Perhaps the most attractive and obviously “crafted” part of any traditional bell installation is the wheel. Wheels are often made from multiple types of wood. Good quality wheels usually have the spokes of air-dried English oak, soles of steam bent ash and the shrouds or sides of the rim of sweet chestnut. The wheel has a deep channel for the rope around its circumference. A hole (garter hole) in the wheel allows the rope to pass through, where it is tied around the wheel spokes.
Difficult ringing action caused by wearing ropes is a sign of loose, misaligned or damaged pulley blocks or wheel. These elements must be restored and the action adjusted or the bell motion may be forced or uncontrolled with potentially dangerous consequences.
