Chain steering wheels

benwah wrote:yummm bacon the most important food group

Well I've got the welder (Miller 140 auto-set) and I bought some chain today. I've already cut and welded it into a circle, just need a jig now. I want to weld the links as close to the inside/back as possible, so now I'm considering a piece of wood with a round circle drawn on it, with tons of 3" screws around in a circle to hold the chain. This will give me room to weld. Pictures coming....

Get some chain (1/4"), cut one link, fit it together, weld it, grind it and now I just have to figure out a round jig!

I don't know. The links I bought are zinc plated, does that matter? Would I have to remove that somehow first?

Given the cost, I might just paint it....but chromed would be very nice!

Tonight I made a jig, it was easier than I thought.

I made a makeshift compass and drew a couple of circles on some wood, and used that as a guide for my screws. I had to reposition the screws a few times until the chain was tight. It's about 99% round, good enough for me! I guess this will be the bottom where I will weld it, once done I'll flip it over to attach to the donor steering wheel (minus the rim)

Your jig/template looks good,enbro.Was wondering about how the spoke and center piece were gonna tie in.
I hope you don't hang a ring on those links after a sharp turn.Man that'd hurt!

The jig needs a bit of fine tuning, but I think I'm barking up the right tree here.

I just plan to cut the rim off my donor wheel (shown above on the wood with the chain around it) and cut the plastic off the two spokes, then weld the metal bars to the chain...something like that.

I'm really just flying by the seat of my pants here, never done anything like this! I just know I want a big 17" chain wheel!

With roughly 92 welds on the outside alone,your gonna be busy for a lil while.lol Never the less,it's gonna be probably a one of a kind,but waaay cool !

Thanks for the feedback! 92 welds?? I might just do one weld per link..not sure yet.

I've been looking at this chain on this wood all night...it's driving me nuts!

I'd really like to keep the links horizontal. In the photo above you'll notice they are tilted. I can't seem to find a way to keep them on exactly a horinzontal plane, but tilted they sit flush against the wood. I might just have to leave them tilted as this is the best way to ensure they all stay in position.

For strength I found I Needed the full 4 welds per pair of links. It took me only about half an hour, or less to weld every link. The jig worked beautifully, no fear of fire...(except for a rag I caught on fire that was under my bench). But haste makes waste...I'm not happy.

I'm not happy with my welds (I'm just an amateur here!) or their placement, so I'm going to buy new chain and start over. At least I have the jig all ready to go! Pics later...

I found better chain at a different store anyway, so I'm glad I'm redoing it!

I think it looks pretty good ,,welding chain together of any size or kind isnt easy.

I like it though.But sometimes we can be our own worst critics.Your work looks good from here,enbro.

what about cutting three circles of plywood, the third about an inch smaller, and screwing them together. this way will give you a groove to keep the links straight, and you can make any size wheel you want. when all welded, take the screws out and the pattern is ready for your next wheel welding adventure. dumb thought from and old mechanic.................

Ya, thanks guys! I'm trying hard. I thought about making a groove to hold the links horizontally, but to be honest having them held on a slight angle is excellent. The wheel has a great smooth feel to it. My welds are okay, but I did them in haste and I think I can do better, and weld the link in a slightly less visible location. I'm really getting excited about this, it's actually gonna work!

Hickory Smoked Bacon........

Thats a really cool project enbro, I think your first one looks really nice, but like everything the second one you do always comes out better. I think the links at an angle look really cool too. How are you going to attach it to the rest of the wheel? or are you going to keep going and fabricate the rest of the wheel?

I was planning to cut the rim off a donor wheel I have, but lately I've been thinking I might cut the spokes out too and just keep the hub. I could make spokes from chain or maybe some cool long bolts or something interesting and cool? any ideas for spokes?

Can do something like this with some bent rod...

Sasktrini, that would be totally cool! I'll think about that for sure!

Just off the top of my head, I thought a peace sign might be cool.

I had a 4 spoke years ago and only 11" across. It sure looked cool but was a real pain without PS!!

use connecting rods. might be the highest weight steering wheel on record but it would be different. besides they are about 6" long and when all done will make a wheel about the same size as original..

I like the Peace symbol!

You can make anything you want in sheet metal... especially if you get it cut at a place with a computerized plasma cutter...