Parts R Us...

My shop could probably be renamed "Parts R Us" and it would be fitting. I've been making a ton of parts lately. 

It's always interesting to see what projects people are undertaking. I had a client bring a couple of antique baby carriage wheels to my shop - one was intact like this, and one was in pieces.

 And missing some pieces - specifically, missing two of these wheel spokes. 

They had an odd shape - I could tell that it was turned on the lathe, but it also has some flat spots and some scoops in the profile. Not a particularly hard piece to make, but one that took a few different steps. 

I started with a couple of pieces of sassafras, which matched the coloring and grain of the original spokes. 

Once I has a piece roughed out, I shaped the sides on the NEW bandsaw, 

and smoothed everything out on the belt sander. 

My lathe work is more about utility than making artsy pieces. There's never enough time to make all of the pieces I would like to...  someday! Turning these was the easy part!

Turning these was the easy part! 

Finishing them was a breeze, using Mohawk spray stains. I added a bit of distress to the two new spokes, so they wouldn't stand out against the old ones. My secret weapon for making these look grungy was a Sharpie for some darker highlights. 

And finally - fitting all ten of the spokes into this rigid rim was quite a challenge. And probably why the client asked me to do it. She had done the first one, and struggled with it, so I was tasked with assembling the second one. 

The two new spokes are these two at the bottom - could you have found them, if I hadn't pointed them out?

It would have been easy if I had four hands, but I didn't. An hour later, struggling with each individual spoke wanting to pop out of place, and this small repair was complete.  I love quickie projects like this - they keep me on my toes, and pay a few bills.  And my clients are awfully happy! Still want more? 

By the way, this carriage was made by the F. A. Whitney Carriage Company - click here to read more.

Still want more? Check out this article.

She promised to send me photos when the piece is fully restored, and I can't wait!