On Jul 14, 12:08*pm, PCPaul wrote:
On Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:29:18 -0700, Robatoy wrote:
An old flywheel off a small block GM could work. A chisel and a firm
blow to the ring gear and it will come off (Safety goggles etc). I made
a set of free-weights for myself out of those.

I also think that bicycle wheels are a lot tougher than meets the eye. I
think the width at the hub might cause you grief. Also, a 12-inch wheel
isn't exactly designed to handle big weights...unless little 4 -year-old
Bubba weighs in at 150 pounds, which with today's diets could be a
design parameter.

That's true enough.. I know when my kids were small I could ride their
bike without the wheels folding up, and I'm around 200lbs. I think the
smaller wheels are actually tougher than the larger sizes.


Just came to me... one thing that makes a bicycle wheel tough, is the
fact that the shaft is supported on both sides. In a band-saw, the
shaft is held by one end only. That can be compensated by a bigger
diameter shaft, but in a bicycle wheel, the hub diameter is limited.

(One of my ex's cheesecakes would make a nice wheel... but then we're
back to a metal lathing again...)