MAJSteve,
Yeah the dowel thing takes a bit of getting used to, it's very strong, but different. Because it is so strong I have incorporated it in other builds. I love the Barron plans, but I think he must have had a secret way of bending 1/4" spring steel. His designs got a little elaborate, way beyond my patience for bending that stuff so I did a redesign and built it my way. Not as cool as Barrons way, but practical. On the SR-9 I have eliminated the spring steel and have gone to steel plate and I have made the gear removable since the thing that seems to take the biggest beating on my planes is the gear.
The Goshawk called for the tall, skinney 8" wheels....8"!!! I ended up using 8" caster wheels that I picked up at Lowes for $8 bearing included. A friend then chucked them up in his lathe at his machine shop and used a grinder to get them to the proper shape. Made an awful mess, but they came out great. Not light, not soft, but the right shape!
BTW, I used the flying wires from Nelson on the Goshawk. Spendy, but very nice stuff. Just remember to lock the jam nuts before you start the engine. If they vibrate loose, the parts are hard to find in the grass!!!
Bish
K7QCP