Hearthside - The House That Love Built

Wheelwright Now Featured at Hannaway Shop

A typical blacksmith shop in the 19th century would have had a wheelwright on site to make and repair wheels for horse-drawn vehicles.  So in keeping such history alive, the Hannaway Blacksmith Shop now boasts a wheelwright shop within the building.

The Friends of Hearthside welcomes Rolf Johnson of Scituate, Rhode Island as Hannaway’s wheelwright.  At one time, he was the last practicing guild craftsman in New England.  He knows how to fix different types of wheels, including a spoked bicycle wheel, a compression wheel seen on early automobiles and horse carriages, and even wheels that are seen on modern cars. 

Historically, wheelwrights were clearly craftsmen of a high order. They apparently used neither mathematical formulas nor even drawings, but passed on the acquired knowledge of their craft from father to son, from master to apprentice.  Rolf learned the craft in the early 1970s when he bought a motorcycle and needed its wheels fixed.  He went on to work for the shop where he had it fixed, designing brake and wheel systems for custom racing cars and motorcycles. 

When you drive by the Hannaway Shop and see the wheel hanging outside the door, it’s a signal that the wheelwright is in, so be sure and stop by and watch this rare craft being demonstrated on old-fashioned wooden wheels.

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