Metal Shaping: Which English Wheel Should You Buy??

In this video I give you a look at the english wheels in my shop, and give some advice on which type of english wheel I think you should be looking at.

[@carramba86h77]

Well thank you, now I want a English wheel.

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

You’re welcome 😂

[@garretthardcastle5624]

would love to see all your metal working tools in your shop

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

I actually don’t have a ton of equipment. My large tools are the Edwards english wheel, a small Sosa Metalworks power hammer, a Mittler Bros planishing hammer, and a Mittler Bro bead roller. I have a decent collection of hammers and dollys which get the most use. If you check out my Instagram posts you can see my set up 👍

[@queencitycycles1860]

Great content! Metal shaping is my next step in metal fabrication. Have been thinking about buying a wheel for a while and haven’t pulled the trigger. This helped, was eyeballing a few of the ones you mentioned.

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

Thanks for checking it out! Happy I could be of help. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you run into any questions 👍

[@damiansgaragebuilds7663]

Im learning metal shaping .. just got eastwoods 36” bead roller and a large set of dies and the deep throat shrinker stretcher w/stand. Now time for the English wheel and a planishing hammer.

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

Awesome! That’s a great start, more than I started with. Make sure to work on getting a good assortment of hammers and dollys as well. I like to buy vintage hammers on eBay. Martin and Dagger Tools also make nice new hammers and dollys at a good price 👍

[@MagnaMachineWorks]

Awesome video! Great advice! I wish I had seen something like this years ago, luckily I bought a harbour freight unit and modified it with a back brace and it works great! I am quite attached to it, I have made some panels I am really proud of with it

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

Thank you! I get asked about this topic all the time, and I tried to give my best advice. Happy to hear it worked out for you!

[@836dmar]

Great stuff! I built one to my specs. Free scrap heavy tubing, turned my own anvils, turned and polished a forged 3” top wheel. C - frame with top adjuster. All in, bearings, 4140 stock, acme thread - maybe $300. Fun machining project! I, and friends, like it better than the Metal Ace in our club. Be patient hunting for supplies, be willing to spend for a good top wheel. I bought a cheap caster top wheel that worked but never liked it. Bought a forged heavy castor and designed tapered bearing cups and am proud of it. Don’t cheap out and you can still have a pro quality beast for less than a HF wheel. Thanks for this content!

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

Great info, and it sounds like a fun project! The difference that sets you apart is the skills and access to machinery to do all of that work. There are a lot of excellent panel makers who have little to no machining knowledge, or access to equipment. I only own a 9” Sounthbend lathe, turning a forged top wheel would be a big ask. Not to mention the time you have into that machine. When you factor in all those aspects, you have a very expensive wheel! I guess my point is if you have the time, skill set, and machinery access you could make a very nice wheel. But, for many, that simply isn’t a realistic option.

[@836dmar]

@@CatskillMtnCustoms Good point. I’m also persistent. I have friends with the tools to build things and they still buy or go without. I must have a problem.

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

@@836dmar haha I wouldn’t call it a problem. You enjoy it as well, so that counts for something! Personally, my time is what’s most valuable to me, so that’s always my biggest factor. It usually makes more sense to put my time into customer projects and just buy equipment. Then when the tool arrives, I can put it straight to work. But, I’m running a small business so everyone’s situation is different 👍

[@Portrayalpress]

@@836dmar Ha! Old school craftsman.

[@wolfgangsixl9283]

Nice job and great information , Nick! Thanks for putting your videos together! It's always well worth watching!

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

Tank you! I appreciate you checking it out!

[@troyfabrication]

Great advice! Thanks for posting!

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

Thanks for watching!

[@eddiemcg]

Thanks Nick. Always appreciate hearing your point of view . Cheers.

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

Thanks for checking it out Eddie!

[@michealfigueroa6325]

The view of the desire for some flex in an English wheel is rather unusual I chose the word "some" on purpose It was not clear just how much flex was desired In the building of mine most makers and authorities I looked to recommended "ridgity " in the build. Mine is a Metal Ace with some modifications, BTW" Metal Ace was no help at all when it came time to do the build.

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

It’s actually not unusual among people who actually use e-wheels. The problem comes from the manufacturers making e-wheels not actually knowing how to use them properly.

[@andrewsammut9342]

Thanks, great video!

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

Thanks! Thanks for watching 👍

[@ieongluis3717]

👍👍👍👍👍

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

🙏🙏🙏

[@garagegnomes]

Agreed on all points👍

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

Awesome! I just did my best to represent what I’ve learned from my experience, and give the most helpful advise I could.

