English Wheel

Do any of you guys have any experience with a Harbor Freight english wheel. I looked at one a fella in town has and it looks kind of light weight and a little less than pefection of assembly. Or if anyone knows of the real deal, a good OLD model possibly for sale, Please let me know. Thanks in advance for any info or leads.

If it's Harbor Freight wouldn't it be a Chinese Wheel? Anyway here is a picture of the one they offer. It's advertised for $349.00. I've never seen a English Wheel in operation. Perhaps thats a good thing. I don't have room for one in my shop but if I did buy one I'm sure it would be the one from Harbor Freight.

I have made one myself but all the wheels [except two] were bought from Harbor Freight for 80 bucks. I do remember looking at the one in the Harbor store and playing around thinking some part was loose and had to be welded. I think if you got the harbor Freight one you would have to be ready to modify and tweak it a bit. They take up alot of shop space too.This is not a thing you use everyday. Mine has a removable platform for a leather sand bag to strike stuff into. It also has a platform for the planishing hammer which I have not used yet. On the same platform for the hammer I have a Bead roller mounted right now . That comes in handy . I also catch my shoulder on it everytime I turn around from using my lathe .Its size is annoying. If you fab one you have to be sure the bottom Roller and the top large wheel are well aligned. I made that part adjustable by using rod couplings welded to the side steel and allen screws as set screws to align the inner sleeve. In other words push the moveable sleeve to align with the bottm pulley. You also need a piece of square thread to make your adjuster rod for tension on the lower wheel [to raise and lower changing pressure on the workpiece]. It does get the hammer marks out of the metal and can make a pleasing shape.You have to push the part throughg loosly and it should make a clunking type noise at first. You are working the dents out not stretching the metal by tight pinching which will leave roller marks. Eastwood has a benchtop wheel too.

The one I looked at was the first HF unit I had seen in person. It has never been used as the guy that bought it has never wheeled anything before and is somewhat intimidated (or that's my impression anyway). On the one he has, the straps that hold the upper wheel in alignment are welded on crooked when built, (not too hard to correct) but AS/IS, proper alignment with the anvil wheel would be impossible. The current non-sale price is $349. The one I was looking at the owner said he purchased it online for $250 + freight. I have been considering building my own with a deeper throat BUT... a quality set of wheels costs more the entire HF unit. Thanks for your input dr., If you have any pics of yours post them, Thanks all.

The one I looked at was the first HF unit I had seen in person. It has never been used as the guy that bought it has never wheeled anything before and is somewhat intimidated (or that's my impression anyway). On the one he has, the straps that hold the upper wheel in alignment are welded on crooked when built, (not too hard to correct) but AS/IS, proper alignment with the anvil wheel would be impossible. The current non-sale price is $349. The one I was looking at the owner said he purchased it online for $250 + freight. I have been considering building my own with a deeper throat BUT... a quality set of wheels costs more the entire HF unit. Thanks for your input dr., If you have any pics of yours post them, Thanks all.

The wheels I bought at Harbor Freight [catalog sale actually] are a set of six and ther are not bad for imported .The cost was 80 bucks but may have been on sale.It is basically a big frame and if you can scrounge up some steel it's all you need . Although I did get my top wheel from a dumpster .It was a pulley from a postal machine at a large sorting facility. If you price the stuff Made in USA from someone like Fournier.it does not seem like a cheap ,fun project.But they are high quality heat treated wheels. I will try to post some pics this weekend.