Spoke (wheel)

“ Each spoke is first an effort arm on one side of the wheel and then a weight arm as it turns around to the other side of the wheel, and as the effort arms and weight arms are of the same length there is no multiplication of power. A pound on one side of the wheel cannot lift more than a pound on the other. The driven wheel receives the same power as the driving wheel except for such loss as may be due to friction at the bearings or where the spokes contact. ”

“ Here American makers used direct spokes at first, but at present all the American makers without exception use a tangent spoke, and there are indeed very good reasons for the use of the tangent spoke in a suspension wheel, which is a structure radically unlike the ordinary wagon wheel. Any vehicle wheel receives the load of the weight carried directly at its hub, through the axle, and this weight, of course, tends to bear the hub down to the ground. The wagon wheel has stout spokes, as they are planned to sustain the crushing downward strain ”

“ At the end of each spoke cut a groove wherein you tie the cases, there being no fell: the spokes should not be more than two inches and a half long from the naves, so that the wheel may not be more than eight or nine inches diameter; the cases are placed in such a manner, that those at top play down, and those at bottom play up; but let the third or fourth case play horizontally. The case in the middle may begin with any of the others; six spokes will be enough for each set, so that the wheel may consist of 12 cases, besides that on the top: the cases six inches each. ”

“ To make this clear, suppose a common wheel is deprived of its rim and is made to revolve on the ends of its spokes. The end of each spoke gives a backward push as it strikes the ground. Now the rim of a wheel makes the same pushes, but they are more numerous—they are continuous, being made by all the successive points in the rim. ”

“ The old wheel turns, and the same spoke comes up. It's all been done before, and will be again. ”

“ I'm never happier than when I'm sitting with my two hands on the wheel, one toe on the gas, the other on the brake, a heel on the little pedal that makes the old machine snort up a hill like a horse dug in the side with a spur. ”

“ Ever was spinning her thread from a distaff fixed to her saddle.
She was so thrifty and good, that her name passed into a proverb.
So shall it be with your own, when the spinning-wheel shall no longer
Hum in the house of the farmer, and fill its chambers with music. ”

“ First, we will suppose that the spokes, any number you please, are connected at their outer ends by flat plates. As each angle is passed the wheel falls flop on to the next plate. The greater the number of the spokes, the less will be each successive jar (or step) ; and consequently the perfect wheel is theoretically one in [100] which the sides have been so much multiplied as to be infinitely short.
A horse has practically two wheels, its front legs one, its back legs the other. The shoulder and hip joints form the axles, and the legs the spokes. ”

“ In my limited experience in driving tandems I have never had a leader, however vicious, part company with the wheeler and bolt with his harness dangling about him; but if that event is yet to occur, and the twenty-three feet of lead-reins run clear, leaving my wheeler's bridle intact and in place, I shall attribute such good fortune to unbuckled hand-parts, and to the freedom of action of the swivels in my wheel throat-latch, so very practical, and so much to be preferred to the fixtures attaching to the rosettes at the wheeler's ears. ”

“ The spinning-wheel is strong and nice.”
“Buy it, my lady! It is not dear—
My father is cheap—you need not fear,
For two feet he will give it.”
“For two feet! ’Tis a strange, odd price—
Still I will buy—the wheel is nice. ”

“ The quid found and properly stowed away in his cheek, your companion resumes his grasp of the wheel, and in the haze of the binnacle lamp you may see his leathern jaws working like an old cow chewing the cud as he mumbles over the black fragment, sometimes directing a doleful squint at the compass, sometimes looking astern, while he helps you to put the wheel up or down, that you may keep the course swinging fair with the lubber’s mark. ”

“ I heard the sharp click of this against the spokes of the wheel, then the hum of the wheel, the buzz of the spindles as the twisting yarn was teased by the whirl of its point, then a step backwards, a pause, a step forward and the running of the yarn upon the spindle, and again a backward step, the drawing out of the roll and the droning and hum of the wheel, most mournfully hopeless sound that ever fell on mortal ear. ”

