Early ford wheel production

'Spokes were baked for 24 days', to dry the green wood out.... Hard to believe. I'd like to see how the Model A wheels were made, if any manual labor was used at all. I suspect so.
 
Chuck Dempsey said:
'Spokes were baked for 24 days', to dry the green wood out.... Hard to believe. I'd like to see how the Model A wheels were made, if any manual labor was used at all. I suspect so.
Click to expand...

The assembly of each Ford Model A wheel was a 20 step process. Here is the "Wire Wheel Assembly Operation Sheet" for each Ford Model A wheel.....which lists which machine was used for each specific operation:
508199


Brad in Maryland
 

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I would love to see one of the "Ford spoke welder" machines in action. From what I know about electrical resistance welding, there had to be a chuck of some sort that held the spoke and pressed it into the hub or rim, then the shot of high current. Thinking about it, I seem to remember that there is an indication of a two-jaw chuck or clamp on the end of each spoke near the weld flair.
Also, strange that there was a repair station after primer paint. Also, no mention of finish paint.
Joe B
 
Brad in Germany said:

The assembly of each Ford Model A wheel was a 20 step process. Here is the "Wire Wheel Assembly Operation Sheet" for each Ford Model A wheel.....which lists which machine was used for each specific operation:
508199


Brad in Maryland
Click to expand...

Great Scott, what a process! Thanks for sharing....
 
Chuck Dempsey said:
Great Scott, what a process! Thanks for sharing....
Click to expand...


Chuck and others, ...Brad's post is just one of many examples that should dispel the myth that 'Ford just used up what parts he had on hand!'.

This is how detailed Ford's engineers were in knowing exactly how much material needed to be purchased/manufactured, -and how much labor was to be allotted for each and every operation on each and every component needed down to the smallest of items. They did not expend this much energy to know exactly how much material & labor would be needed to make a part without knowing exactly how many vehicles it would be installed on -or to which depot the finished item would be sent to. Think about all of that.
 
Thanks for the information and posting the videos. Although I had seen them before, it's always good to review as new details pop out at each viewing. On a personal note, I keep looking for my grandpa George or Peter to show up, as they both worked at the Rouge in that era.
Joe B
 
It's easy to see why Henry had trouble keeping workers. Keeping up that pace for 10 hours a day 6 days a week. I guess he figured it out in 1926 when he went to the 8 hour 5 day work week - and still paid the same. It did allow his employees some leisure time to go out and buy a car for weekend outings.


https://www.indiatoday.in/education...0-hour-workweek-henry-ford-1026067-2017-07-27


The finished wheel - Grandma and the family T - Midland MI 1912-13. At her sisters farm. When I was a kid we played on the old Fordson tractor that was still in the barn. My great uncle said it had been a bad purchase. They were so busy turning out new tractors you couldn't get parts to keep yours running.
 

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The integrated way all that worked is a real wonder. Fabulous! Those were the days when the US was an industrial powerhouse and just as well. Without that, the outcome of WW2 is likely to have been very different. Sure, the work might have been dirty and arduous but every man counted like every bee counts in an bee hive.
IMO, it's a pity that so many jobs in industry have since been sent off shore (same here), I never tire of watching that stuff. The guys who worked out the details to get it all synchronised were genii.
My opinion anyway
 
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