Posted by John Collins (194.164.38.13) on December 04, 2002 at 13:06:15:
In Reply to: More on test platforms... posted by Scott Ellis on December 03, 2002 at 21:08:46:
I know your friend Al Bacon and I have great deal of respect for his work in this area, and I am sure that his diagrams are accurate. However I am not sure that the tapered pegs mentioned would necessarily provide a wobble to the rotation of the wheel. Tapered pegs are usually used merely to ensure that the axle remains in the centre of its shell, the tapers working against each other to maintain a central position. I'm not sure how a wobble might be used to drive the wheel, if that is what you are proposing, but it is an interesting thought. I have often theorised about the possibility of some lateral movement in the internal mechanism which might be used in some way to move a weight into a desired position from which it might fall advantageously. Some might suspect that the wheel was deliberately made narrow to deflect such a supposition?
John Collins
: Dave Roberts and I posted recently about the design and construction of test platforms: http://www.besslerwheel.com/wwwboard/messages/449.html
: This is a followup and attempt to stir up more discussion on that topic...
: A good friend of mine named Al Bacon has given permission for me to share some of his ideas and work in this area. First, Al has deciphered and diagramed exactly how Bessler's wheel was largely constructed and attached to its supports. His diagram is annotated with Bessler’s own terms for the various parts:
:
: The scheme above seems to allow for a sort of "wobble effect" to occur, where the wheel tilts across the axle as it rotates. Bessler specifically mentioned that the steel pegs were "tapered." If such a wobble did occur, it must have been very small. As John Collins points out, the witnesses agreed that the wheel moved with a constant, even rotation. But one wonders how a small gravitational effect in the third dimension might have played a role...
: Another important concept is this one: the interior of the wheel might have been "axle-free." That is the center of the wheel might have actually been free space through which pendulums or other moving parts could travel. For example, see the following photo of a test apparatus contributed by Al Bacon:
: 
: Best Regards,
: -Scott