English Wheel Techniques

[@kevindouglas2060]

The artist who use an English wheel are truly amazing. I've never tried it but these videos make you feel like you could. Kinda like Bob Ross but with metal.

[@RonCovell]

If you THINK you can, you're halfway there!

[@pierdolio]

I was very impressed with how you demonstrated the change in dimension after wheeling.

[@RonCovell]

Yes, that is interesting to see, isn't it?

[@jbone1008]

I'm convinced that Ron Covell is the Bob Ross of the metal shaping world.

[@keithharmon2056]

okay, I just learned something new. I love the English wheel. Thanks, Ron.

[@RonCovell]

Keith, the English wheel is my favorite metalshaping tool. It's quiet, and extremely versatile!

[@henry2008kim]

I am very impressed at your professionalism especially at the scene when you showed those pizzamaking process yourself!

[@RonCovell]

+Sangyoon Kim Come by for lunch sometime!

[@BenDrinkin1]

@@RonCovell you’re awesome. I’m trying my wheel out for the first time today. Thanks for all the tips.!

[@devscally]

I work in metal fabrication and have done so for the past 9 years. Alot of the older guys Iv worked with were grumpy old farts who couldnt wait for clocking out time. They hated their jobs and it sometimes showed through in their work. But you seem to love your line of work and it DEFINATELY shows in your work pieces. Its nice to see someone who doesnt regret their career choices. Well done and I hope to be as talented as you some day.

[@RonCovell]

+Dev Scally Most of the people I know who do this work love it, and maybe some day you will be better than me!

[@f.d.windisch8303]

Cranky old farts; doing the same thing over and over again making HVAC ducts, mailboxes or medicine cabinets isn't like self expressive pursuits in metal shaping. I owe my whole working life to those kind of guys willing to mentor new guy.

[@rakitha623]

I watched your more videos. it is very valuable and I want to thank you, Mr. Ron Covell, l following your videos and learned more thins. Thank you very much

[@RonCovell]

I'm very glad you have enjoyed my videos. There will be more to come!

[@rodrigoruffa7460]

Ron, hire me as apprentice. If I'm not good enough, I can still cook an awesome pizza!

[@RonCovell]

Thanks for the nice offer! I don't do work for customers any more, so I'm not looking for apprentices, but I do enjoy good pizza!

[@connorking7785]

old school. Takes me back to watching hod rod shows and top gear in the late 2009s.

[@RonCovell]

Glad you liked it!

[@KombiGarage]

Hi Ron, what an inspiration and wealth of knowledge and skills. I've purchased a number of your videos and applying them to my Kombi restoration at Garage Kombi. Thank you and keep your videos coming.

[@RonCovell]

Kombi Garage - I'm very glad you enjoy my KZbin videos, and DVDs! I will definitely keep them coming.

[@MrBasildondave]

that is brilliant. I love Ron's vids

[@RonCovell]

Thanks so much!

[@66designs37]

Tip of the hat to you as well Chef! Your work is Bellissima!!! Your passion for metal shaping really shows! I can tell you don't do it just because you kneed the dough, thanks Ron 👏😉👨‍🍳🍕

[@RonCovell]

Hey, you're quite the punster!

[@66designs37]

Lol, you brought that one out brother. I love the creative illustration. Hope you have a blessed day!

[@johnaguillard1]

learned something new, thank You Ron !!

[@RonCovell]

This short video just touches on a few of the things the English wheel can do!

[@scottcates]

Fascinating. Thank you.

[@RonCovell]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@latenitefab]

Cool idea! I'll be doing this technique for sure!

[@RonCovell]

Great - I wish you the best of luck.

[@Александр-б2ш8б]

Благодарю за вашу работу и то, что делитесь знаниями! По вашим видео, я учусь работать с металлом.

[@RonCovell]

Это замечательные новости!

[@SavetheRepublic]

Ron you're a legend! I've learned so much from watching your videos and reading your books. Thank you for sharing!

[@RonCovell]

Billy, I'm so glad you enjoyed them - more to come!

