Spinning Wheel Progress

I'm progressing on the spinning wheel project, slow but sure. I decided to put the wheel sections together using splines. Next time I think I'll go with dowels. Here is a crude jig that I put together to make the spline groove in the sections. I'm using a stacked dado blade set to cut the slots 3/8 wide and 3/4 deep. They must be straight up and down or they will not line up properly.

It may not look pretty but it worked well. After I had all the slots cut I made the splines. I ripped a 3 inch wide plank of oak to 3/8 inch thick (the width of the groove) and cut pieces from that 1 1/2 inches long (the length of two of the slots side by side). That way the grain of the spline is running in the same direction as the rest of the planks. It would have been easier to make the splines with the grain running perpendicular to the grain of the sections but when the wood swelled (all wood swells and shrinks with the humidity in the air) they would have pushed the sections apart.

I then dry fit the pieces together and marked out the wheel so I could figure out how deep to drill the hole for the spokes. It's easier to find the centers and drill them now then to wait until they're cut.

I also drilled out the hub and began preparations for making the spokes.