What kind of wood for a water wheel, Cedar? It has to be non toxic, as I'll
have fish in the water.

Also the pictures I've seen, seem to have the sides built of 4 larger
pieces, ie. plywood. I can't see plywood holding up for long, even if it's
marine plywood.

Bill Stock wrote:
What kind of wood for a water wheel, Cedar? It has to be non toxic, as I'll
have fish in the water.

Also the pictures I've seen, seem to have the sides built of 4 larger
pieces, ie. plywood. I can't see plywood holding up for long, even if it's
marine plywood.

It will last if you seal it completely in a marine-grade epoxy finish.

Woods that shoudldhold up well in water include white (NOT red)
oak, and hemlock.

--

FF

ho about redwood ?


wrote:
Bill Stock wrote:
What kind of wood for a water wheel, Cedar? It has to be non toxic, as I'll
have fish in the water.

Also the pictures I've seen, seem to have the sides built of 4 larger
pieces, ie. plywood. I can't see plywood holding up for long, even if it's
marine plywood.

It will last if you seal it completely in a marine-grade epoxy finish.

Woods that shoudldhold up well in water include white (NOT red)
oak, and hemlock.

--

FF

how about cypress?


wrote in message
oups.com...
ho about redwood ?


wrote:
Bill Stock wrote:
What kind of wood for a water wheel, Cedar? It has to be non toxic, as
I'll
have fish in the water.

Also the pictures I've seen, seem to have the sides built of 4 larger
pieces, ie. plywood. I can't see plywood holding up for long, even if
it's
marine plywood.

It will last if you seal it completely in a marine-grade epoxy finish.

Woods that shoudldhold up well in water include white (NOT red)
oak, and hemlock.

--

FF

Stands to reason. Oak was a favored wood for shipbuilding when they were
made entirely from wood.
wrote in message
oups.com...

Woods that shoudldhold up well in water include white (NOT red)
oak, and hemlock.

--

FF

Bill Stock wrote:

What kind of wood for a water wheel, Cedar? It has to be non toxic, as
I'll
have fish in the water.

My first choice would be cypress using bronze hardware and resorcinol
adhesive.

Lew

Sun, Sep 10, 2006, 11:15am (Bill*Stock) doth query:
What kind of wood for a water wheel, Cedar? It has to be non toxic, as
I'll have fish in the water.
Also the pictures I've seen, seem to have the sides built of 4 larger
pieces, ie. plywood. I can't see plywood holding up for long, even if
it's marine plywood.

If it's gonna be constantly wet pine'll work.

Plywood? If I was gonna make a wheel to do actual work I might
well use plywood, but if it was just for purty, no. Hmm, probably
wouldn't make one for purty even, if I was gonna make any "yard art" I'd
rather make pukey yard ducks.

Actually, if I was gonna make a wheel for real work it'd probably
have a steel frame, possibly with bolt-on wooden paddles - depending on
what it would be used for.



JOAT
I am not paranoid. I do not "think" people are after me. I "know" damn
well they're after me.

"J T" wrote in message
...
Sun, Sep 10, 2006, 11:15am (Bill Stock) doth query:
What kind of wood for a water wheel, Cedar? It has to be non toxic, as
I'll have fish in the water.
Also the pictures I've seen, seem to have the sides built of 4 larger
pieces, ie. plywood. I can't see plywood holding up for long, even if
it's marine plywood.

If it's gonna be constantly wet pine'll work.

Plywood? If I was gonna make a wheel to do actual work I might
well use plywood, but if it was just for purty, no. Hmm, probably
wouldn't make one for purty even, if I was gonna make any "yard art" I'd
rather make pukey yard ducks.

Actually, if I was gonna make a wheel for real work it'd probably
have a steel frame, possibly with bolt-on wooden paddles - depending on
what it would be used for.

Yeah, I'm afraid it's meant to be purty (3'). The one paid plan I've seen
floating around is actually octagonal not round. I was actually considering
this design, since it would be simpler to cut and build. But after seeing a
picture, it's kinda butt ugly. The round wheels with lots of paddles look
much better. YMMV.

I built mine out of my old redwood fence. I used the pieces the the
bugs didn't eat. No plans, either. Just picked a size and made it!!

http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond118.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond119.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond120.jpg

Mo http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond6.htm

Bill Stock wrote:

What kind of wood for a water wheel, Cedar? It has to be non toxic, as I'll
have fish in the water.

Also the pictures I've seen, seem to have the sides built of 4 larger
pieces, ie. plywood. I can't see plywood holding up for long, even if it's
marine plywood.

"Mark and Kim Smith" wrote in message
...
I built mine out of my old redwood fence. I used the pieces the the bugs
didn't eat. No plans, either. Just picked a size and made it!!
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond118.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond119.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond120.jpg

Mo http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond6.htm

Very nice, your spoke/hub design looks a lot like the plans I just bought.
What are the angles on the joints for the rim boards, 135°? What did you use
for bearings? Does the weight present a problem, since you don't have an
outside post? I don't plan an outside post either, but my wheel will be
considerably smaller.

