Editing Wheelwright (section)

== History ==

Early wooden wheels were solid, made from slabs of trees. They were heavy but the simple construction did not require much skill. Wheels with spokes were lighter. They could be constructed with smaller trees and built larger in diameter because they were not limited by the size of trees in the region. However, spoked wheels required precise spacing and careful calculations to construct a perfect circle. It is thought that the special craft of wheelwright started with the invention of the spoke. Rural areas without access to a wheelwright continued to make solid wheels.{{r|bulliet|pages=85-86}}

Due to the skill and experience required for making wheels, in Europe the wheelwright was formed into an identifiable trade.{{r|bulliet|page=149}}