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Scratch Building Tires - Diamond Tread Cutting


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Pick a gear, any gear. The number of teeth on the gear is the number of diamonds down the center of the tire.

 

I like jigs and fixtures.

 

Diamond%20fixture_zpsmohlpa2g.jpg

A pin holds the gear (and tire) stationary. The outer cylinder rotates to set angle(s), and locks down with a set screw. The slit is for a modeling saw. Once a groove is cut, pull the gear locking pin, and advance the gear by a tooth.

 

 

Very clever system ! I wish i add the idea a few years ago when i wanted to scribe diamond threads on my X-1 tires... Though i'm not even sure i would have built the whole stuff.

My diamond pattern is crappy and several lightyears from Harold or Paul quality. :)

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Very clever system ! I wish i add the idea a few years ago when i wanted to scribe diamond threads on my X-1 tires... Though i'm not even sure i would have built the whole stuff.

My diamond pattern is crappy and several lightyears from Harold or Paul quality. :)

I took a very long time and many do-overs before I figured out a way to do it. I don't think I will be doing it this way any more. Printing is getting cheaper and with finer resolutions. 

Edited by Harold
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I don't consider myself stupid (I imagine most stupid people don't) but I haven't the slightest idea how I would make a diamond tread tire...old school or with new 3D CAD.....

 

My "solution" would be to dig around until I found a kit that came with them in the correct size.  Or to do without....

 

Perhaps my problem is not stupidity but rather laziness and/or insufficient motivation.

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I took a very long time and many do-overs before I figured out a way to do it. I don't think I will be doing it this way any more. Printing is getting cheaper and with finer resolutions. 

 

 

It also depends if you are a manufacturer who will be able to recoup the costs of the printing on several sales, or if you're just someone (for whome the time spent is free) who needs a pair of wheels for a single build.

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Note that dividing the circumference into equal intervals to create the lozenges is generally useless as you do not see what is against the ground...! As far as they are visually acceptable to look more or less like the full scale ones, this should be OK. Accordingly, making them with a jig and fine saw is less complicated that it may seem.

 

Thierry

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Yesterday it was cool and rainy - not very conducive to painting.

 

Though I'll probably never have need to make diamond treads, Paul threw down the gauntlet and it intrigued me. It was a good way to burn a couple of hours and brush up on my CAD skills.

 

I might have misunderstood, but wasn't the gauntlet that Paul threw down about making them without CAD?

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I might have misunderstood, but wasn't the gauntlet that Paul threw down about making them without CAD?

Bryan, the CAD was used to draw the fixture, not to put the diamond treads on - I think that was the intent of Paul's challenge. I could just as easily have drawn the fixture by hand, but it would have taken much longer.

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JW

 

Create a cylindrical plug.on your lathe to the maximum circumference and width. Calculate dimension of the diamond. Obtain square bar stock from which to cut sections. Height of each square section not not matter at this juncture but don't make them crazy thick. Turn each square section, such that, any two opposing corners run parallel with the circumference and chemically weld each section to the OD of the plug.Working from the center out. Weld each piece around the OD until you have the required number of treads. It will initially be irregular...not to worry. Concentrate on keeping the tread lines straight.

 

One each tread is in place, Chuck the black in your lathe.spin. Using 220 W/D paper wet and attached to block, place it against the spinning part. It will run rough. This will subside as each segment wears down, and they all become coplanar.

 

Once all segments are coplanar, begin forming the sidewall radii, again, using the 220 paper...check dims as per usual practice.

 

You can repeat this process by making another one ( probably poor repeatability)or take the original and the cast to tires from it. This will guarantee a matching set.

 

This process works pretty well comma isn't difficult to do, and really doesn't take much time. If you look in my 24th scale Mustang thread you'll see what I did to obtain the oval tread pattern found on period Aircraft

G

Edited by Ironwing
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