Somewhere I recall seeing a write up on making a flywheel rim or maybe a traction engine wheel from flat stock by rolling it into a circle. Can anyone point me to such a build? What is that type of roller called? Any plans for such floating around?
The tool you are looking for is called (depending on your area) either a
Slip Form Roll or a
3-Roller Slip Form. The initial step is to form a
spiral slightly smaller in diameter than you intend to end up with, trim it to the appropriate length, and weld the ends together. The welded area will need to be ground or filed smooth. [Sometimes you can make
minor corrections by loading the result into the
Slip Form Roll and re-forming it slightly.]
Many decades ago, such work for flywheels was common in the shop in which I served my apprenticeship. [I only did it a few times.]