There are things you know you know,
things you know you don't know,
and even things you don't know you know.
But it's the things you don't know that you don't know that will get you in the end.
-paraphrased from some politician I can't remember.
I've been working with spinning wheels for nearly 20 years. Repairing, assembling, using, spinning, buying and selling, teaching, technical support, writing, researching, and other adventures. I know a lot about spinning wheels.
Or at least I thought I did.
What I didn't know is how much you can learn by building a spinning wheel out of gingerbread.
That's right, gingerbread.
Gingerbread must be the most unforgiving substance to build from ever! Rigid when you don't want it, crumbling at the wrong moments. Even making the parts thicker doesn't guarantee strength. But rather, understanding the forces at work and the stress points is key to successfully building something out of this crazy material.
I learnt more in two days of failure and one wheel-shaped object than I ever knew I didn't know.
My first attempt was not as awesome as the image in my head. Actually, it has no resemblance to the image in my head at all.
But I kind of think I might try again next year and see if I can do better.
If you want to build or repair spinning wheels, and you want to do it well, build one out of gingerbread. You will learn more than you ever knew you didn't know.
2 comments:
Fun project! It's really cool that it led to so much learning, too. I'm already looking forward to seeing next year's attempt!
I came across another great gingerbread project a few days ago, and I think you'll enjoy it too – behold this lovely gingerbread greenhouse: https://twitter.com/JoyAng/status/1473785222965735430
Wow! That's such a creative build! Thanks for the link.
I don't think I have the skill to build a greenhouse yet, but I am thinking about maybe trying a spinning wheel again next year to see if I can get it to work.
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