Cutting Wheel Centers

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I've noticed some of you guys have some very good ideas on jigs and patterns. I'm planning to cut the center (the ridge that the lugs clamp to the brake drum) out of some mobile home wheels and weld them in some 15" or 16" standard wheels, whichever it takes to get enough space for everything to work. I've not started this yet, just been doing a little measuring and thinking. Getting the center out of the standard wheels will be no problem but I'd like to hear some of your suggestions as how to set up a jig to cut the centers out of the mobile home wheels and keep them round and true. One other bit of info, I'll be using an O/A torch.Last edited by jlmclean; 03-22-2007 at 10:41 AM.
Reply:Mobile home wheels don't have centers.  They bolt on with wedges.To cut  circles of that size, I have used car or truck rotors as a guide.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:If I understand you correctly you are removing the center of the rim saving the pilot hole and the lug holes. Make a wooden or steel template with the diameter you want. Drill a few of the lug holes in the template. Cut the center of the rims a tad larger than you need, bolt the template to the lug flange and then grind the flange to the shape of the template.You could also take a piece of flat bar, drill a few holes to span from one lug hole to the opposite. Drill a hole in the flat bar centered between the lug holes, (this would represent the center of the pilot hole). Place a bolt through the center hole using a nut on either side of the flat bar so you can tighten the bolt in place to act as the center point for swinging your torch in an arc. Then fasten the flat bar to the rim, now take a piece of welding wire, (not string) and make a loop at one end, slip it over the bolt. Now make a loop at the other end that will slip over the tip of your torch at the distance you want. As crude as this may seem it will work and allow you to make a pretty decent circle providing you can cut steady._________________Chris
Reply:Like David said, these are mobile home wheels and bolt on with wedges around probably a 11"-12" circle. I think what Lorenzo said about making a center and using a peice of wire sounds pretty good. I'm still open for more suggestions though. Thanks for the ideas.