in circulum circumeunt, fient enim magnae rotae." > > >
