msfledermaus | Birthing pains...

I just spent the last two hours or so cobbling together the New Wheel. Even though the instructions were very clear and helpful, I was a bit nervous--it wasn't an Ikea chair or something, it was a sensitive machine! But everything went smoothly until I had to put the wheel on. No matter how I tried to force it, the wheel wouldn't go all the way onto it's axle. I examined it carefully and saw that there was a small piece attached to the larger composite wheel, and the holes didn't line up exactly, which was causing the problem. What to do?...

So I tried sanding the hole, greasing it a bit and no joy. I finally did a little bit of wheel-surgery--veeeery carefully prying off the dysfunctional bit, attaching that to the axle, then adding the wheel itself. Success!! Everything lined up smoothly, and I attached the last pieces and tried it out. It was beautiful, ran smoothly, and is now sitting in the Rainy Day Craft Room...

(I should mention it's an unfinished wheel--I still need to paint it. I know in proper woodworking you're supposed to finish the pieces first and then attach them, but I wanted to make sure the pieces worked out before I did anything with them. Turned out to be a smart move, since any paint job would have been pretty trashed by what I had to do to the wheel. But now I can paint with impunity...

It's the best birthday present I've ever gotten...