My 'pump house' will be smaller than yours, just big enough to hold a couple
of barrels for the filter. My space is somewhat limited. Does the full flow
of the filter go over the wheel or is some it directed around the wheel? I
plan on about 2000 gph of flow, which will be too much for a small wheel. So
I will need to divert some of it back into the pond.

"Mark and Kim Smith" wrote in message
...
I built mine out of my old redwood fence. I used the pieces the the bugs
didn't eat. No plans, either. Just picked a size and made it!!
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond118.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond119.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond120.jpg

Mo http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond6.htm

I've said it before but it bears repeating - That's real nice!
How do you handle mosquitoes?

Dave

"Bill Stock" wrote in message
...
What kind of wood for a water wheel, Cedar? It has to be non toxic, as
I'll have fish in the water.

Also the pictures I've seen, seem to have the sides built of 4 larger
pieces, ie. plywood. I can't see plywood holding up for long, even if it's
marine plywood.


Cypress or Redwood would be my choice.

Dave

Bill Stock wrote:

"Mark and Kim Smith" wrote in message
...


I built mine out of my old redwood fence. I used the pieces the the bugs
didn't eat. No plans, either. Just picked a size and made it!!
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond118.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond119.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond120.jpg

Mo http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond6.htm



Very nice, your spoke/hub design looks a lot like the plans I just bought.
What are the angles on the joints for the rim boards, 135°? What did you use
for bearings? Does the weight present a problem, since you don't have an
outside post? I don't plan an outside post either, but my wheel will be
considerably smaller.

My 'pump house' will be smaller than yours, just big enough to hold a couple
of barrels for the filter. My space is somewhat limited. Does the full flow
of the filter go over the wheel or is some it directed around the wheel? I
plan on about 2000 gph of flow, which will be too much for a small wheel. So
I will need to divert some of it back into the pond.





I don't remember the angles. I calculated them some time ago and the
papers are buried somewhere in my archives.

I did biscuit and glue them. They are also held together by the screws
on each spoke. Hmmm, 8 joints into 360 = 45 degrees. That sound about
right?? I biscuited and glued two pieces for each section, attached
each section to another with biscuits and glue, attached the spokes
temporarily, marked center then made a jig to cut the outer diameter
with my bandsaw. Marked the orientation of the spokes, removed them,
measured the height I wanted the side wall to be, then used a jigsaw to
cut the inside diameter. Reattached the spokes. Installed the paddles
with screws. Installed the bucket bottoms with screws. Since there
were so many slats for the bucket bottoms, I don't think I calculated
the angle. I took a couple of samples and fudged the angle on my table
saw. Just got 'em close enough. Figured the water would make them
swell and it didn't hurt to have a little water dripping through.
Turned out I was right.

For bearings, I got some pillow block bearings from McMaster. I used a
1 1/4" steel rod for the shaft. It is about 7' long. It's weight is a
bit of a counter balance for the wheel. The wheel is about 12" wide, so
the first bearing is about 18" from the outside of the wheel. The other
bearing is about 6' from the outside of the wheel. The wheel is held to
the shaft with some 1 1/4" I.D. collars that I also got from McMaster.
Weight is not an issue.

Looks can be deceiving!! The wheel house is only 6' tall. It's foot
print is 6' x 6'. The footings are 6' by 4' and some change. The wheel
itself is only 4' tall. The house is just big enough to fit two barrel
filters, some valving and some lighting timers.

My 2000 gph pump actually deposits the water, through the filters, into
the sluice. It runs 24/7. When I need to top off the pond, I turn on
a remote valve which runs water over the wheel. I'm sure, if you want
to, you could valve a portion of your water over your wheel. The only
way I could have done that was pre-filter, off of the pressure side. I
didn't want to do that. Only a very small trickle is needed to get the
water wheel effect going. My pond page 5 shows a lot of this
construction. In fact, if you look in this pic:
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond102.jpg You can see where the 2" outputs
from the filter pour into the sluice. Way before the wheel was built.

Teamcasa wrote:

"Mark and Kim Smith" wrote in message
...


I built mine out of my old redwood fence. I used the pieces the the bugs
didn't eat. No plans, either. Just picked a size and made it!!
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond118.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond119.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond120.jpg

Mo http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond6.htm



I've said it before but it bears repeating - That's real nice!



Thanks!!

How do you handle mosquitoes?



Mosquito fish. If I notice too much larvae in the filters, I'll put a
dunk or two in 'cause there are no fish there. But that is rare as the
fish eat 'em all!!

Dave

Bill Stock wrote:

What kind of wood for a water wheel,

Pretty much anything, so long as it's a _working_ wheel. It's the
non-moving decorators that have the problems.

Wet wood lasts well and doesn't rot. It's _damp_ wood that has the
problems. If you wet the timber and keep it wet (i.e. submerged or
rotating continuously), then it'll last (for most timbers, most
conditions). You can also use timbers (such as elm) that are normally a
problem for beetle attack.