[@GRTechOfficial]

Your explanation mathod is the best infinity likes for you

[@RonCovell]

Thank you - that's a high compliment!

[@garygerard4290]

wow, o no, now I need an English wheel

[@RonCovell]

They sure"open a lot of doors" for people!

[@davenevarez4738]

Awesome work!

[@RonCovell]

Dave - Thanks so much!

[@MotorCycleTheray]

I had my first try about 2 hours ago, interesting, was trying to recall all the info I've seen from you. I got a piece of Aluminium to bend, then I turned it over and rolled it back in the other direction. There definitely is an art to it, the kids had a try as well, great to think forward and imagine a year from now and then 5 years from now what I could be making. I also got a Planishing Hammer, but yet to try that one

[@RonCovell]

Fantastic! You're 'on the road' to proficiency.

[@MotorCycleTheray]

Absolutely, thanks. It's a shame so much manufacturing is leaving our western nations, but today I thought.. maybe this presents opportunity, who knows, we can only hope

[@RonCovell]

Because I teach classes in metalworking, I get to meet hundreds of people each year who are determined to develop their skills in working with metal. The recent TV coverage has helped, too. I think we are headed toward a 'golden age' of renewed interest in metalworking in the USA!

[@MotorCycleTheray]

I thought I was only thinking that because I'm getting into it, usually opens my eyes to things like everybody else. Like buying a car, you start noticing them on the road everywhere, so your words are encouraging

[@edwilliams5166]

MotorcycleTherapy

[@TheFred1952]

i liked the embossing trick that was cool

[@RonCovell]

+Fred Sitzenstock Yes, it works great!

[@hernanmunos1995]

Saludos, leyendo lo que dijo capté la información, pero con su pronunciación; aprehenderé el Ingles al cien. Gracias maestro.

[@RonCovell]

Estoy muy contenta de que te haya gustado el video!

[@johnaguillard1]

the embossing method is fantastic

[@RonCovell]

I'm glad you liked that one!

[@kylerjanovec1761]

wow I admire your work I would love to see some heel and Dooley tricks

[@RonCovell]

Kyler, you can see some good hammer and dolly technique here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnW5nKSod5KDoJo

[@philiphill17]

wow, you are a true craftsman, and part of a dying breed, i have been a sheet metal worker for over 40 yrs, guess im never too old to learn, thank you for sharing your skills, i have 1 question,. why do you use axy acet for welding the tanks, and not tig, genuine question, as i know you have the skill and the equipment ?. stay safe, phil

[@RonCovell]

I actually prefer TIG welding. I showed gas welding in this video just to show another approach that could be more affordable for some people.

[@korekapik]

great lessons sir. Warm regarm from Indonesian👍

[@RonCovell]

Thanks and welcome!

[@ПоследнийИван]

Good work!

[@RonCovell]

Thanks so much!

[@javiercenturion7077]

Desde argentina lo felisito muy bien esplicado hermoso trabajo

[@RonCovell]

¡Muchas gracias!

[@phlipss4177]

merci beaucoup ...thanks a lot

[@RonCovell]

Glad you liked it! I plan to upload more videos soon.

[@koreywilliams4570]

I wanna get one to try and make a gas tank for a custom mini chopper

[@RonCovell]

That sounds like a cool project!

[@dannywilsher4165]

Awesome!!!

[@RonCovell]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@ronliebermann]

The English wheel is great because of its versatility. A lot of body panels can be reproduced, but only if you have a talented employee. That skill takes years to learn. Would it be possible to make a CNC English wheel? The machine would only be semi-automated. A man would hold the sheet metal while the motorized wheel and hydraulic pistons operate. The operator would grip the edges as the machine worked, and participate in the process.

[@RonCovell]

I believe it would be possible to make a CNC English wheel. Here is a link to a video that shows a boat hull being shaped with a powered English wheel. This one is not CNC operated, but that would be the next step: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXzcnomwmq96m7M

[@eddyelliott]

nice info thanks

[@RonCovell]

Edward Elliott - I'm so glad you liked it!

