Hey. I'm not much of a wood butcher, but I made a jeopardy wheel, complete with a clacker (tongue depressor)

The wheel is plywood, with a hardwood "bearing" glued to the backside (3"x3"x1/2" hardwood with hole in center) It's less then 1/8" off during it's spin, so I think I did damn good

The "axle" on which the "wheel" spins is foam paintbrush handle that's been sanded at a slight taper, and has a fender washer screwed to it (preventing the wheel from slipping up the axle, or off the axle)

The problem I have is that it spins well for a few spins, then rotates less revolutions before stopping. It never binds up completely, but it does get slightly harder to spin.

I used some bee's wax smeared on the "axle" and the inside of the "bearing" I also have access to silicone spray, and teflon spray... I could also use a rats tail file to put small groves in the axle or bearing to hold the lubricant...

Which would be the best lubricant, and, should I bother with the file?

Thanks everyone
~Nate

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95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)

I would use candle wax.

Better still though, two pieces of metal tubing one that slips into the other.
Mount one in the wheel, one on the shaft.

An old junk bearing mounted in the wheel as another alternative.

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KLK, MCSE

1990 500SL

I was always taught to respect my elders.
I don't have to respect too many people anymore.

a tiny bit of Never Seize?

Natural bee's wax is a relatively soft wax you might try regular candle wax/ parrafin as it's harder. Plumbers candles which you can get at a True Value hardware store are the hardest wax I know of, they're parrafin with steric acid added to raise the melting point of the wax. I'd suspect the friction from turning is heating up the bee's wax melting it where it's then less than a perfect lubricant. Ultimately you'll probably need either a harder axle or bearing material. Plastic against steel/aluminum/brass is a pretty good combo or the traditional brass/bronze bearing on a steel axle.

Or scavange a ureathane roller blade wheel/s somewhere and use that roller bearing, you might be able to use drywall screws to attach the complete wheel to the backside or the frontside or better stiil both front and back sides of your project and then a bolt for the axle.

Another thought, if you go with just wood on wood.

Varnish the two surfaces, then use wax or even soap.
Wax prefered, I like the plumbers wax suggestion.

__________________
KLK, MCSE

1990 500SL

I was always taught to respect my elders.
I don't have to respect too many people anymore.

Olive oil is also quite a good lubricant

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Cant to candles, or anything from Ace Hardware. Living in tents, in Kuwait. Options are bees wax, silicone spray, or teflon spray, with or without groves in the surfaces...

Cant make a change in design so late in the game... Good thought though, I could have gotten a paint roller.

Tks for the help!

~Nate

__________________
95 Honda Shadow ACE 1100.
1999 Plymouth Neon Expresso. 2.4 swap, 10.5 to 1 comp, big cams. Autocross time attack vehicle!
2012 Escape, 'hunter" (5 sp 4cyl)

Oh! So in that case you best bet is to find some JarHeads! The USMC is by far the best at field expedient fabrication, over a hundred years of making due with all the crap the Army and Navy throws away breeds a culture of improvision!

On a serious note though thanks and keep safe, good luck!

Make a couple thrust washers out of a milk jug (polyethelene) or similar container (motor oil bottle, antifreeze jug)

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1998 C230 330,000 miles (currently dead of second failed EIS, yours will fail too, turning you into the dealer's personal human cash machine)
1988 F150 144,000 miles (leaks all the colors of the rainbow)
Previous stars: 1981 Brava 210,000 miles, 1978 128 150,000 miles, 1977 B200 Van 175,000 miles, 1972 Vega (great, if rusty, car), 1972 Celica, 1986.5 Supra

Petroleum jelly?

I use it on the exposed, fast-surface rusting spool bolts of the patio awning on the exterior of my motorcoach.

I like it with thinly sliced fresh garlic cloves, sauted with spaghetti - yummm.

Or, with vegetable oil and lemon juice drizzle over a plain lettuce / sliced celery salad - double yummm...

diesel exhaust soot?

you could always grind up the graphite in a pencil

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1981 300SD 512k OM603

graphite (ground up pencil would work well. Teflon spray would be good a well. Any fat/grease will help. there are many applications of wood bearings, normally its metal on wood, wood on wood is not as good. I wouldnt worry about grooves as the wood is porous and they may cause it to stop in the same spot all the time. How long does this need to spin for & how fast? You dont want to keep every one waiting too long for a result!!

Try & keep the sand out of it !!

Good luck !!

__________________
Grumpy Old Diesel Owners Club group

I no longer question authority, I annoy authority. More effect, less effort....

1967 230-6 auto parts car. rust bucket.
1980 300D now parts car 800k miles
1984 300D 500k miles
1987 250td 160k miles English import
2001 jeep turbo diesel 130k miles
1998 jeep tdi ~ followed me home. Needs a turbo.
1968 Ford F750 truck. 6-354 diesel conversion.
Other toys ~J.D.,Cat & GM ~ mainly earth moving

Bar soap is actaully really good for this kind of stuff. I knew an old carpenter who would us it for putting in quality hinges, where flat head brass screws are used. Or any screw that's long and will bind up: you just drag the screw across the soap so that a bit gets into the threads and the sucker will go in about twice as easy. If it works that good doing that, it could be good for what you have going on.

The taper might be a problem also. Violin pegs work on the principle of a taper binding in a similarly shaped hole.

So, what kind of jeopardy game you got going on the side?

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K