 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wheels for early carts and carriages came in all sizes. Some were huge! Remember, when looking at the picture below, that the cart just above the height of the axle, not the top of the wheel.
At first, wheels were built with wooden rims and spokes. They worked well, but if they were used on rough surfaces, the wood would very quickly wear out. People soon learned that their wheels would last a lot longer if they had metal bands around the outside of the wooden rim. This stopped the wheel from wearing out so fast, but it certainly didn't give you a soft easy ride!
There are still a few people around who make and mend wheels like this. They do this by heating up the metal bands over a fire, and getting the metal hot enough to stretch.
Then they quickly put the bands around the rim of the wheel, and pour cold water on. The cold water makes the metal shrink again, very quickly, and this makes the metal rim fit tightly over the wood.