Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Wheel Trellis, Part 1

 As much as I would love to claim credit for this fantastic design, the original idea started with a friend who is both a homebrewer (who needed a trellis on which to grow hops) and a cycling fiend.  My job is to actually fabricate it.
I've got stacks of wheels in my studio -- the current challenge is to figure out how to attach them to each other, allowing for more wheels to be added/removed easily and secure them to the outside of the house.  Many different clamp designs will work functionally, but are visually distracting from the circular theme.  Welding is an option, but doesn't allow as much flexibility in modifying the structure after it is installed (and different wheels are made from different metals which complicates things).  Currently I am working on a custom clamp design that is hidden within the rims and should be able to be installed with having to drill only a couple of holes.

In addition, there are brackets that will secure the entire structure to the side of the house -- each of which will have adjustments to position the individual wheels for optimal visual and structural integrity.

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