It’s Just Cool: Homebrew Wooden Bike
By Sean O'Hara
Marco Facciola has more going on at sixteen than most kids do at twenty; he crafted every part of this bicycle, from stem to stern, out of wood. This isn’t just a pretty piece of art, either — it’s completely functional.
Yeah, it’s not much on suspension, but cut Mr. Marco some slack — with his dad’s ShopSmith he cut the hollow sleeves for the chain and designed a free-wheel ratchet system for the rear wheel so he wouldn’t have to pedal downhill.
This is pretty cool even if he wasn’t sixteen — but at an age when I was seeing how many welding rods I could stick into the shop-class ceiling, he’s got stress, load, and material properties figured out. Perhaps I should’ve paid more attention to my high-school shop teacher.
Making A Wooden Bicycle [Lee Valley]
October 16th, 2008 at 11:52 am
This is way more cool that the $300,000 “motorcycle” from a few days ago. Brilliant, Marco.
October 16th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Good job Marco! Can’t wait to see his next project.
October 16th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Yeah this is sweeeeeeeet. Nice Job…
hats off and “root” beers up to you young man
October 17th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Awesome job!
When I was his age, I built a.. wait I did nothing, I just read comic books and played in the streets.
…rear wheel so he wouldn’t have to pedal downhill….
I don’t see brakes.
October 17th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
AWESOME!!!
August 16th, 2009 at 3:56 am
haha, take me a ride.