'69 through '73 Steering Wheels - Wood, or Plastic?

[Zed Head]

I have conjured up the proper term, I believe.  Unnatural wood.  It is wood, some would call it real wood, but is not as nature produced it.  It is unnatural wood.  The term acknowledges the woodness of the wheel but recognizes the state of the wood in the wheel.

There are alternative words for those who don't like it.

https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/unnatural

[siteunseen]

Burn one and see if you get ashes or drips.

 

[HS30-H]

1 hour ago, siteunseen said:

Burn one and see if you get ashes or drips.

 

Covered in post #32.

[HS30-H]

2 hours ago, Zed Head said:

I offered a path to knowledge for those that want to know what, exactly, the steering wheel is made of.  Sorry that I placed it in your philosophical discussion thread about what "real wood" is.  

Anybody who has actually worked with wood, real wood directly from a tree, would not consider the wheel to be made of real wood.  It is made of wood, but the final product is not real wood.  

 

No, sorry. This whole "real wood" thing comes from your own posts on the subject. You might like to turn that mirror on yourself occasionally.

And I dispute your assertion about "anybody who has worked with real wood" and their opinion on what is "real wood" or not. Who are you speaking on behalf of there? You seem to at once consider the philosophical aspect (your Blade Runner question) and at the same time cite it as irrelevant (because you already decided that your term "unnatural wood" is a real thing). I'm familiar with the work of Philip K. d***, but I don't see where you are going with this.

Just a few posts up you are telling us (#72) that the binder/resin used is "most likely petroleum based". I suspect otherwise, but I would certainly reserve final judgement and put that in the gift of the chemists. For me the resin/binder/whatever is a side topic (look at the thread title) as the wood content appears - to me anyway - to be a given.

I'm not sure that the chemists will have a firm category for "unnatural wood" (?), but I'll certainly tell them that you have staked a claim and planted your flag there. Let's see what they think of it.          

[HS30-H]

3 hours ago, Zed Head said:

Your continuous arguing is ironic in that you seem to want to show and protect the superior qualities of the Z car yet you're arguing that the Z's "wood" steering wheel is made of an inferior material.  If it was real wood most of the wheels today wood be warped and cracked.  Like real real wood wheels.

People that know real wood understand its flaws and know what the term means.

I've noted that "your continuous arguing" doesn't include your own 'continuous arguing' (LOL). I've tried to be respectful of your opinions here, but you keep going, not to mention digressing. But this is what you do isn't it? You're 'on the spectrum' too, right? You're fixated on me and you've not made any comment with regard to "wood dust" or "hard powder" as cited by others.  

I'm sticking up for Izumi, the manufacturer of these steering wheels, on a forum that is dedicated to these cars. What's wrong with that? Where - and how - does any of this discussion infer "inferior material"? That's in your head, not mine. In my opinion the material and techniques are both interesting and effective and the result is admirable. Apparently lost on the majority of people who lay hands on it, but there you go. SNAFU.

 

 

Oh and @Patcon, you added a 'like' to the quoted post. You AGREE with this guy? Seriously!? I had you down as someone who knew his onions.   Major disappointment there.

   

Edited December 31, 2022 by HS30-H

[Patcon]

I work with wood for a living. I would agree the wood used in the wheels is no longer in a natural state.

I have also found Zed to always try to be helpful and in most cases not contentious.

I wouldn't consider the final steering wheel product to be a wooden wheel. I also wouldn't consider it to be plastic. I also wouldn't consider printer paper to be wooden or a fiberglass car to be glass or a cake to just be flour. Wood is a component in the wheel and has been manipulated and used to make a nice looking wheel that resembles a segmented wooden wheel. I don't know that it needs to be debated more than that. As for the BaT people that can't get over that; I don't let it bother me.

As for my like of his post, yes in general, I agree with what he posted. I don't know if I know my Onions or not. I am sorry if I have disappointed you but this too shall pass...

[HS30-H]

40 minutes ago, Patcon said:

I work with wood for a living. I would agree the wood used in the wheels is no longer in a natural state.

But who said it was in a natural state? Of course, of course the wood has been processed and manipulated (that's the whole point!) but I still contend that it appears to retain many of its natural characteristics (grain and structure) and is the majority component. 

