Help with wooden steering wheel covers.

[knight_toolworks]

Ok this company wants me to make wooden covers for the steering wheels they make. the steering wheels are flat bar stock. the covers are two 1/2 round pieces with a pocket in back to go over them. the back of the over ha finger grips in it. they are 1" diameter and even though they follow the curve of the wheel I hope I can do them in 2d too.
Ok some of the issues are they may want me to mill glue and cut the wood. but these are mostly one offs. there would be a stock of wood and when needed I would make one.
I am thinking 4 pieces of wood 1/2 lapped to make the blank. I can make a jig to align the wood and throw it in my vac bag.
but I am thinking since these are only a bit over 1/2" thick and 1" wide and 15" in diameter they are going to be fragile and unstable. the back with the finger grooves will be 1/4" thick or less at the bottom of the grooves. Plus they are milled both sides.
I am thinking I can't do them ahead of time and they should not sit around where they could blow part. I am also debating on if I should make them larger say 1.25" around.
we are working out the wood and size and practicality of it all.
I am also wondering if I should leave them in the block. and let them cut them free.

[Brady Watson]

Make ONE of them - and you'll have most of the answers you are looking for...including what the job will really cost & if it is worth doing.

-B

[michael_schwartz]

I would make the rebate wider and add a baltic birch spline around the radius.

You may also want to look into weather or not they are expecting you to share or assume liability resulting from any claims that may arise from this product. If that happens to be the case you should definitely run this by your insurance company. If not get it documented in writing.

[knight_toolworks]

Make ONE of them - and you'll have most of the answers you are looking for...including what the job will really cost & if it is worth doing.

-B

I had planned on that. I wanted to work out some of the idea's before I started. I don't have the bits to cu it so if I do it at all they will have to pay me.

[knight_toolworks]

I would make the rebate wider and add a baltic birch spline around the radius.

You may also want to look into weather or not they are expecting you to share or assume liability resulting from any claims that may arise from this product. If that happens to be the case you should definitely run this by your insurance company. If not get it documented in writing.

thats something to think about. though they will be installing it themselves. These are more for those old piped up cars not cars that drive at speed on the road.

[Brady Watson]

Many of the wood wheels out there don't wrap all the way around the outer diameter of the wheel. It's just 2pcs of wood sandwiching the metal wheel, with the outer edge showing the metal. They are usually riveted onto the metal center.

I'm thinking that wood dryness is going to play a big role in the final product.

-B

[bleeth]

Bought a new wheel for my truck last year. It's part leather and part wood. The wood completely surrounds the metal on these models which are made to resemble OEM upgrade wheels and built on original cores. Beautiful job-you can't see the join line. The largest wood section is across the upper 1/4 of the wheel and has the finger grips on the back that Steve spoke of. Frankly, at a few hundred a pop, they must have some very well laid out methods to put this out at that level of finish and wood species.

[knight_toolworks]

here are the parts. the back of the wheel has the pocket lip on the inside with slots for the wheel.
here is their pagehttp://www.con2r.com/customer-gallery/

http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s266/knighttoolworks/posting/frontwheelback.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s266/knighttoolworks/posting/frontofwheel.jpg
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s266/knighttoolworks/posting/backofwheel.jpg

[Brady Watson]

Dave,
Look very carefully...It may be cleverly disguised plastic. Even some of the wheels from the 60s are very well executed injection molded plastic...

-B

[knight_toolworks]

Wood movement is a big issue in this. When making planes I used to have test blocks of wood and I would have to compare new to old and they needed to be within less then 2% to keep the sides from putting away from the body.
so many things to think about on this one.

[bleeth]

Steve: Regarding Michaels comment; Regardless of what kind of vehicle they go on he is correct. You should actually have a notarized hold harmless from the wheel guys stating that you are not installing the wheel covers and are not responsible for any damage in any way resulting from this as well as asking them to have you named as additionally insured on their general liability policy. This means that if you are sued it is their insurer that has to defend. Commonly the sub-contractors policy does this for the contractor, but in this case they are installing your parts and if they come off the wheel at the wrong moment then a disaster could possibly occur. People who use products like this for restored cars are often wealthy hobbyists with damned good lawyers.
They will probably balk at having you named as additionally insured but if they don't wish to countersign with witnesses or a notary that you are not responsible from damage caused by installation of the parts then you would be the only parts manufacturer for an OEM assembler in the US not covered by this type of protection!
You know you can knock these out for these guys-just make sure your A-- is covered!