Introduction: Wooden Bicycle
if you were stuck in a forest what wood you do?
wood you build a wooden airplane?
wood you build a wooden boat?
no! you wood build a wooden bicycle
Step 1: Wooden Bicycle
- three 4 ft vines (you don't want big kinks in the vine)
- wood screws (screws for wood)
- 3 ft 8 in wooden plank
- two 1 ft 17 in boards
- a 6 in board
- twenty-four 8 in stakes
- two 4 in long dowels
- a 8 in long dowel
- 22 in long dowel
- 11 in long dowel
NOTE: all of the dowels have to be 1 1/4 in wide
tools
- saw
- drill
- sander (preferably a belt sander) or sand paper
- 1 1/4 drill bit
- wood glue
- bansaw
safety items
- dust mask (for use when sawing bansawing and sanding)
- safety glasses (for use when sanding and bansawing)
- earplugs (for use when bansawing)
Step 2: Making the Wheels: Saw a Circle
NOTE: you will have to do the steps from here to step 8 twice
saw 2 1 ft 15 in circles
Step 3: Making the Wheels: Marking
get your circle, find the middle and mark it
put the stakes in the middle and draw along the edges there should be 7 on each wheel
then push the stakes out along the lines and stop when it is 1 ft 2 in from the center and mark the tips (see picture)
Step 4: Making the Wheels: Glue and Drill
put a two small drops of wood glue anywhere between the lines on the circle and put the stake on it
then put two drops of glue on the top of the stake and put the other stake on it and drill two pilot holes in roughly the same place
and screw two screws into the pilot holes
do this to all of the stakes
Step 5: Making the Wheels: Attach the Other Circle to the Top
put wood glue on the tops of the stakes and then put other circle on top of the stakes (that are attached to the circle) and line it up with the bottom circle
then drill two pilot holes where the stakes are (try not to drill into the screws) and screw screws into the pilot holes
Step 6: Making the Wheels: Sand It!
sand a small half circle into the ends of all the stakes that are connected to the circle(i used a belt sander)
Step 7: Making the Wheels: Attaching the Vine to the Wheel
get your vine and put it on the sanded part of the stakes then hammer the staples in
do this all around the wheel
NOTE: if the stakes crack fill in the crack with wood glue
Step 8: Making the Wheels: Drill Another Hole
find the middle of the circle and drill a 1 1/4 in hole
Step 9: Build the Body!
get a 3 ft 45 in board (that is the length of a normal bicycle) and drill a 1 1/4 inch hole 2 in away from the end of the board
get the both of the 1 ft 17 in boards and drill a 1 1/4 in hole 2 in away from the edge
Step 10: Add to the Back
Get the boards and glue and screw them into the very back of the board
Step 11: Make the Steering System
Get the two other boards and the board Glue and screw it together
Step 12: Make the Pedal System
get the one of the 6 in circles and find the middle, glue and screw the dowel in with two screws (don't do this with the other side yet) get a small piece of wood and screw it into the edge of the circle then get the dowel and screw it in to the small board
Add a small grove into the 6 in circle
Step 13: Put It Together
Stick the main body and steering system together
Step 14: Add a Groove in the Back Axle
Make a Groove in the back axle (on the same side as the grooved pedal
Step 15: Screw Handle Bars On
Get a small piece of wood glue and screw it in
Step 16: Add a Rope
put a rope on the grooves

Participated in the
Bicycle Contest
20 Comments
4 years ago
Awesome job. No matter what anyone says. Impractical as hell. But cool.
4 years ago
best..bike... ever!
7 years ago on Introduction
Why doesnt it work? It looks amazing. Ive always wanted to make a wooden bike. I imagine it would be hard to get power transfer from the rope without having the tension way too high to be able to pedal. Maybe tie a bunch o little knots in the rope or something? Also there's a distinct lack of bearings I noticed. You can get skate bearings cheap on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-10pcs-Skate-Skateboard... I
I think theyre 8mm diameter hole in the bearings, I forget which but thats either exactly 3/8 or 5/16 inch. A bolt can be found to fit perfectly. Dont give up. You're close.
7 years ago on Introduction
Utterly bizarre! You went through all that to build something you knew wouldn't work? :D How long did it take?
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
well i thought it would work
it took about 5-6 days
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
This rules!
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
thanks!!!
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
Oh ok! Well, sometimes trying things helps you to learn how you can make them work so good luck!
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
but about a day was lost because i read the tape measure wrong and the wheel was two times bigger than it is now
7 years ago
No you wood'nt, because in a forest you wood not have any screws or wood glue!!:( great build though, really interesting!!
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
haha
yeah i had it in there but while i was editing some how it got deleted
thanks!!
7 years ago on Introduction
Slight issue with a measurement - do you mean 3ft 4{POINT}5 inches..?
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
sorry
i was reading inches and feet at the same time
so actually it is 3 ft 8 in
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
OK, thanks.
7 years ago
Voted:) it's a great bicycle
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
thank you!!
7 years ago on Introduction
Very cool!
Yard art, right?
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
thank you!! seamster!
it could be yard art but my original intention was to make a fully functioning wooden bicycle
but my vines were to thin and broke and the "chain" didn't really work
7 years ago
Great job done by you ! But for which reason you have made it as it does not have any practical use !!
Reply 7 years ago on Introduction
thank you!!!
if you use bigger vines it will probably work