[@RobinRK1962]

I’m so glad you make learning enjoyable... a mark of a good teacher. Well done. Can embossing be used as a form of panel stiffening?

[@RonCovell]

I'm very glad you liked it! Yes, you can reinforce panels to some degree by embossing, but beading is a more commonly used technique. I have a KZbin video on Beading Machines, too.

[@osvaldograttarola1863]

Bravo

[@RonCovell]

Glad you liked it!

[@Horaczkocom]

You are artist .

[@RonCovell]

+Miroslaw Horaczko Thanks!

[@erniegarza9330]

Wow I did know u do this wow amazing

[@RonCovell]

Glad you liked it!

[@theotherebikeguy1473]

Funny analogy.

[@izzatramli8110]

I have a question. Does english wheel,planishing hammer and power hammer has a same function in metal shaping process? Or there is a difference between these 3?

[@RonCovell]

+Izzat Ramli Good question! A power hammer with the right dies can shape metal by stretching or shrinking, and it can smooth lumpy metal. An English wheel can shape metal by stretching, and it can smooth lumpy metal. It can work on panels of all sizes. A planishing hammer can shape metal by stretching, and it can smooth lumpy metal. It is best used on small to medium-sized pieces, and it is ideal for flattening welds, or working in tight, restricted areas.

[@ryanmichalski7420]

Hey Ron, what would be the max size sheet of metal you would recommend someone works with on a English Wheel

[@RonCovell]

Hard question to answer, but I find anything over 3' square pretty hard to handle without a second person on the back side. With two people, you can work a sheet of pretty much any size that the machine will allow.

[@jrmhrpr]

I am building 21" diameter, 5" deep bowls out of 18 gauge steel. I am using pneumatic sand rammers to sink the steel into the bowl shape. Smoothing is a pain in the butt. Would you recommend the planishing hammer, or the english wheel for that task?

[@RonCovell]

Either tool would work. A heavy-duty planishing hammer might be more efficient on taking big lumps out on 18-gauge steel. There are some light-duty English wheels on the market that don't work well with 18 gauge steel, but a good-quality machine can certainly do it.

[@jrmhrpr]

Ron Covell Awesome. thanks for the reply. I ended up ordering a small planishing hammer that says will do 18g. I'll let you know how it goes. Might get an English wheel in the near future as well. 2 great tools I can add to my shop without going broke. cheers!

[@ryanmichalski7420]

Hey Ron why is the top wheel bigger? what are the benifits, can a wheel of the same size as the lower ones be used.

[@RonCovell]

The larger the top wheel, the easier it rolls over bumps in the metal. Compare pushing a bicycle over a gravel road with pushing a baby buggy. The bicycle rolls pretty easily, and the small wheels on the buggy see every pebble as an obstacle. 8-inches is the size used by most serious machines. The benefits of going larger than that are minimal.

[@ZeekDuff]

How do you decide which tool to use for a given job, the planishing hammer or english wheel? The hammer is much faster, but for something like the embossing you just did, it would be hard to control the hammer unless you could vary the speed & intensity to minimum pressure/rate of the blows. Is that even possible? Great work man, just great! 😃

[@RonCovell]

+Zeek Duff The uses of the planishing hammer and English wheel overlap. They are both good at smoothing lumpy metal. I think the wheel is better for shaping large, low-crown panels, and the planishing hammer is better for working in small, restricted areas, and for crushing welds flat.

[@ZeekDuff]

+Ron Covell Thank you! Makes sense. Okay Ron, I'm personally really looking forward to whatever comes next here, so have a fantastic New Year! Also, I'm sure the deep appreciation of your work goes far beyond those of us who actually say something about it... Be/stay safe, above all else. 😎

[@runemartinguldberg9056]

Is it possible to use a wheel to curve 5 millimeter steel plate used in a 50 fot sailboat hull.

[@RonCovell]

I have seen photos of extra-heavy-duty motorized wheeling machines which were used for making boat hulls.

