Build Your Own Ship’s Wheel

This is a two-week course.

Materials: $475 for a decorative, wall mount wheel that can be fitted for a clock.
                      $2374 for a functional wheel including a bronze hub
Registration for a functional wheel bronze hub must be placed no later than May 31, 2026 in order to have the bronze hub available in time for class.

Note: Previous woodworking and joinery experience are a must for this advanced course. It is strongly suggested that each student be proficient in marine joinery or cabinetmaking.

We are excited to offer another in a series of advanced woodworking projects that we’ve presented to students over the years. Bob Fuller has built over 1000 wooden ship’s wheels over the past 48 years, having learned the art from his father and grandfather. His family’s company, South Shore Boatworks, located in Plymouth, Massachusetts, has been building wooden ship’s wheels for generations, passing down the little-known, unique skills of wheel construction.

In this two-week class, students will be given the rare opportunity to learn some of those same skills as they build their very own wheel. Each individual will build and finish a 24” diameter, six-spoke mahogany wheel. Students will learn to design and turn spokes on a wood lathe. There will be plenty of detailed measuring, making templates and jigs, meticulous shaping, and precise fitting for students to accomplish as the wheel takes shape. Using hand tools and machinery, students will be faced with the challenges of achieving precise joinery through the wheel’s entire construction.

The wheel that will be built is decorative, suitable for a mounting on a wall and adding a clock. There is an option of building a functional wheel with a Bronze hub.

This promises to be a demanding, informative two- week class that each student will find rewarding. For insight into what will be involved in this course, see Bob Fuller’s article “Building a Classically Inspired Ship’s Wheel” in WoodenBoat No. 279.