Wooden Scooter No. 2

During the summer I got rid of my old bed as it had broken. After dismantling it, I decided to use the wooden boards from it for a project, so I decided to build another version of my earlier wooden scooter. I was hoping to improve on the previous design and try out different methods of construction as well.

Tools:

• Saw
• Electric Drill
• Ruler, Pencils, Compass
• Glue
• Drill bits for wood and metal

Materials:

• Wood (65x15mm cross section)
• Screws, nails, bolts and nuts
• T and L plates
• Dowels (6mm diameter)
• Metal rod, for the steering and wheel axles

The scooter deck's frame resembles a ladder, with two long boards connected by smaller struts.

On a wooden board, I measured out lines for the struts, which I sawed off. I used a ruler and a compass to make sure the lines were parallel, so that the struts are as straight as possible and equal in length when I cut them out.

For the first two struts I attached to the long boards, I used L plates and screws, as it was easier to do since I drilled from the top. The first two struts were attached to the front of the board and near the back.

For the struts in between, I tried different methods, using screws, nails and dowels. All of them worked, so you can choose which methods you'd prefer to use, depending on the tools and materials available.

After attaching all the struts to one board, I attached the 2nd board to it, completing the frame of the deck.

I drilled the hole for the wheel axle such that there's enough space if I want to put larger wheels.

The 'neck' is quite an important part, as it'll be taking a lot of weight and if it doesn't work, the entire scooter scooter wouldn't work.

The neck is made two boards thick to make sure its stiff enough to carry the weight. It's made of 2 pairs of cut wood pieces which are held together with nails, bolts and dowels.

In the pictures you can see that the cuts for the 2 pairs are different, as it helped with assembling the pieces together.

On the top of the neck, a hole was drilled, through which the scooter will be steered with.

A hole was drilled into the neck and the scooter deck, through which a bolt was threaded through. To hold the neck in the middle, spacers made of wood were also inserted.

The fork is similar to the scooter deck in design and construction, though it is wider to provide enough room to turn.

3 struts are used, one at the top, and two lower down that support the neck and allow for steering. The two lower struts had holes drilled in the middle, through which a metal rod fits to allow the fork to pivot.

The position of the lowest strut depends on the dimensions of the neck, so I placed it last, constantly checking and adjusting it. If the lowest strut is too high or low, the deck will rest at an angle to the ground.

T-plates are used for the lower struts, to provide as much support as possible. However, to prevent the edge scraping the neck, a wooden disk was placed through the rod to elevate the scooter neck.

A hose clip was attached to the top of the steering rod, along with a dowel section, to hold it in place.

I drilled a hole in the scooter fork large enough for the rod to fit.

I didn't need to, but I had cut the rod into 2 sections 20cm long.

The rod sections are held together by a nail in between them. The nail was partially hammered into one rod, then its head removed so it could be pressed into the other rod.

In my excitement, I started building before I made the computer model, so there things I overlooked while building the scooter:

The space the neck fitted into had gaps, allowing it to tilt back when I stood on it, pushing back the struts. To stabilise it, I added more metal straps and nails to the original struts, then additional struts to brace them.

I inserted coins into the gap between the neck and the struts of the deck to prevent the neck from moving.

The hole for the rod in the neck was a bit too wide, allowing the scooter fork to shift back and forth as it goes over bumps. To prevent it, I drilled holes into a pair of washers, which I nailed to the neck. The hole in the washers is close to the diameter of the rod, reducing the movement.

To add a basic suspension, I replaced the wooden disk that sat on the rod in the fork with foam, sourced from an old pair of shoes (some slippers are made of foam so could work as well, or a spring, or a rubber block).

I left enough space that larger wheels could be installed on the scooter in the future.

In the future I will try and make the scooter fold-able, by adding small door hinges to the front fork. I would also need to add brakes, like the ones from my earlier scooter design. The scooter deck will also need a flat surface on top.