[@Handbuilt1]

Well spoken about which wheel to buy , but Ipersonaly think that the cast wheel is the way to go , simply because with the fabricated steel frame one never know how stiff or how weak the frame is going to be, UNLESS ...one is prepeared to put a LOT of work in it

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

Thanks Peter! I agree 100% and that’s why I say that a good cast wheel is well worth paying for. If I didn’t find my FJ Edwards, I was going to buy one of your wheels 👍

[@careygale2315]

This was really good info about English wheels. What are your thoughts on the Eastwood Elite large framed English wheel? I have worked on a MetalAce at one shop I worked for but we hardly used it and it collected more dust than being used. Plus I won't be using it as much at the start.

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

Thank you, and thanks for checking out the video. I have never seen that particular English wheel in person, but it seems a little overbuilt to me. Similar to the yellow baileigh wheels. For the same price I would lean towards the Mittler Bros bench mount english wheel which has the same throat depth as the large Eastwood 👍

[@careygale2315]

@@CatskillMtnCustoms You're welcome, thank you for your info. I'll go check out Mittler Bros one 👍

[@paulnewton943]

Hi Nick. How much flex are you talking about? I look at yours and think omg how beautiful it is and my immediate though is 0 flex has been engineered into it. Can you please explain a bit further. Thanks for this video too.

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

Hey Paul, thanks for checking out the video. The wheel definitely flexes, but the amount of flex is very difficult to describe. For example, if you are wheeling a panel with moderate pressure, and the panel comes out, you can push it back between the anvils without loosening the adjuster. Also if you hit the top anvil mount with your palm, the anvil will move side to side about 1/6”. When you think about it, any shaped panel has varied thickness throughout. The wheel needs to flex to accommodate for the thicker/thinner sections. If the wheel did not flex, it may squeeze the thick sections and not even touch the thinner areas. This is especially important when planishing out a panel to a nice surface quality. Hope that answers your question!

[@paulnewton943]

@@CatskillMtnCustoms that's amazing a 1/16 is a huge amount. Thanks for taking the time to message back. I will be checking other videos of yours too. I don't thing Wray has ever mentioned there is flex. I know if the panel comes out you can push it back in with force, just figured it was in the adjusters. I have been looking at Wray wheels and my own design. May just have to go with his plans and be done. Thanks once again.

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

@@paulnewton943 No problem. Yeah, 1/16 is a lot, but keep in mind that’s front/back flex. To flex it up you have to overcome the weight of the frame’s top arm. Wray’s wheels are very stout, and for me are way too stiff. I’ve been to Wrays shop, and used his older wheels. I have not used his newest design. He’s a great guy, and has his own “non-traditional” approach to wheeling panels that works with his huge wheels. The beauty of a cast wheel is not only it’s smooth flex, but also the weight of the frame behind the top anvil. When you put pressure on a panel with a fabricated frame e-wheel, you’re stressing the wheel’s frame like a C-Clamp. The more you pressure the frame, it loses any flex that it may have. at light pressure. With a cast wheel you’re basically trying to lift the 100’s of pounds above the top anvil. So you can have a lot of pressure on your panel, and the frame isn’t stressed at all. So the frame can still easily flex along the panel. However, cast wheels simply aren’t economical for most people, if I wasn’t a business, I wouldn’t have one…If you’re considering one of Wray’s wheels, I would recommend taking one of his classes or just visiting his shop and checking out the wheels first. It’s never a waste of time or money to go see Wray 👍

[@charlotteann7241]

Hey boss, how much up and down flex is too much flex in an English wheel. I bought my first one a northern tool Klutch brand, so it al beginners level and im sure modification's are in the future

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

That’s the really tricky question, and to be honest, I don’t have a great answer. Basically just a bit of flex at working pressure. There is no measurement or anything, because every wheel is different. You don’t want to have to flex the frame a ton to get the metal to move, but you don’t want it too stiff that it won’t flex with the changes in material thickness. There is a sweet spot, and it really takes time to get the feel. I understand how frustrating that sounds as a beginner, but if you’re just learning I wouldn’t concern yourself about it too much. Focus on learning to make shapes, and you’ll gain the experience to judge your wheel’s performance 👍

[@lankylamp1]

Check out Ranalah brand name.

[@CatskillMtnCustoms]

I am very familiar with Ranalah, and have used an original. They are beautiful machines, and one of the best 👌

[@127069]

A idiot off British tv pretended to have bought the rights . He just registered a dead trademark. Total idiot