[@RonCovell]

Here's another way to work thick steel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4ClaJqrr7Kgo5o

[@runemartinguldberg9056]

It there anything like a mecanic mallet machine able to curve 5 mm steelplates for å boat hull. How thick steel metal plates is it possible to wheel manually.

[@RonCovell]

+Rune Martin Guldberg The thickest steel I have wheeled is 1/8-inch (3mm). Heavier machines can do thicker materials, and some shipbuilding is done with powered machines

[@f.d.windisch8303]

On that size machine, it'll be 1/16" (16 ga) in steel, per specs of my Bailiegh EW40

[@slowspeedrally]

What gauge of cold rolled steel do you recommend for automotive body panels? Do you have to anneal it?

[@RonCovell]

+Jesus de la Isla You should match the original thickness as closely as possible. Most pre-WW2 cars were made of 19-gauge (1mm) steel, and most cars made after the war were made from 20-gauge (.9mm). Cars made in the last 30 years often use metal that's even thinner.

[@tomthompson7400]

could you ever emboss to 5mm , or would that take a bead roller , say a recess in the center of a pannel

[@RonCovell]

+tom thompson 5mm is a lot - I'd probably make some tooling, and use a press for something that deep.

[@ryanmichalski7420]

where can I get my sheets of steel/aluminium from to start practicing.

[@RonCovell]

Ryan - if you live in the USA, send me an email at: [e-mail]. I have a list of sources across the country that I can send you.

[@ПетрБоков-г1ы]

Повторюсь!!! Золотые руки!

[@RonCovell]

Я очень ценю ваши комментарии!

[@ryanmichalski7420]

I am looking to build an English Wheel out of concrete, what are your thoughts. thank you

[@RonCovell]

I think that's a sensational idea! Concrete is relatively low-cost, easy to form (if you have or make a mold) and quite rigid - particularly if it's reinforced with steel rebar. I have seen pictures of a power hammer frame made from concrete, and the reports were that it worked very well. Please keep me updated if you move ahead with this project. The best way to send pictures is via email - [e-mail]

[@RonCovell]

www.toolsforshaping.com/index.html?fbclid=IwAR2fYPtFEfiSAEz8Wvsbh7002bT6AeanszcWCj9M9OconfZv05ZiiGGjweM

[@ryanmichalski7420]

@@RonCovell Thank you for the feed back. I plan to start making prototypes in the upcoming months. I am new to metal shaping and looking for a cost effective way of getting an english wheel. I will definitely keep you up to date throughout the process.

[@ryanmichalski7420]

@@RonCovell thank you, this infomation will be useful for testing.

[@shanebeaudrot777]

Thanks Ron, now I want pizza 🍕 for lunch. Curious, if you drilled a hole in a piece metal strip, run it through the English Wheel, would the hole stay the same, become smaller or become larger?

[@RonCovell]

That's a GREAT question - nobody has ever asked me that before! I think there are a lot of variables with this, such as the size of the sheet of metal and the size of the hole. The type of anvil wheel,and the amount of doming you do are probably variables, too. My hunch is that in most cases, the hole would get larger - but you could probably devise a strategy (like starting every pass at the edge, and ending every pass at the edge of the hole) that might make the hole smaller.

[@shanebeaudrot777]

@@RonCovell - in my mind's eye, I envisioned both and the way you explained the possibilities all make sense to me. I'm intrigued by the talent, skills and master Craftsmanship that you and so many others posess. Is it a gift or a curse? For me, I would have to create. I'd lose sleep by having too many irons in the fire. I feel like I could learn to shape metal if I had the teaching, the tools and resources. Meanwhile, I'm going to enjoy watching what you create next. It's a honor to us all for you to share your experience with the rest of us.

[@RonCovell]

Shane - if you're interested, you can see some of my recent work here: www.millerwelds.com/resources/article-library/welding-project-making-a-formed-aluminum-air-scoop-for-a-carburetor

[@esoheuwaifo8670]

i love dis wit passion because it is indeed pretty creative. what is d cost of d beading machine

[@RonCovell]

You can buy a beading machine for less than $200

[@TheGuerillapatriot]

VW fender doable?

