Old-Fashioned Water Wheel

Although the bare backyard of San Francisco homeowner Jeff Parrett offers little in the way of visual interest, Parrett isn't worried--he has big plans for the space. During a trip to the Sierra Foothills, Parrett visited an old mill, complete with waterwheel, and he's decided to replicate the structure on his landscape, which has no structural elements except for a small utilitarian tool shed.

To implement the project, Parrett has enlisted the help of landscape designer Dan Berger, who says that although a waterwheel is an unusual landscape feature, it makes a great focal point and provides a unique way to accent an existing or soon-to-be-built pond. Berger also notes that a waterwheel is a great way to dress up a broken-down shed and give it a historic look.

Berger estimates that a professional installation of such a project would cost around $3,000 but that a do-it-yourselfer with sound carpentry skills could complete the work in about two weekends, for a total cost of about $700 in materials (this figure covers only the wheel, not the pond). Ample carpentry experience and attention to detail are critical for good results: on a difficulty scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the hardest, Berger rates the project a 5.

As construction of the waterwheel gets underway, workers have already built a beautiful stone pond into which the water from the wheel will flow. To proceed, they clear the ground next to the tool shed at the edge of the pond where the waterwheel will be built.

Once the area is cleared, they construct a rectangular three-section wooden form in which to pour the concrete footing, which consists of three attached "blocks." (The two end blocks are elevated to provide platforms for the wheel's two support stands, and the low center block allows clearance for the wheel.) After staking the wooden form in place in the designated area, the crew inserts lengths of rebar into the ground within each section of the form to hold the footings in place.

The crew fills the form for the footings with ready-mix concrete, then uses a trowel to smooth the surface. After allowing the concrete to cure for 24 hours, workers remove the wooden form, disassembling it one piece at a time.

They cover the freshly poured footings with a section of the pond liner (available in pond-supply stores) and tuck the edges of the liner around the perimeter of the pond.

Finally, they conceal the liner with stones of various sizes to create the appearance of a dry creek bed. Berger explains that using stones of different sizes yields a natural look, but all should have a rounded shape--no sharp or jagged edges that could tear the liner.

Step Two: Building the Wheel

To construct the wheel, Berger uses 3/4-inch-thick marine-grade plywood (used in building boats), which doesn't swell when wet and holds up well over time. Berger notes that it's also easy to work with. To begin, he puts down a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood, and snaps two diagonal chalk lines from opposing corners so the lines intersect in the middle, marking the exact center of the plywood.

Berger creates a compass from a long, flat board and attaches it to the center point through a hole drilled in one end; the opposite end is also fitted with holes to accommodate a pencil for marking circular outlines.

Berger rotates the compass with a pencil fitted through the hole closest to the center point to mark the inner circle; to create the outline for the outer circle, he moves the pencil to the hole closest to the end of the board and repeats the process.

Once the outlines of the doughnut-shaped ring is marked, Berger creates an identical ring on a second sheet of 4' x 8' plywood, then carefully cuts out the outer circles with a jigsaw, creating two large disks.

Before cutting out the inner circles that will transform the disks into the wheel's outer rings, Berger lays a paper template on top of each disk to mark the locations for the buckets that will fit between the two rings. The placement of each bucket has been marked on the template. To transfer the markings to the disks, Berger punches through the paper with a small tool to create slight indentations in the wood at the points where the screws will be driven to secure the buckets. When finished, he is left with plywood circles that will form the rims of the wheel.

Step Three: Making the Buckets and Adding Plants

To create the 16 V-shaped buckets that will fit between the two rings, carpenter Bob Schmidt uses a table saw to cut two long strips of marine-grade plywood from a full-size sheet (table saws can be rented for about $20 per day). Each strip is eight inches wide.

Schmidt sets the table saw at a 45-degree angle and runs the strips through it a second time to create a beveled edge along one side. (This cut also decreases the width of the strips.)

He then uses a miter saw to cut the strips into 32 11-inch-long pieces, which he pairs and fastens together along the bottom edge to create the V-shaped buckets. To fit each pair of rectangles together, Schmidt positions one piece with its beveled edge against the surface of its counterpart, bottom edges together, for a perfect fit. He bonds the pieces with polyurethane glue, then nails along the seam with a nail gun for extra durability.

Once all 16 buckets are assembled, Schmidt drills through the indentations in the rings to make attachment easier. He secures three equidistant buckets in place on the first ring, using screws. Then he lays the ring on a flat work surface so the three attached buckets are upright. He secures the second ring to these three buckets, then proceeds to screw the remaining 13 buckets in their positions between the two rings.

While Schmidt finishes attaching the buckets to the rings, Berger creates a planting plan designed to integrate the waterwheel and pond with the surroundings and create a natural look. Here are some of his choices:

• Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale), Zones 3-11 (can be invasive; keep in containers to prevent it from taking over)
• Himalayan maidenhair fern (Adiantum venustum), Zones 5-8
• Rosa 'Matador', Zones 5-9
• Canna 'Indian Buckshot', Zones 8-11 (should be brought indoors for the winter)
• Society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea), Zones 7-10

Step Four: Finishing the Wheel

To complete the wheel, Berger creates the hub assembly, consisting of two small wooden octagons connected by rectangular pieces of wood to form a cylindrical structure. Berger cuts the rectangles 10 inches long (to equal the wheel's width), with beveled edges so they'll fit together perfectly along the sides, then attaches them to the octagonal end pieces and to one another with polyurethane glue and nails.

Once the octagonal hub assembly is finished, the crew cuts 32 spokes (16 for each side) to attach the hub to the wheel. The spokes mea-sure two inches wide and are cut from a sheet of marine-grade plywood; their length is cut so the spokes extend from the center of the hub to the outer edges of the wheel rings.

After cutting the spokes to fit against each other at the center of the hub, workers secure them to the hub and the outer rings with coated deck screws. After using a 3/4-inch bit to drill through the ends of the hub, the crew runs a 3/4-inch length of galvanized pipe through the openings.

Two simple box-style wooden stands have been constructed to serve as the wheel's supports, with holes drilled near the top through which the galvanized pipe can be run. The crew has attached large Vs--made from two strips of plywood--to the top outer edges of the support stands; these angled boards extend three to four feet above the stands and will support the water chute that will be added above the wheel.

Short lengths of 2x4s have been notched with half-circles and secured inside the boxes directly under the holes to provide extra support beneath the pipe. Once the pipe has been inserted so that it rests on the supports, the crew attaches a half- circle-notched 2x4 over the top half of the pipe on each side to hold it firmly in place.

Now the wheel's structure is complete, and the crew moves it to the designated area, securing the box stands on the elevated sides of the concrete footings. Then workers secure a shallow trough on top of the large Vs that extend upward from the wheel's support stands: this will serve as the water chute.

The crew extends the chute by adding another shallow trough angled from the back end of the first trough so that it continues around the back of the small adjacent shed. This gives the impression of a distant water source, says Berger, making the water feature seem more realistic.

Finally, the crew installs a quarter-horsepower pump in the pond below the wheel and runs a flexible pipe from the pump to the back chute (concealed with rocks and other elements) to channel the water down the chute, over the wheel and back into the pond.