/ About
The Western Canadian Wheelwright’s Association (WCWA) is a non-profit society set up to foster the skills associated with the carriage trade. We are not a professional trade organization which licenses or bonds our members. The membership of WCWA includes men and women at all levels of proficiency who are encouraged to share their knowledge with each other. The purpose of the Association is to promote and encourage the craft of wheelwrighting. Today in North America, and in other areas of the world, the numbers of part- and full-time wheelwrights are growing steadily, accompanied by a growing need for information.
/ About
Organizations such as the WCWA and their publication, The Traveller disseminate technical information to this growing body of interest. In recent years, new books on carriage building and the technical aspects of wheel building have found a ready market. The need for relevant technical information is particularly acute because many of the tradesmen who would have passed on their knowledge are gone. Gone too are the apprenticeship systems that supported the industry.
The Return of the Wheelwright
When you arrive at this website you may be wondering why anyone would want to start an association related to the topic of building wooden wheels. It is, after all, the beginning of the 21st century. In terms of technology, we are light-years away from the horse and buggy era.
A Turn of Events
But in recent years, more and more people have discovered the joys of driving horse-drawn vehicles. Carriage driving, wagon treks, pleasure driving, competitive driving, and chuck-wagon racing are just a few of the ways people use horse-drawn vehicles.
A Comeback
I doubt if anyone could have predicted this turn of events in the early part of the last century, when automobiles inspired the public imagination. As carriage shops gave way to automobile factories, who would have thought wheelwrights would once again be in demand.