Wheatsheet 7 page 9

THE WILF MORTLY PARADOX.
In the February edition of The Wheatsheet, Phil Stevens published an article concerning the number of spokes in cart wheels and why it has been observed that 14 appears to be the most common arrangement. This, it seemed, had been causing some alarm in the scientific community as it did not fit their preconception of how circles are subdivided, that is by compasses or protractors. ie scientific instruments. As will be seen later in this article, spoked wheels were in existence many centuries before the advent of Euclidian geometry, around 300BC. I would like to extend this particular area of study to include wagons, carriages and other similar wheeled vehicles and carts.		An Amish pony and trap still in use today
Pakistani cart with wheels of 14 staggerred spokes	The origin of spoked wheels is very ancient. One of the earliest examples is represented in a painted clay model of 2000 BC. In Europe a well established tradition existed in the Iron Age, commencing approximately 3000 years ago. One of the important features of early wheels is the large number of spokes used. The Jejbjerg cult wagon dated around 100 BC. had 4 wheels each of 14 spokes and the construction was very similar to modern examples. The spoked wheel was a highly developed form and examples have been found in Europe, Egypt and throughout Asia as far as China, many 2 to 3 thousand years old. Development of the technology of the wheel, like much else was stimulated by military requirements. The lighter and stronger the construction the faster and more effective it would be in combat. The evidence for early spoked wheels comes largely from excavation of burial mounds where chariots and ceremonial vehicles were interred along with the tribal Chieftain.
Generally it was only the wealthy and the military that would possess this type of vehicle. The humble agricultural vehicle of whatever type would still be constructed with solid wooden wheels and this remained so until the Late Middle Ages. It is about this time that the development of the cart and wagon as we know it really began. In Britain, these became extremely sophisticated vehicles. The number of spokes in a given wheel, compatible with strength for purpose, is a product, among other factors, of the circumference of the Nave (Hub). The span of the felloes (Rim) between the spokes, the diameter of the wheel and a workable loading height.		Pakistani cart with wheels of 14 staggerred spokes

Whilst there would be much regional variation in wagon and cart design to suit the purpose, terrain etc., the basic notion holds true. Geraint Jenkins identifies some 28 regional variations among wagons alone. The normal workable height would be about 4ft. (1200 mm.). A cart wheel diameter and the rear wheel of a wagon would be approximately 5ft.-6ins. (1650 mm.). This being a compromise of such factors as the rolling capability of the wheel, the steering ability of the smaller front wheels, the loading height and the ground clearance in rutted roads and fields. Many vehicles of course had smaller wheel diameters. As the nave diameter was reduced with the introduction of iron axles, the ability to increase spoke numbers was also reduced. In some cases the spokes were alternately staggered which allowed for a higher number without weakening the nave. Before hooped tyres were used to provide a wearing surface to the wheel, short lengths of iron known as strakes were used, these were nailed across the joint where two felloes met. George Sturt mentions in his book that the felloes were longer for a straked wheel than for a hooped one and there were fewer of them, usually six, for a rear wagon wheel. As there would be two spokes to each felloe, 12 spokes would be the most common. When hoop-tyred wheels were introduced, usually 7 felloes were used with a consequent increase in spoke numbers to 14. So it seems likely that later wagons would most likely have 14 spokes whilst older ones seldom did. The wheelwright was a very skilled craftsman who was working in a tradition many hundreds of years old ,using tools and methods developed over time. He was completely familiar with the requirements of his region and would have constructed or repaired numerous wheels, largely to a local pattern. So it is not hard to see that men with such highly developed skills, who could make something as complicated as a wheel would have no difficulty dividing the circumference of the nave with his straddling dividers, initially done by trial and error, but largely by eye. © E.CAMELBRAND Editor’s Note: The photographs in the above articles and below are examples and are not directly referred to in the texts.
Observations and comments.
The study of The English Farm Wagon by J. Geraint Jenkins shows that of the 67 wagons surveyed, 33 had a wheels of 12 and 10 spokes, 19 had wheels of 14 and 12 spokes and 15 had wheels of 12 and 12 spokes. (The first number is the rear wheel.) So of the 268 wheels involved 164 had 12 spokes (61.2%), 38 had 14, (14.2%) and 66 had 10 spokes (24.6%). One must not forget that for every 14 spoked wagon wheel there is usually a 12 spoked one.		Trap with wheels of 16 spokes
My own observations of this matter tends to suggest a dominance of wheels with 14 spokes. The following details research to date. Het Loo, Holland. Museum of Carriages and other vehicles of The Dutch Royal Family. Many types mostly 14-12. Museum of East Anglian Country Life, Stowmarket. A good collection of wagons, carts and other vehicles. Observations at The Low House, Laxfield, Suffolk. Local tourist carriage trade and personal vehicles. Many different types, larger ones 14-12, some 12-10 and smaller vehicles with 16-16. Certain Bar in Amsterdam. Proprietors family involved with the stage coach business in Africa. Salisbury to Bulawayo stage, old family photograph. 14-12. Observations of Western Films. Stage coaches seem to be mainly 14-12 with of course the unique property of revolving in the reverse direction to any other type. Recent research in New England. No vehicles seen, but a number of wheels observed all with 16 spokes. Indian Sub -Continent, Pakistan, ,mainly Lahore. Most commercial and personal vehicles of ordinary people are horse or bullock drawn wagons or carts. The influence of British design is obvious. Mostly 14 and 14-12. Baltic States, Lithuania. Only wagons seen of a primitive kind, 14-14 and 12-12. Ho Ho Chinese restaurant, Woodford. Two photographs of Chinese vehicles. Wagon of 14-12, and a kind of gigantic two wheeled 14 spoked barrow for transporting a dignitary. The Amish People of America. Do not use motor vehicles, all transport by horse drawn wagons and carriages. Seems to be 16-16 although the wheels are of different sizes. Australia. Photograph of a Cobb and Co. Ballarat to Geelong Stage Coach. Unusual 16-12. Walnut Tree Public House, broads Green. Photograph of a Milk Float dated before and after the Second World War owned by Percy Harvey, Landlord. 16 spokes. Bibliography. George Sturt. The Wheelwrights Shop. Cambridge University Press. J. Geraint Jenkins. The English Farm Wagon. David and Charles, Newton Abbot. © E.CAMELBRAND
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