The main wheel of a Great Wheel is truly great in size and the hub spins on a metal rod on the wheel post. The wheel stays on the post with a small nail or cotter pin inserted into the end of the rod.

The nail for the Great Wheel I was demonstrating with had fallen out… somewhere. This meant that the wheel kept migrating to the end of the rod, changing the alignment of the drive band and causing the drive band to slip off. My field-expedient fix was to use a wood toothpick. The toothpick alone, however, did not keep the hub snug against the wheel post, so I cut a leather washer and put it between the wood pin and the hub.

I kept the smooth part of the leather toward the hub to reduce friction, and added a drop of light weight oil to the metal rod. It turned well and stayed in place the rest of the day.

This post is part of a series about my experience demonstrating spinning on a 1860s Great Wheel in Mansfield Texas.