Carving New Tire Treads

[Pks]

I have often thought about carving up my R4's. The only thing that stops me is time. I have too many other projects to complete-like painting the rest of our house.

 

[ERNIEB]

SHF, many years ago when I was between high school and the draft, I saw a tool used that was simular to the one you described. I was working for a tire recapping company that recapped auto tires. These were the days of wide ovals, and we made lots of those, but we also made racing slicks and cheater slicks.
One day I was sitting on a stack of tires eating my lunch, and I saw a guy cutting grooves in a pair of slicks. His tool had a sort of loop at the cutting end. I ask him why was he doing this. He said that a customer wanted a pair of slicks with tread. "why not just get the cheaters?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders and said "he didn't like the design"
Tire carving has been going on for some time, I guess the question is is it worth the trouble?

Ernie

 

[StoneHeartFarm]

Ernie,

I still think I'm too chicken to actually use the tool on a tire I plan to rely on. It's just one of those odd tools that I've got laying around with no use for. Sort of like the set of feeler gauges 2 inches wide and a foot long. Don't know what they were meant to measure or what I'm going to do with them, but by golly they're in my collection.

SHF

 

[Stephen]

Ernieb is on to something. I was at a shop in Akron once that made test patterns on blanks (thick slicks) for Goodyear so they could test new tread patterns. I was there observing a laser system they were using to transfer the complicated pattern onto the blank. A technicial would cut out the excess with a tool that had a hot wire in a square-ish loop.

The plan was to eventually use a laser to do the cutting as well. Anyone know how to drive a laser off a PTO ?

 

[richh]

Glen, Just read this whole post, what great enertanment!!! Haven't been around for awhile so to read the whole thing at once was a real hoot!! Thanks for keeping things on the lite side. Oh by the way you were asking about the tires on my L4610??? The name starts with a M, I think??
Rich