I cut up the previous failed wheel into pieces so I can be easily re-metled them for the next wheel attempt to make.

First attempt at full size wheel

This is my first attempt at making a full size wheel for my kiosk.  After the success of the previous test run, I continued to attempt to make a wheel out of recycled HDPE plastic.  My aim was to make a wheel with a radius of 20 cm.

First step is to wash all the plastic and remove labels.

I have been collecting plastic for a while.  This is what 500g of HDPE looks like. 

I then weighted the plastic to that it will be enough for the size and thickness of the wheel I need.

I then put the plastic bit by bit into an oven at 180 degrees, hot enough to melt but not burn the plastic

I then put the motlen plastic blog on my tool and put the top on and pressed the MDF together.

I miss calculated the weight of the plastic so this is blob is too small for me to use. 

Wooden pallets

I am making the kiosk out of wooden pallets that I have found around Nottingham.  They come in various standard thicknesses which I can cut down quite easily.   They are suitable for the project because they don't cost anything and are very easy to get hold of, I am also giving the wood a second life.

The pallets can be taken apart fairly easily (some more than others) with a small metal wedge tool and a hammer.  I tried saw the pallets apart as little as possible so I could get the longest possible pieces.

To cut down on energy used in processing I have hand planed the wood to make a smooth and even surface.  Also there is risk with the wood through a machine planer because there may still be nails left in.

Showing the kiosk breaking down into transportable parts.