real hands-on experience. In contrast to these individuals, Greg, who does have the knowledge and experience, believes you can have it both ways.
Greg points out it is important to understand both tradition and change. There are traditional ways of doing things, and they were done for a particular reason. But that doesn’t mean you should be held captive to the past, because, as he says, “while you can’t reinvent the wheel, you can make it better.” And by that Greg means new designs can improve upon the old way of doing things, as can the use of certain materials that prove to be stronger and more sustainable.
In other words, Greg recognizes that time – like wheels – moves things forward. He points out it used to be the practice that wheelwrights would cut down trees to be made into wheels by future generations as drying and curing the wood would take time. Today however, materials such as oak, ash, elm, or mahogany are readily available. Again, for those who would wish to argue for past practice, he is quick to note that with the onset of the industrial revolution in the 1800s, many companies purchased thousands upon thousands of spokes for wheels which were made not by hand but by machine.
Today, there are approximately 20 wheelwrights working across the United Kingdom.
Types of Work Done: Wheels and Vehicles
Mike Rowland & Son Master Wheelwrights and Coachbuilders works on both wheels and vehicles that make use of hand forged/handmade wheels, such as carriages, wagons, and trade vehicles.
Wheels
As was mentioned, Mike Rowland & Son Wheelwrights and Coachbuilders repair or make wheels for a variety of purposes. Generally, these are made to order or remade during a restoration process.
All wheels are hot bonded in the traditional manner. Bonding is the process of shrinking the iron tire on to a wooden wheel (see photo in slide show). The tire is measured and welded, allowing enough shrinkage to close any gaps and to bind the iron tightly to the wheel. Hot bonding is essential part of the wheel making process, whether a wheel is made for a carriage or cart.
There are several types of wheels made or restored by Mike Rowland and Sons: for example, there are military wheels, car wheels, and cadet run sets. However, Mike Rowland and Son Wheelwrights and Coachbuilders are known as a specialist military wheel manufacturer, having produced wheels ranging from cannon wheels to more modern artillery wheels. The company also produces wooden car wheels for vintage cars incorporating rubber tires, such as used in the 1900s (see slideshow).
And the company has, for the past 10 years, also been producing gun sets, which are made for school combined cadet forces to perform their own gun run. These are modeled after the famous Royal Navy runs. The gun itself is fabricated from steel tube to give a look and weight that is realistic. Not having a working breech, the gun sits on a solid timber trail and attaches to the limber box with a simple and solid hook system. The limber box is open and provides storage for the draw ropes, or can be used to add weight for older competitors. Wheels and all timber parts are oiled and stained, and metal parts can be colored to the user requirements. All parts are easily removeable, and ancillary parts are available in the event of a breakdown (see slideshow).
One of the more unusual requests made to the firm was to refurbish a German bomb, which hit the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, during World War II, but did not explode. The college put a plaque on the refurbished piece that said: “a present from Adolph Hitler.”
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