Wobbly Wheel Head

[NWray]

I have an old Brent Model A wheel that I've been using for a couple years. The wheel head recently started wobbling.  Any ideas of how to fix it? 

[Mark C.]

Brent used fixed shaft to bearing units -when the bearings wear out the whole unit needs to be replaced . It's a bolt on unit and spendy as well-you need a wheel puller to pull the bottom sprocket  off usually as you cannot beat on it at all.  Soak the sprocket /shaft connection with penatrationg oil for afew days before trying to seprtate-there is  bolt that screws againist the flat part of shaft underneath.-the sprocket need to go straight down. Hence the wheel puller-you may be able to rent a small one at auto parts store. I have a chaep harbor frieght set-they work fine.  As a full time production potter it takes about 25-30 years to wear  a wheel head out. . Any chance it got hit with something or rough handled? You could also a last dicth effort thump it true again but you would need to be able to figure where its low and high as it spins. Tell us more details.

I own two of these wheels

[Mark C.]

Brent wheel heads  and shafts cannot come apart without harm-they are not made to once they mated together . The head and shaft have a hole drilled in at a slant and a pin is inserted and is flush to head at an angle. No wheel I have ever seen has this. The hole does not go thru. You conceivably could dill this out-If you know the angle and find another head (Brent only sells them as one-not any separate heads.) and dill that angle or a new one and put on that new head and hope =its true. That also may me worse than the wobble you now have.

One note I have never seen this connection come loose or move in any way-its solid. I know of a model C thrown out of a SF 3 story house windo the head got bent but that connection stayed put. That fiasco  was told you me a few years ago on how thought they are. New head /shaft and the wheel was fine. Try thrwing most wheels 3 stories-its a bad testing idea by the way.

Your wobble as noted by Rockhopper is it the head up and down or something else?

I have to Brent wheel heads I wore out  from prodution use or changed to larger head (I do not like the smaller 12 inch heads) and I use them as banding wheels so I can see  easily how they are made. They sit on a 6x8 piece of wood with a  3/4 inch hole drilled in it.

I only own 5 Brents now but all the wheel heads are made the same with that head to shaft connection

[NWray]

By "wobbly" I mean I can grab the wheel head on either side & move it up & down (like a tetter-totter but not that drastic) with the rest of the wheel not moving.  The wheel head is level it's just seems loose. I've been using the wheel for about 4 years & it hasn't given me any trouble, nor has it had anything fall on it or heavy dropped on it. This might just be a slow wear that has only become noticeable recently. 

Mark - Where have you found replacement parts for model-a? Looking at the Amaco/Brent site I couldn't find any information about model a's but they do have two wheel head options. 

[Mark C.]

Before buying make sure its not awet runied deck-I have posteda few threads on Model A deck sealing as its a cheap Flakeboard top. Water can get under at the bolt holes and haed bolts as well as the edges under the formica top. If that movement is spongy deck let me know as I have a cure or two. The wheel head is a standard 12inch  which they seem to not have listed anymore-meaning call and talk to they-in fact they only have two 14 inch and they do not explain the differences so that also a call and talk deal as well. The motor is 1/3 hp still on the site. the belt is super short and they still sell it as a model A belt but you may have to call about this as well.