AWGB Woodturning Forum
General Category => Gallery => Topic started by: Percy on June 27, 2019, 09:13:26 PM
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I was recently asked to help organise a soap box race for the local village carnival, so I thought I'd better make a cart for the kids to race in (but also just big enough that I could have a go too). Being a turner, it seemed like a good idea to incorporate some of my craft into the cart, and in the end it turned out to be invaluable. The cart won the children's race (piloted by my 8 year old son), but didn't do quite so well with dad on board.... It all worked perfectly though - even the wooden cones I had to turn to keep the wheel bearings in! Here's some photos just for a bit of fun, and maybe a change from the usual...
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Love it LOL. Next step https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwbD4fteu9s
Pete
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Looks wheely good :)
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13, lucky for some!
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Brilliant, and as you say, something different for us to see.
Les
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I've seen the hard journey these races put the cart through I would have laminated the steering wheel as a good jolt on landing with the weight of the driver could easily snap it on the grain.
Cheers Martin.
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Just goes to show one of the many things that can be made using turning
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Do you live in Barrow, I have friends up there and they've posted photos of a Soap Box cart race as well.
And it's good to see practical turning in action. Yes we do a lot of wonderful pieces but once upon-a-time our hobby was a trade with a turner in every village and town.
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No - I'm slap bang in the middle of the Peak district. Must be soap box racing season!
In answer to other points, the idea of laminating the timber for the steering wheel is a very good one, and one I will use for next years machine. As it happens we have now crash tested the current steering wheel without any issues. After the event was finished, a Canadian friend of mine 'had a go' in the cart and raced one of the other competitors machines (as the road was still closed, and it seemed a waste of an empty track to leave prematurely)..... The ensuing crash (at a shade over 40mph) broke the steel framed machine of the challenger, whilst my wooden affair was almost unscathed - only a slightly bent axle, and that part was one of the few steel bits! Luckily nobody was hurt, and we all lived to tell the tale in the pub afterwards. Just goes to show that' one last go' is never a good idea!
The skills we have from turning can be used for so many jobs other than the more common place items we tend to make. It is very satisfying to make even small components and be able to use appropriate timber for the job. Even random bits such as packing washers were turned rather than bought, and it all worked perfectly.
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Lovely story :)
Well done !