This is worth watching. Go over to the Old Motor and look at the films from Hoopes Brothers & Darlington. They were wooden wheel manufacturers in West Chester, Pa. They aren't making car wheels in the film but the process would be very similar. I have never seen machinery bending wood like you see here.

Link?

Looks like this is what he's talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOURsngWYGw

At http://theoldmotor.com/ they show http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOURsngWYGw and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzQRAlXG6DQ

Sad to see them go. I wonder where in Arkansas this stuff is at? I know it's been 40+ years since they vanished from Pa..
Funny! I noticed that in the different movies that I just watched after the Hoops film. Some from countries out side the USA. They built wheels out of Oak (both red and white), Hickory, and Ash!!! Funny you can go back and find all 3 used in the day!!!! Some did use Hickory others Oak. We use to only build them from straight grained red oak in the 60's. I have read recently that that is a no-no! Use only hickory they say. Some tell me ash as was in the Hoopes film! So I do not know anymore what to use!? I have several sets of red oak wheels that we built 35 years ago and they still are going strong. I know that Joe Ziminey used the red oak for several years. He died several years back. I had Clint Darmstead do my early wheels and they were in oak. So what do I know anymore?????? I still have 8 sets of wheels to assemble in oak yet. Some are the oval spokes and rounded felloe. Others are for the steel rimmed wheel that Ziminey did. I hope they hold up. The others have that I did in the 60's and 70's so I just do not know anymore???
Mr Confused!
Thanks for this blog and film to watch!