MTFCA Forum

I am on track to put new spokes in my Kelsey wheels. The holes in my rims are 0.5. Snyder’s list the diameter of the new spoke ends as 0.55. Measuring a sample shows they vary a bit between 0.53 and 0.55 (ish). They have a little chamfer on the tips and the punching of the holes in the rims gives them a slightly funnel shape. I know that you want a good press fit when installing the spokes. But is 0.55 into a 0.5 hole too tight?

I read one post where a guy was crushing the ends of spokes and had to make them smaller. Not sure how common this is. I have a lathe and could build jigging to hold the spokes and turn them to a uniform size if needed. Just don’t want to do it if I don’t have to.

If the spoke end dowels were exactly 0.5” dia., it would not be tight enough. The extra 0.05” allows for the necessary tightness needed for secure spokes. The Regan press will have little trouble seating the dowels in the holes. 3/100 to 5/100” is a very small consideration…in my opinion. Jim Patrick

They will be fine. If you choose to put a finish on the spokes before pressing the wheel, avoid putting the finish on the spoke tenons or faces where the spokes butt together.

Why risk your life for a so so respoke job? Send your wheels to a competent wheelwright!

Thanks for the feedback

As for sending them out to be done. I live in Alaska, I like to do my own work, and this is not rocket science. If I was outside (Alaskan for not in Alaska) and close to someone who did wheels professionally, I might have had them done for me. But that’s not the case.

There is no reason to believe that a respoke job done with commercial spokes will come out anything but just fine if some form of press is used (and the Regan press is perfectly suited for the job). For folks who cannot competently screw a nut down on threaded rod, perhaps it is a risk, but you'd have to almost try to do a bad job on a demountable wheel to actually succeed at that. Clinchers are a different situation, but I am not aware of anyone marketing new spokes for wood felloe'd wheels to even give someone a chance to fail.

Morgan, you'll do just fine. Just don't apply a paint finish to the spokes (where they mate together) before pressing as the extra paint will actually make things very difficult for you. Finally, you'll find the tenon(s) to be slightly oversize to the holes in the felloe and that is correct, so don't alter them.

Have a look here at how the press is configured, and some of the alignment tooling which can help: http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/257047/302832.html

and plans to build it: viewtopic.php?t=16225

Have your new wood parts as dry as possible when you assemble them. Have metal parts at a comfortable room temperature.

Thanks guys, I have a Regan press that I built to the plan. The accessories look good and helpful. I got my blaster up and running today so I am doing the hubs in preparation for paint. It was a balmy 3 degrees today so everything is pretty dry.

I'd assemble the wheels with no paint other than primer. Paint will add to problems pressing things together, and will act as a lubricant when in place. Do the finishing paintwork after assembly.

Allan from down under.

I have assembled wheels with the spokes painted. I did avoid painting where the spokes fit together. There was some very minor overspray and it was not a problem. I do like to rub a candle on those flat places to help them slide into place.

I also painted the metal parts before assembly.