Prize Wheel Hardware help

[Andy Compton]

Hi all,
I need to make a 48" prize wheel for a work event. Think something like this:
http://www.spinningdesigns.com/images/prize_wheel_stdblu.jpg

I'm going to be using some 3/4" birch plywood, but I need some help on the mechanism that allows it to spin smoothly. Any ideas?

Thanks!

[David B Thornton]

My initial thought is a ball bearing pressed into the wheel, riding on a bolt attached on the backside and secured on the front side with a nut/washer?

[Dave Richards]

Get a package of roller blade-type bearings.

A few years ago I did a sketch (https://flic.kr/p/e4hS8S) for a guy who was building one. It used four bearings and a bushing which doesn't show in the drawing. We used a quick release wheelchair axle instead of a bolt. This made it easy and fast to remove the wheel for storage. I expect you could find some other quick release pin or a bold would work, too. He said this arrangement worked very well.

[Erik Christensen]

how about lazy susan hardware? they make them in various load capacities, it has ball bearings and mine spins just fine vertically