[@RonCovell]

Yes, you certainly could make a VW fender with an English wheel. You might want to check out my 3 KZbin video series on making a fender: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gaXNZneNlrCLj6s

[@edwilliams5166]

Ron Covell

[@DolphinPain]

I got pizza dough stuck into my wheel bearings, not sure if I did this right.

[@RonCovell]

Yeah, you gotta keep the dough (and your fingers) out of the path of the wheels!

[@jazirimussa5777]

I traid but ifaild to get a.m. in Tanzania help me to get them all set and were are you plz English is problem to me I used Swahili

[@RonCovell]

Jaziri Mussa - I don't know any tool dealers in Tanzania, nor anyone who speaks Swahili. I wish I could help more, but most of my resources are in the United States.

[@proudtitanicdenier4300]

what

[@extremeperformance4110]

step by step guide to design English wheel @

[@shaneguerin2024]

Are you actually Eric Warheim?

[@RonCovell]

No - he just copied my beard.

[@jorgevillalba6134]

hola no tiene dvd en castellano?

[@RonCovell]

We can ship DVDs worldwide. Contact us at [e-mail] for details.

[@АндрейЗименков-ш3ы]

Гениально!

[@RonCovell]

Спасибо!

[@henry2008kim]

Ummn Does English Wheeling work for the more harder and brittle aluminum alloys namely 2024-T3 Alclad at about 0.04~0.032 inch thickness? I'm thinking aircraft fuselage!

[@RonCovell]

Sangyoon - yes, the English wheel is very commonly used for shaping aircraft sheetmetal parts.

[@jazirimussa5777]

I want to order. from your

[@RonCovell]

Jaziri Mussa - I don't sell any bead rollers. Here is a link to a company that sells several styles: www.trick-tools.com/comparison-bead-rollers

[@S4ccryn]

Ron Covell I think he wanted a pizza

[@alwinanto6919]

👌👌👌👌

[@patricksmith8205]

Would like to see something about the little car in the background

[@RonCovell]

Patrick - Thanks for watching, and commenting! Unfortunately, I don't have any video of that car being built. There is an 18-page section in an out-of-print book that shows building the body for the Packard Pedal Car (but not the fenders or hood). The book is titled: "Ultimate Sheet Metal Fabrication" by Timothy Remu. Do a web search for that title - I just found one for less than $10.

[@patricksmith8205]

Ron Covell thank you Ron, I am building a small motorized car for the grandkids, aluminum skin over 1/2 inch square tube body, resembles MG/Morgan, I’m very weak in metal working will probably resort to fiberglass for fenders

[@rollomaughfling380]

Totally not how you work a pizza crust, but ok.

[@RonCovell]

Well, OK - I guess I'll stick to metalworking.

[@newventure4747]

Works for me.

[@markg6jvy135]

👍👏👏

[@jazirimussa5777]

I went. to. buy bead roller

[@RonCovell]

Jaziri Mussa - Bead rollers are easy to find online. If you go to Google, and type in 'Bead Roller for Sale', you will get more than 1,000,000 links.

[@vermontjeff2535]

1980s

[@RonCovell]

Well, actually I think this video was shot in 2004. My hair has certainly gotten more grey since then!

[@vermontjeff2535]

Ron Covell I hope your making cool stuff still

[@RonCovell]

Yes, I am making some fun projects. I'm doing an online newsletter for Miller - which you can see here: www.millerwelds.com/resources/article-library/welding-project-how-to-make-a-3-legged-stool

[@paulputnam2305]

💪😎👍 SWEEEET

[@RonCovell]

I'm so glad you liked it!

[@gigstick]

OMG that's so porn very much

[@RonCovell]

I'm so glad you liked it. Be sure to check out my other KZbin videos - there are plenty more!

[@_Just_Some1]

"half a thousandth of an inch!" erm OK

[@RonCovell]

I'm not sure exactly what you are saying. If you are from an area that uses the metric system, 'half a thousandth' of an inch is about 0.0127 mm