63/46

J. Rivers (Manufacturer)

This wooden wheel hub was made by the donor at Crane Wharf in Reading. It has a curved outer section and stepped mortises for the spokes. The donor used it to demonstrate to the Museum how a hub boring engine worked.

MERL Recording form – ‘Who used it: – // When was it used: – // How was it used: – // Where was it used: // Has it a local name: // When this object was used do you know if it was common in many parts of the country or only in the place from which it came: // Who made it: Mr. Rivers. // When was it made: Recent // Where was it made: Reading, Crane Wharf. // From what materials is the object made: Wood. // Is it corroded or broken or damaged in any other way: No. // What are its approximate measurements: // Have you a photograph of the object: // Has it any unusual characteristics: Curved outer section. Stepped spoke mortises. // Additional information: This hub was made for a firm of timber merchants, but was not supplied to them. Mr. Rivers used it show how the Boxing Engine [63/43/1–7 and 63/44] was used. // Could you please make a rough sketch of the object:', MERL Miscellaneous note (perhaps written by J. Rivers) – '(1) When the hub was turned on the lathe a series of concentric circles were lightly marked in on both faces. //[Sketch] // (2) Spoke mortises were next marked bored & cut. The radial layout of the mortises meant that a large amount of wood could be removed from the interior of the hub (at the bottom of the mortises) // [Sketch] // (3) The hub was now ready to be cut & bored for later fitting of the box. The latter could be supplied in either single or two parts. In either case the machined castings were tapered longitudinally and often had splines running in the same direction. // (4) The centre of the hub was chopped out from both ends using the bruzze up to the scribed circles which were slightly smaller than both ends of the tapered box. // (5) A Triple spiked guide with a plain bearing was slipped over the shaft of the boring bar [bow?] (of the boxing engine) and the cutting tip set to cut a hole the same size as the large end of the box. The guide was then dogged, concentrically into the back face of the hub and a triple spiked threaded guide tapped in likewise in the outer end (of the hub) after screwing on the threading boring bar a little way. // Screwing up the boxing engine for an inch or so turned out a short cylinder within the hub. The boring bar was then screwed back and the cutting radius of the tool reduced slightly for the next inch or so of forward movement. The seat for the tapered box was then produced [?] by a series of smaller & smaller cylindrical bores. // (6) Longitudinal grooves were cut for any splines on the boxes. // (7) If necessary the intervening shallow steps between succeeding cylinders were pared away at a low angle but in most cases I do not think this was necessary as these steps would be obliterated [?] by the pressure exerted by the boxing wedges when finally tightening and trueing the box for concentricity. In any case before this the spokes were driven and the wheel felloed & tyred. The immense radial pressure on the spokes did not have to be transmitted to the cast iron of the box so the inside ends of the spoke tongues were cut away slightly so as not to touch it after it hade been fitted.’

Crane Wharf [Reading]