Two Ways of Making the Dies to Shape the Sheet-Metal Water Cups (Fig. 2)
If a foundry is near, a pattern can be made for a casting, as shown at B. The die is used in the manner shown in Fig. 3. A strip of galvanized metal is placed over the depressions in the die and a ball-peen hammer used to drive the metal into the die. Cups, or buckets, are thus formed which are soldered to the edge of the teeth on a line with the center of the disk, as shown in Fig. 4. As there are 24 notches in the disk, 24 cups will be necessary to fill them.
The Sheet Metal is Placed on the Die and Then Hammered into Shape (Fig. 3)
The cups are made in pairs or in two sections, which is a better construction than the single cup. The water from the nozzle first strikes the center between the cups, then divides and produces a double force.
The Water Cups are Fastened to the Teeth on the Metal Disk with Solder (Fig. 4)
When this part of the work is finished it is well to balance the wheel, which can be done by filing off some of the metal on the heavy side or adding a little solder to the light side. This will be necessary to provide an easy-running wheel that will not cause any unnecessary wear on the bearings.
The housing for the wheel consists of two wood pieces, about 3/4-in. thick and cut to the shape shown in Fig. 5. Grooves are cut in one surface of each piece, to receive the edges of a strip of galvanized metal, as shown at A. The grooves are cut with a specially constructed saw, shown in Fig. 6. It consists of a piece of wood, 6 in. long, 1-1/2 in. wide and 1/2 in. thick, the end being cut on an arc of a circle whose diameter is 10 in. A piece of a broken hacksaw blade is fastened with screws to the curved end. A nail is used as a center pivot, forming a 5-in. and a 5-3/4-in. radius to swing the saw on in cutting the groove. After inserting the strip of galvanized metal, A, Fig. 5, the sides are clamped together with bolts about 3-1/4 in. long.