“ If that pulley, Sammy, that is on the spindle (little wheel you call it) , was just as large as the flax-wheel, and you should turn that, the other would turn just as fast,—just as many times,—wouldn't it? ”

“ The men of these nations were used, when travelling, to affix two small wheels upon their shoulder blades, and on coming to any slight incline in their path they would curl up their legs, lie on their backs and free-wheel as distantly as the slant of the ground permitted, greatly, no doubt, to the astonishment of less sophisticated people. ”

“ The weight of the rider upon the seat o, and a slight movement backward or forward causes the seat-support g to move backward or forward, which motion is communicated to the upright lever f by the connecting-bar h, which in turn starts the revolution of the driving-wheel axle l. ”

“ He expatiates on the exquisite order in which wheel rotates within wheel, but not having heard, he cannot be shocked by the grating of each as it turns upon its axis for discord sets the primary wheel in motion, and its jarring is felt through the whole machine. ”

“ But what I have mentioned was another turn more, so that the wheels were again in statu quo, and the horse not in the least disordered: if it should be unruly, with the help of one pin, you disengage him from the Calesh without any inconvenience. I myself was once overturned, and knew it not, till I looked up, and saw the wheel flat over my head; and, if a man went with his eyes shut, he would imagine himself in the most smooth way, though, at the same time, there were three feet difference in the heights of the ground of each wheel. ”

“ It is necessary to attend to the following points: the lever arm that presses upon the rim of the wheel should be short, both for quick action and also for strength. The handle should be long, that the coachman may have greater power in applying the brake. ”

“ After the rope leaves the said sheave, it is coiled away at pleasure. g, g, are two change wheels, for varying the speed of the grooved wheel d, d, to answer the various sizes of ropes; h, is a spiral wheel, driven by the screw k, fixed upon the axle l; m, is a band-wheel, which is driven by a belt from the shaft of the engine, or any other communicating power; n, n, is a friction strap and striking clutch. The axle q, is driven by two change wheels p, p; by changing the sizes of those wheels, the different speeds of the drum R, R, for any sizes of ropes, are at once effected. ”

“ Come, Brother, run into your wheel now and turn it for us as fast as ever you can," and with her finger she chased the little white fellow about the cage and at last through the opening and into the wire wheel; and in a moment the wheel was spinning around and around as fast as the little pink feet could make it fly. ”

“ Weller, Junior, with the air of a Solomon in smalls. "But vot sort of a vheel do you call that thing in front [Pg 142] of you, and vot's its pertikler objeck? a top of a coach instead o' under it?"
"This yer wheel means Revolution," said the driver.
"It do, Samivel, it do," interjected his father dolorously. "And in my opinion it's a worse Revolution than that there French one itself. A coach vithout 'osses, vheels instead of vheelers, and a driver vithout a vhip! Oh Sammy, Sammy, to think it should come to this!!!" ”

“ The shaft-gearing of these spur-wheels consists of impact roller motions, so that the crank centrally on the shaft, within easy reach of the operator upon the seat and between the driving-wheels, may be effectually operated by the hand, and a lever from the guide-wheel is designed to be in such a position as to be within easy reach of the operator’s feet forwardly, so that no difficulty will be encountered, all of which will now be fully set forth. ”

“ Every idea of comfort must, however, be set aside by those who are willing to conform themselves to the common method of riding post. A kind of a vehicle is given, which is not unlike a very small crate for earthenware, fastened to four small wheels, by the means of wooden pegs, and altogether not higher than a common wheel-barrow. ”

“ The rims of the hand-wheels are made sufficiently heavy to act as a balance against the weight of the blade-lifting devices, so that the momentum of the wheel will greatly assist the operator in the manipulation of the machine. ”

