A 'One of a Kind' Waterwheel

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GETTING THE RIGHT FRAME IN MIND

Since the normally shallow creek would get several feet deep during a flood, I was a good bit concerned about protecting my water pumper. Consequently, I decided to set the wheel up on a frame so it'd swing with the stronger currents . . . rather than trying to buck them.

To make the frame's pilings, I took two 4' lengths of 1-1/4" galvanized pipe, slash-cut one end of each, and then threaded the remaining ends. Next, after capping the threads, I drove one pointed stub down into the ground on the creekbank and the other into the streambed itself so that the pipes were in line with the weir channel and far enough apart to accommodate the wheel and the swinging carriage I had in mind.

That done, I removed the pipe caps and threaded a union to the end of each pile, then fastened a short nipple and a 90 ° elbow to the post on the bank. I had about 12 feet of 11/4" pipe available to use for the cross support, so I threaded one end of that section into the elbow and held the other end a-loft-temporarily-on a tall wooden "X" frame. After checking with a level to make sure that the cross-pipe was horizontal, I used a plumb bob to determine where to cut it so it'd line up with the vertical post in the creekbed. Once that was done, I threaded that end, installed another elbow, and joined the horizontal conduit to the bed mount with a pipe of appropriate length. (I also clamped a 1/4" steel cable to the corner of this framework and fastened its other end to an anchor driven into the bank upstream as extra insurance to prevent the force of the water from buckling the structure.)

My next task was to build the swinging carriage that would support the wheel and keep it in line. I started by welding the two 6' lengths of 118" X 2" X 2" angle iron that would hold the wheel perpendicularly to one side of a 5' piece of 1/8" X 1 " X 2" channel iron so they were centered, about 20 inches apart, and parallel to one another. Next, I cut a third section of angle iron to 40" in length, scrounged up a 518" X 19" piece of steel rod, and used both those chunks as braces between the channel and the angle iron.

Then-using the groove in the channel iron I hung the carriage from my 1-114" pipe framework and welded a couple of 1/2" X 1 " X 3" tabs to the channel opposite each 6' parallel arm so that I could run 318" X 3" bolts through the pieces to create a sort of hinge. (A U-bolt later fastened to the pipe at each end of the carriage hanger keeps the chassis from shifting sideways when the wheel's in operation.) And, to provide a place to mount my pump-one that would also swing with the carriage- I bolted a 1/4" X 8" X 8" plate to the angle iron arm nearest the garden.

WHEELING AND DEALING

The wheel was my next concern, and I tackled that problem by first enlarging its center hole to 1-3/8" in diameter . . . tapping the oiling orifice for 1/8" pipe and installing a grease fitting . . . and drilling-then threading a 1/2" setscrew hole in the center of the hub. A 1-3/8" X 30" cold-rolled shaft served as an axle, and I decided to make my own bearings out of white oak rather than to purchase conventional steel rollers . . . which might seize after repeated floodings. To do this, I bored a 1-7/ 16" hole through the cores of two 3" X 4" X 4" blocks, and then drilled 5/16" mounting

holes through the shoulders, centered and perpendicular to the large bores. After sawing both blocks in half-"splitting" the axle holes in two-I cut grease channels and a feed into each bearing. Next, I temporarily mounted the wheel and axle assembly, within the bearings, to the 6' angle iron
swing arms . . . taking into account the necessary clearance for the 12" paddles.

Since I knew I wanted the working ends of the paddles to measure 12" X 12", I extended their length to 2 feet to provide enough surface area for a sturdy mount. I used a piece of scrap 1/4" plywood to make my first 12" X 24" blade, which I trimmed to the shape shown in the photos and then slotted and drilled so it'd slip over the wheel rim and rest against a spoke.

Once I was satisfied that the shape and mounting arrangement would be satisfactory, I made up a sturdy sheet-aluminum template and used it to mark out my 16 paddles on two slabs of 1/2" X 4' X 8' marine

plywood. By nailing four cutout blanks together, and drilling and sawing holes and rim slots as a group, I found that I could place those openings quite accurately. And after all the blades were cut, I covered them with several coats of deck paint for extra protection against the water.

To fasten the paddles to the rim, I used a pair of 1/4" X 1-3/8" U-bolts at each spoke . . . and to strengthen the wood at the slotted part of the blades, I made up a total of 32 aluminum strips measuring 1/8" X 2" X 47/8" that I bolted over the slots in pairs with 3/16" X 1-1/4" brass machine screws. (The sections of plywood removed when the slots were cut were shortened, put back in, and used to center the aluminum bridges.)

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