Spokes

With the holiday vacation over, I'm back at my job, so I'm putting the pipework on hold and looking for other small tasks that I can do with the free moments I have...

While the idea of wooden wheels doesn't particularly bother me, I don't find the look of flat wooden discs particularly appealing.

One of the reasons I opted to cut the wheels out of solid pieces of hardwood - rather than plywood - was that I was thinking it might be nice to have the option of trying to make the wheels look a little more like metal wheels by giving them some depth and shape.

I found this picture on the web, and I liked the old-timey look to the curved spokes:

Then I made a stencil out of it in Photoshop:

I made one each for the idler and spool wheels, plus another idler wheel version to see which I liked best. (I ultimately decided that they'd both have the same curvy spoke pattern):

I then got the spray glue, the FrogTape and applied the stencil to the wheel like I did with the pressure box window, then took it out to the scrollsaw:

I also rounded the spokes a little using a dremel tool with a sanding spool end, and then kept smoothing with 220 sandpaper and some needle files. (I haven't yet drilled out the full 1/4" of the center hole, but I'll do that when I go to mount it on the shaft).:

I think I'll use some "hammered finish" paint on them once they're both sanded and primed. I just can't decide between a black/dark grey hammered paint color, or a gold/brass hammered finish...