[Kyonos Weatherstone]

Another day, the same start. The routine was becoming a habit. It was a habit that the Dwarf enjoyed. Learning the Smithy trade and working at the B&D Anvil was just what Kyonos always wanted. As usual he had the fire up and ready by the time Gimli appeared. The Dwarf wondered what would be in store for today. Right about then his mentor did show up.

"Today I want you to make three wheels. First I will show you how to do it by making one. Then I want you to make three more just like it. Take care that they be identical in size."

Kyonos watched carefully as Gimli started by forming 12 spokes of equal thickness and the same length. He took a larger piece of metal, heated it and worked it to form a hub. He used a ceramic piece to form the hole into which the axle would fit. Once done, he punched 12 indendations, equidistant from each other on the outer surface. After reheating an area, he bored a hole large enough to accomodate a spoke. He repeated this until there were 12. He inserted the spokes into the holes on the hub and set it on a table. That done, Gimli said to Kyonos, "Now we make a felly". He took a length of metal, heated it and hammered it into a band. The he heated it again and worked it until it formed a circle, a rim for the wheel. After measuring it to the spokes he adjusted the diameter of the rim until it was a bit less that the extension of the spokes. He then punched 12 indendations through the felly, equidistant from each other on the inner surface of the rim. After reheating an area, he bored a hole large enough to accomodate a spoke. He repeated this until there were 12. After heating the felly, he worked it onto the spokes.

"This is now a wheel. The next step is heat the areas where the spokes go into the hub and the felly. This is to fuse them together. Take note that the spokes stick out of the felly a tad. That is what we want so the wheel can get a grip on the surface. Otherwise a smooth rim might slip and slide, especially on a wet surface." When he fused all the joints, Gimli did both the inner and outer surfaces of the felly. Then the ends of the felly were fused together. He then said, Now you do three more."

Kyonos was planning his work as he watched Gimli. First he made 36 spokes in the same manner as did Gimli. He set them aside and made three hubs, careful to duplicate his mentor's technique, even using the same ceramic piece. He made the holes in the hub for the spokes after heating and hammering the metal. The last pieces he made were the three fellies. He measured these around the spokes in the same manner as Gimli did. Once he fitted the felly onto the spokes and had a rim, Kyonos fused all the joints. His last step was to fuse together the ends of the fellies.

Gimli held each wheel to the one he made and was satisfied that they were the same.