Quantcast

How Lexus makes their handcrafted wood steering wheels

CurbJumper

Turbo Monkey
Aug 31, 2010
1,022
0
Central FL
Now I know that there are some other car guys on here I feel comfortable sharing car-related stories. I stumbled across this bit and figured you guys might enjoy it. :thumb:

Making a handcrafted wooden Lexus steering wheel



To make a premium steering wheel, you need premium materials. Lexus' solid-carved steering wheels (one of two types found in Lexus vehicles, the other being the wood-finished style) are made from pure walnut and birds-eye maple. After the wood pieces are selected, they first undergo a “stress process”—a weeklong alternation between humidification and dehumidification, which minimizes the possibility of warping and essentially “freezes” the wood's innate quality



Next, the wood is cut into smaller pieces, fixed to the cutting machine table by suction, not clamps, to prevent scarring. The wood pieces that go into a single Lexus solid-carved steering wheel all come from the same piece of wood, both for aesthetic reasons and for uniform strength. And because every board is different, with a different grain design, every Lexus solid-carved steering wheel is a one-of-a-kind creation.



Now the craftsmanship begins to shine, as the pieces are carved into curved shapes, which will be fitted around a metal core. Lexus' steering wheel manufacturer, Miroku Technowood, has been a master of wood- and metal-working since the Meiji era, when the company's founder began making products for a 19th-century shogun. Today, Miroku is the world's only maker of carved-wood-over-metal steering wheels, and Lexus is the only automaker to use them.



Here, the solid carved wood pieces have been fitted to the top and bottom of the core-metal interior, where they're glued around the wheel, forming the basic form. To ensure the quality of the final finish, Miroku purposefully uses glue that matches the shade of the wood.



Next, a woodworker fine-tunes the final curves of the steering wheel's wood pieces, using a ball-end mill with a rounded tip; here the craftsman is carving finger rests at the 10-10 hand positions, subtly adjusting the blade's rotation speed to achieve uniform grooves



Next up: the polishing station. Anyone who's worked with fine woods knows that polishing raw wood is a high art form. Hardness, density, and color will vary, even on a single piece of wood, and if the entire surface is sanded in the same way, say by machine, the result can be a slightly uneven surface. So, to achieve a fine, uniform finish, Lexus steering-wheel wood gets hand-sanded by artisans, who can evaluate the variables as they smooth things out.



After the raw-wood polishing, the wheel's wood pieces advance to a filler process, also done by hand. Here, another artisan carefully brushes in the filler, evaluating by sight and touch where the most application is needed to fill in microscopic holes inherent even in fine woods



After the filler dries, the wheels receive a sealer coat, followed by a colored paint layer—applied very thinly to ensure that the natural wood tones aren't lost. The color's main purpose is to match the shade of the wood trim inside the vehicles. Finally, a thin clear basecoat is applied, followed by a thin final layer of clear paint, both to protect against UV light and scratches and to give the wheel a decorative, mirror-like finish



Finally, true to the extraordinary lengths Lexus goes to make sure all vehicle components are carefully, and personally, examined, the finished wheel undergoes hand and eye inspections before advancing to a Lexus assembly plant to receive electronics, airbags, and other components.

https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/magazine/content.do#:/pub-share/magazine/html/Vehicle-Insider/Steering-Wheel.html
 

JohnE

filthy rascist
May 13, 2005
13,430
1,949
Front Range, dude...
As cool as that is (Insight into the manufacturing process), it strikes me as a big waste of natural resources to please some rich guy.
Knowing full well that a car is a global warmer by nature...
 
Last edited:

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,573
24,191
media blackout
As cool as that is (Insight into the manufacturing process), it strikes me as a big waste of natrual resources to please some rich guy.
you think this is bad, you should see the waste produced from making other products :rofl: remember the toxic sludge spill from the aluminum processing plant a month or two ago?
 

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
40,494
9,524
As cool as that is (Insight into the manufacturing process), it strikes me as a big waste of natural resources to please some rich guy.
Knowing full well that a car is a global warmer by nature...
give up your car yet?
 

JohnE

filthy rascist
May 13, 2005
13,430
1,949
Front Range, dude...
Havent driven it over 3 months.

(But I am deployed, busy watching others waste natural resources. You should have seen the looks I got when I pulled out my travel coffee mug. "What, you dont like styrofoam?")
 

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
"a woodworker" = 4 axis CNC mill
The only thing handcrafted on that is the sanding. If that counts, then entire Boeing airplanes can now be called handcrafted.
 

DirtMcGirk

<b>WAY</b> Dumber than N8 (to the power of ten alm
Feb 21, 2008
6,379
1
Oz
Doesn't change why people think its a luxury must have.

Wood is much like "the smell of rich corinthian leather," its just to get the panties to come off.
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,862
4,160
Copenhagen, Denmark
Doesn't change why people think its a luxury must have.

Wood is much like "the smell of rich corinthian leather," its just to get the panties to come off.
Agree but I still think its funny people fall for it. Even more in the US than Europe. Hell you can for example buy your BMWs without leather or fake leather in Europe if you choose to.
 

DirtMcGirk

<b>WAY</b> Dumber than N8 (to the power of ten alm
Feb 21, 2008
6,379
1
Oz
I liked the leather in my BMW...

Why would you own any car like this? Status, prestige, or just the appearance there of. If you wanted something that was just a land rocket you'd strip down some sort of monster and go like hell. But when you're not going like hell, road head sure is nice.
 

Sghost

Turbo Monkey
Jul 13, 2008
1,038
0
NY
Agree but I still think its funny people fall for it. Even more in the US than Europe. Hell you can for example buy your BMWs without leather or fake leather in Europe if you choose to.
You can get a BMW without leather or fake leather here.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,942
13,135
Portland, OR
^^ That isn't "New Car Smell" you've got going on there, but I bet they are easy to keep supple.

<edit>

"The trim is made from real Brazilian rainforest, and the seats are ACTUAL Brazilians."
 

FlyinPolack

Monkey
Jul 16, 2007
371
0
"a woodworker" = 4 axis CNC mill
The only thing handcrafted on that is the sanding. If that counts, then entire Boeing airplanes can now be called handcrafted.
I have to agree. If it's ever been in a CNC it is NOT hand crafted.
Hand crafted means no CNC's involved. As a rule.
 

Eslocklier

Chimp
Nov 11, 2010
2
0
Surprised no one has brought this up-but doesn't look too "hand made" to me. Looks more "CNC Made and Hand assembled"