Wheelwright’s Shop

This is a picture of a wheelwright’s shop from Colonial Williamsburg. The wheelwright made each wagon wheel from raw materials in his workshop by hand.

Wheelwright’s Working

Wheelwrights pull iron hoop, or tire, out of the fire.

Wheelwrights remove iron tire from the fire and carry it to the wheelwright yard.

Apprentice wheelwright Paul Zelesnikar and journeyman Chris Wright drop the hot iron tire onto the wheel and pour water on it to cool the metal.

Master wheelwright John Boag and apprentice Paul Zelesnikar examine a wheel for a Windsor riding chair.

Details from an 18th-century schematic of a coach body.

Journeyman Chris Wright and apprentice Paul Zelesnikar in the wheelwright shop.

Turning a nave, or hub of a wheel, on a lathe.

Master wheelwright John Boag uses a spoke shave to shape a spoke.

The flywheel of the great wheeled lathe stands in the wheelwright shop.

Lathe in the wheelwright shop.

Felloe patterns are used for making the curved sections of the wheel.

The great wheeled lathe and tools of the trade in the wheelwright shop.

Assembly Line ProductionLarge numbers of workers use jigs and fixtures to make large quantities of the same part. The parts will then go to the assembly line to be put in the cars made at the factory.

How would life for these workers be different from the wheelwrights of Colonial Days?

How would the cars they produce be different than the carts and buggies made by the wheelwrights?

Assembly Line Production of the Model T

Henry Ford revolutionized the manufacturing of cars with the introduction of the moving assembly line. The Ford factory could produce more cars at a lower cost than other car makers of the time.

.

Model T Assembly Line Video

Modern Robotic Assembly Line

Modern manufacturing is much more automated than early assembly lines. Machines can do the work more quickly, accurately and cheaply.

What do you think happened to all the people who used to work in the factory?

Robotic Assembly Line