“ Or again, another enthusiast is deluging every visible chink in his bicycle with oil, in the hopes of finding some mysterious squeak, the location of which would be an easy matter if the position of the different bearings were understood. It is conceded without exception by all wheelmen that a fair knowledge of the construction of a wheel is essential to its proper care. ”

“ There is a singular addition to their vehicles outside the wheels; a piece of wood curved to the shape of the wheel is placed above it, frequently supported by two straight uprights from the end of the axle-tree outside the wheel; this acts as a wing or guard to keep any one from falling out of the vehicle, and also the dress of the passengers from becoming entangled in the wheel. ”

“ One day I descended by the wheel again and nailed the miniature to its axle. ‘Wait you there!’ I cried, ‘till the question is answered. So shall he follow in her footsteps.’ Ah, I have heard talk of the fateful fascination of the wheel! Why has it never drawn him to come and claim his portrait? ”

“ Each of us takes into his hands a great hoop of coiled wire, as tall as ourselves, and weighing over sixty pounds. When one carries it, the supple wheel stretches out like an animal; it is set dancing by the least movement, it works into the flesh of the shoulder, and strikes one's feet. ”

“ Some distinguishing mark on a wheel is needed to give it the screen illusion of turning.
A wheel true and accurately adjusted and going rapidly gives—with the exception of a blurring of spokes, if there are any—very little evidence of rotation. It is only when it turns unsteadily, or when there is some distinguishing mark found on or near the rim, that we see plainly that the wheel turns. Sometimes it is a stain, a spot on the tire, a temporary repair, or a piece of paper that has caught in the spokes that indicates a turning of the wheel. ”

“ And put an equal-turning wheel on each
end of your axle,
Since your wheelbarrow 's broke!
THE FOOTPATH WAY. "Jog on, jog on, the footpath way,
And merrily jump the stile, O!
A merry heart goes all the day,
Your sad one tires in a mile, O!" ”

“ This wheel-work renders the motion smoother. The above lever has its fulcrum at n, fig. 93., about which it turns alternately, to the one and the other side, by virtue of the rotation of the wheel 4. The toothed arch, or the half-wheel on the under side, lays hold of a shorter lever, in a similar arch, upon the upper joint of the foot, which is moved forwards and backwards upon the pivot m. In virtue of the motions in the direction of the arrow, the foot a will move itself first obliquely backwards, without bending, and the body will thereby bend itself forwards. ”

“ A two-wheeled vehicle turns on one wheel, which forms the centre at the place where it touches the ground, and the opposite wheel forms the circle struck from the said centre. The body in this instance follows the circular motion exactly as the axle, and consequently maintains a steady position above the wheels.
“A four-wheeled vehicle remains in a straight line when first the front pair of wheels are turned under, then by the effect of the draught the hind pair of wheels follow in a wider circle. ”

“ The next improvement was to make the circumference of the wheel as perfectly circular as the art of man could devise, and,{470} instead of having the wheel solid, to fill up its interior with spokes, thus gaining lightness and strength at the same time.
Of all locomotive wheels, I suppose that the modern Bicycle affords the best example. The driving wheel is larger than the hind wheel of an ordinary coach, and yet the spokes are not nearly so thick as the porcupine quill with which this account is written. ”

“ The piece of horn is made fast to a carriage, which is moved forwards by means of a screw until it comes under the action of a ratchet-wheel, toothed upon a part of its circumference. The teeth of this wheel bring a lever into action, furnished with a chisel or knife, which cuts out a double comb from the flat piece, the teeth of which combs are opposite to each other. ”

“ This was an arrangement that tensioned the wheel by pulling a lever attached to the spokes so that they were strained in a direction tangential to their hub and held tight by locking the lever. Following the methods already described, the laced and tangent spoked wheels were introduced. This type of wheel is the modern one that has survived all the others, and reverses the process employed for straight spoked wheels in tension. The flanges of the hub are drilled at right angles, the headed spokes are bent close to the head, and threaded through the holes made in the hub flange. ”