I know a guy who did just that, to sharpening carving tools with red rouge and it did put a gleaming edge on his tools quickly. His was about 4 inches and about ¾ in thick, made from glued shoe sole leather. It did have some flex, he ran his bolted to a washing machine motor, so it ran pretty fast.

I wonder if they used the wood centers to save the hides for larger wheels or to make the wheels stiffer. What do you think, Michael?

Are you guys in Sheffield using leather or are we chasing our tails?