LadyHugs
Posts: 2299
Joined: 1/1/2004
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Dear Sirgeorge1961, Ladies and Gentlemen;
I highly recommend talking to a professional wheel wright, when dealing with horse driven vehicles, such as 'stage coach' wheels, which are most likely rotten and won't be safe. There are coaching clubs about in the USA but, it will be through the American Driving Society that you would find connections and or the size wheel that you propose. Furthermore, as an experienced equestrian and have driven horses, using carts, buggies, wagons and carriages; the wheel will not hold a person proper as they will not be supported by the wheel, as the wheel diameter falls short of a 'spread eagle' person. This holds true with stage coaches, mail coaches and most horse driven vehicles.
[Note: If you look at a lot of the old Westerns, which John Wayne was star, he was approximately 6 foot--a tall man. The wheel would limit the size person to be affixed to the stage coach wheel]
The only ample size wheel on height/diameter alone would be that of a rear wheel on the 20 mule train; which stood high and wide to handle weight and strain on the spokes.
The modern St. Catherine's wheel should 'ideally' place the entire person within the total circle, where their head isn't beyond the edges of that circle. To have a person unsuppported with parts of their anatomy exposed would cause me to avoid that equipment period.
Another issue in using a wagon wheel, is that the wheel is not flat to lean against. The wheel is concaved, or dished if you will. It is curved as to flex when their is speed in addition to weight, as well as handling slight stress. The rule of driving carriages, carts and buggies, is that the vehicle must assend/decend straight down a hill--not at an angle--it pops the spokes and shatters them, if made from wood. This is why modern competition driving uses metal wheels and carriages. To have a person thrust themselves outwardly will put stress on the spokes as well as the wheel, supported by the metal/rubber tire.
With a St. Catherine's wheel, the weight isn't on the tire/edge of the circle like a wagon wheel but, on the 'rim' instead. So, the weight is where the focus should be--on the rim designs--not the tread; as the St. Catherine's wheel is not moving on the road, thus a carriage wheel design is specificly designed for road. I'll also mention that spokes on carriage wheels are not fully through the rounded pieces that form the circle of the wheel. Some are rather shallow and would require the wheel to be taken apart to find out if it is deep set or shallow set. It gets to the point where one needs to ask if its worth the hassel.
I was lucky enough to watch many a wheel made by my Amish wheel wright. From steaming wood and shaping it, to the hand made spokes, seating and assembly, to include the tires both rubber and metal.
One may consider the power company, who have the power/electric cables on huge spindles (like thread spindles but larger). That might provide the flat and assembled wood surface that might serve well for the bondage part of the St. Catherine's Wheel. It also has a hole in the middle, as to be hauled on a trailer.
One may consider looking into a water wheel, where it might be for private homes, which is smaller than a water wheel for a grain mill or driving the internal workings of a mill.
Perhaps a farris wheel might be of benefit to consider.
Just some thoughts.
Respectfully submitted for consideration,
Lady Hugs
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RE: St. Catherine's wheel - 
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