Personally I'd use white oak, because it's local and traditional. Your
local heavyweight softwoods might survive equally well. Look at what
the local fashion was, about 100 years ago.

"Mark and Kim Smith" wrote in message
...
I don't remember the angles. I calculated them some time ago and the
papers are buried somewhere in my archives.

180 - 360/N I think. The problem I see is picking wood wide enough cover the
wood around the rim, but not so wide as to waste a lot.

I did biscuit and glue them. They are also held together by the screws on
each spoke. Hmmm, 8 joints into 360 = 45 degrees. That sound about
right?? I biscuited and glued two pieces for each section, attached each
section to another with biscuits and glue, attached the spokes
temporarily, marked center then made a jig to cut the outer diameter with
my bandsaw. Marked the orientation of the spokes, removed them, measured
the height I wanted the side wall to be, then used a jigsaw to cut the
inside diameter. Reattached the spokes. Installed the paddles with
screws. Installed the bucket bottoms with screws. Since there were so
many slats for the bucket bottoms, I don't think I calculated the angle.
I took a couple of samples and fudged the angle on my table saw. Just got
'em close enough. Figured the water would make them swell and it didn't
hurt to have a little water dripping through. Turned out I was right.

The one place I saw that makes them just bolts the 8 rim pieces to the
spokes, but it's a little hard to tell. The plans I have don't call for
angling the slats at all, just bevelling the buckets.


For bearings, I got some pillow block bearings from McMaster. I used a 1
1/4" steel rod for the shaft. It is about 7' long. It's weight is a bit
of a counter balance for the wheel. The wheel is about 12" wide, so the
first bearing is about 18" from the outside of the wheel. The other
bearing is about 6' from the outside of the wheel. The wheel is held to
the shaft with some 1 1/4" I.D. collars that I also got from McMaster.
Weight is not an issue.

Thanks, this really helps. Although my wheel house will only be a little
over 2' wide, so I'll have to weigh it down accordingly.

Looks can be deceiving!! The wheel house is only 6' tall. It's foot
print is 6' x 6'. The footings are 6' by 4' and some change. The wheel
itself is only 4' tall. The house is just big enough to fit two barrel
filters, some valving and some lighting timers.

My 2000 gph pump actually deposits the water, through the filters, into
the sluice. It runs 24/7. When I need to top off the pond, I turn on a
remote valve which runs water over the wheel. I'm sure, if you want to,
you could valve a portion of your water over your wheel. The only way I
could have done that was pre-filter, off of the pressure side. I didn't
want to do that. Only a very small trickle is needed to get the water
wheel effect going. My pond page 5 shows a lot of this construction. In
fact, if you look in this pic: http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond102.jpg You
can see where the 2" outputs from the filter pour into the sluice. Way
before the wheel was built.

I see you're running your filters in parallel? What sort of filter media are
you using? My pond 'upgrade' is happening til the spring (we've already had
frost here), so I'm just planning the filter and getting ready to build the
wheel over the winter.

Bill Stock wrote:

snip

180 - 360/N I think. The problem I see is picking wood wide enough cover the
wood around the rim, but not so wide as to waste a lot.



Yeah, I edge joined two dog eared 1" x 6" x 6' old fence pieces, then
cut what I needed. I wasn't worried about waste as I had plenty of old
redwood. What wasn't used was tossed.



snip

Thanks, this really helps. Although my wheel house will only be a little
over 2' wide, so I'll have to weigh it down accordingly.



I don't think you'll have to worry about weight much with a 2' wheel.



snip



I see you're running your filters in parallel? What sort of filter media are
you using? My pond 'upgrade' is happening til the spring (we've already had
frost here), so I'm just planning the filter and getting ready to build the
wheel over the winter.



Just some bio-balls.

There is a "clarifier" before the pump at the other end of the pond. It
collects most of the heavy stuff. I use a course filter there. The
clarifier skims off the top and draws off the bottom drain keeping the
water moving and rich with oxygen.

The water stays really clear, the plants grow like crazy and so do the
Goldfish!!

Mark and Kim Smith wrote:
I built mine out of my old redwood fence. I used the pieces the the
bugs didn't eat. No plans, either. Just picked a size and made it!!

http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond118.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond119.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond120.jpg



Do NOT! I repeat, Do NOT let my wife see that. That rocks!
That must have been alot of work based upon the small pond we built
this summer.
You did a great job. Thanks for sharing.
Matt

wrote:

Mark and Kim Smith wrote:


I built mine out of my old redwood fence. I used the pieces the the
bugs didn't eat. No plans, either. Just picked a size and made it!!

http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond118.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond119.jpg
http://www.bunchobikes.com/pond120.jpg





Do NOT! I repeat, Do NOT let my wife see that. That rocks!
That must have been alot of work based upon the small pond we built
this summer.
You did a great job. Thanks for sharing.
Matt



Thanks!!

I have, what, 9-10 pages there of photos?? Took me a year from start
to finish to redo my whole backyard. Just me and my shovel, wheel
barrel, cement mixer and aching back. The kids helped by making mud pies!