Zed Head called the steering wheel rim "inferior material" and I feel that's laughably inaccurate, unhelpful and contentious on a forum that has - over the years - been a good advocate for the deeper understanding and curation of these cars. You added a 'Like' to that post and I found that disappointing. Yes, I guess it will pass, but I will bear it in mind nonetheless.  Thanks.  

HNY.    

[rturbo 930]

1 minute ago, HS30-H said:

But who said it was in a natural state? Of course, of course the wood has been processed and manipulated (that's the whole point!) but I still contend that it appears to retain many of its natural characteristics (grain and structure) and is the majority component. 

Zed Head called the steering wheel rim "inferior material" and I feel that's laughably inaccurate, unhelpful and contentious on a forum that has - over the years - been a good advocate for the deeper understanding and curation of these cars. You added a 'Like' to that post and I found that disappointing. Yes, I guess it will pass, but I will bear it in mind nonetheless.  Thanks.  

HNY.    

I don't think you're understanding or clearly reading his post, because he did not say that the wood composite (which is probably the most accurate way to describe it) is inferior to solid wood. He is saying the opposite of that, that a traditional wood rimmed steering wheel would be inferior to the wood composite wheel in the Z. 

I don't understand the problem here. To say that something is made of wood means something very specific, which is that something has been made using pieces of solid wood, carved out of a whole tree. This is not that. It is wood that has been reduced to wood fibers, and then put back together again with some kind of binding agent. To say that it is made of wood, in the exact same way that a chair is made of wood, with no meaningful distinction is simply not accurate. 

I think zKars summed it up nicely on the previous page. Made with wood, but not made of wood. And held together with a resin or something, in the same way fiberglass or carbon fiber is, which IMO would make it a wood composite. Still mostly wood, but not quite wood.

[HS30-H]

@rturbo 930 Thank you for that. But I refer you to the thread title, and my first post.

I guess I'm leading a one-man crusade against the kind of comments illustrated in post #22. Think of me as classiczcar's own Rodney Dangerfield, if you like.

You may well see it differently, but our friend Zed Head's diversions seem to me to have gone past the point where they were helpful. Last I saw he was headed off down a side road attempting to define the nature of wood on a philosophical level whilst - at the same time - accusing me of making that the subject of this thread. Bizarre.

Nissan called it wood. Izumi called it wood. Little old me will call it wood too. Some people will go to their graves insisting "it's plastic!". So be it. I just felt it fair to show what I found, that's all.

 

It's already 2023 here, so I wish you a Happy New Year.

 

[dutchzcarguy]

OH.. man... we have a saying here in the netherlands..  go ride a bike!  meaning: Go away.. leave me alone.. sort of..

I didn't read all of it (To tired)  but the only thing i want to say is: I used some REAL (mahogany) wood for my wheel!! (Look left in the circle!)... and Nissan DID NOT !!

the END!

Translation..

go ride a bike!  =  Ga toch fietsen!

 

Ps. i bet if you burn it, you will get some bad black smoke, proving it's wood with a LOT of plastic in it..

[bartsscooterservice]

15 hours ago, Zed Head said:

I offered a path to knowledge for those that want to know what, exactly, the steering wheel is made of.  Sorry that I placed it in your philosophical discussion thread about what "real wood" is.  

Anybody who has actually worked with wood, real wood directly from a tree, would not consider the wheel to be made of real wood.  It is made of wood, but the final product is not real wood.  

Just like in the construction industry, beams made of real wood glued together are not a considered or called a wood beam.  They are called laminated wood beams.  A fine distinction but informative.  It tells you what it is.

Real wood has inherent flaws, like susceptibility to swelling or rot from moisture, or shrinkage and warping from losing moisture, like in the hot environment of a car.

Your continuous arguing is ironic in that you seem to want to show and protect the superior qualities of the Z car yet you're arguing that the Z's "wood" steering wheel is made of an inferior material.  If it was real wood most of the wheels today wood be warped and cracked.  Like real real wood wheels.

People that know real wood understand its flaws and know what the term means.

https://www.timber-technologies.com/wood-products/laminated-beams/

I think it's actually smart to produce a steering wheel like that for the longevity, and also reduce the costs. Manyt things on the S30 where innovative 

[HS30-H]

29 minutes ago, dutchzcarguy said:

Ps. i bet if you burn it, you will get some bad black smoke, proving it's wood with a LOT of plastic in it..

Already covered in post #32. I got very light grey - almost white - smoke when I test burned a sample from the inner parts.