Wheelwright

Wheelwright. . , A Wheelwright was on the plantation to build and repair wheels for the various wagons used at Sotterley. Before the automobile horse drawn wagons were used to carry people and goods around the country. Horse and oxen pulled wagons carried tobacco from the plantations fields to the barns for drying and to the ships for transport to trade ports around the world. The rough roads took a toll on the wagons and needed to be repaired regularly. The tools you see here are some of the specialized tools used by the wheelwright here at Sotterley., The wheel , Throughout time, the wheel has helped to ease the work of farmers. Whether on plows, carts, or hillers, wheels provided an important addition to technological developments both on the farm and off. Because of their importance, plantations such as Sotterley had equipment to ensure their wheels remained in good condition., Measuring wheel. , This was used to measure the circum-ference of a wheel to size the tire. The wheel wright would run the measuring wheel around the out side edge counting the inches as it traveled. He would then make a tire to fit. The tire would be slightly smaller., Tire Bender , 20th Century , One of the ways to ensure that a wooden wheel would last was to wrap a metal band around the outside. A blacksmith would make a metal piece that would then be put through a tire bender, shaping it to fit on a wooden frame., Tire Shrinker , 20th Century , If the blacksmith had not measured correctly, or the metal band was warped, the tire shrinker would be used to compress the band, making it smaller and allowing a secure fit to the Mounting the Tire , The blacksmith and wheel wright would heat the tire in a fire causing it to expand. They would then place it on the wheel and quickly douse it with water causing it to cool and shrink and tighten on the wheel.