Custom work

Each Pocket Wheel is made to order upon a base of maple, cherry, or walnut. A popular option to increase the visual impact is to combine a frame and treadles of one standard wood with a big wheel of another standard wood. Seen at far right is a walnut and maple combination.

Another option is to use a non-standard or highly figured wood to build the big wheel, such as the curly walnut big wheel seen at near right.

Figured wood is available with different amounts of "wow", up to that used by luthiers for high-end stringed instruments, so the overall cost will depend on the visual impact desired and the rarity of the wood chosen.

Seen at right is a "fiddleback" maple big wheel and a "curly" cherry big wheel, either of which would add $250 to the base price of a standard wheel. See the veneers page for some other examples with pricing.

Some of these woods can also be used for the solid treadles, for which the pricing will vary. In the lower photo, treadles have been built from highly figured "tiger stripe" maple, which would add $150 to the base price.

Another component which can be customized is the flyer, which can be built from a contrasting wood for a small upcharge. See the custom flyers page for some ideas.

I maintain a good stash of figured woods and veneers, so adding those figured "upgrades" to your standard wheel can be done when finalizing your order. If your Pocket Wheel is already in production but you've fallen in love with one of these figured woods, give me a call and we'll work it out -- usually this means slipping your wheel's delivery by a few weeks.

Semi-custom and custom wheels are also available with a hand-rubbed oil/wax finish. This finish is less durable than the standard acrylic finish, requiring some periodic upkeep, but presents a softer visual and tactile surface. The additional cost for this finish will vary with the base wood, and includes a small jar of soft paste wax for refreshing the finish.

Pocket Wheel Bobbins can also be made to order, either separately or as part of a wheel order. I have a variety of domestic, exotic, and figured woods in my lumber stash (such as wild cherry, tiger maple, yellowheart, purpleheart, cocobolo, lacewood, and padouk), and my timber suppliers are skilled at finding me really beautiful pieces. Most woods will work for custom bobbins, the exceptions being very light density woods (like balsa and basswood) which readily split and break in practical use. Custom bobbins typically cost $40/ea, with the truly exotic materials like ebony or waterfall bubinga being higher.

Finally, a truly one-of-a-kind custom wheel can be built using a variety of materials, tailored to your exact specifications. These projects take several months longer than the standard or semi-custom wheels, so if you have a specific vision in mind after looking over these examples, please let me know. I'd love to build exactly the unique Pocket Wheel you desire.