fmw makes a very good point about using a perfect rim. If the tension varies from spoke to spoke more than say 5% then it is possible to spread the load across a number of spokes so that the tension is generally more even. Obviously radial or lateral trueness might suffer, but truing and stress relief is an iterative process, and the more time you take, the better will be the result (assuming that the rim isn't damaged beyond the point of being able to be trued). That is one reason that the best hand-built wheels are expensive - it's all down to time spent tweaking and truing.
Hint 1: Invest in a tensionmeter - (Park TM-1 is inexpensive, simple to use, and works very well)
I had a go at building a 36 3-leading, 3-trailing, and it was an absolute disaster. I got it laced, and sort of tensioned, but the thing looked so butt ugly (well, I was using small flanged hubs, so that was most probably not a good idea; also I was building it with double-butted spokes, which might also have been a mistake). Anyway, it was an interesting experiment, and luckily (or should I say thanks to good planning) I ended up using the spokes in a 36 x3 pattern (spokes are the same length as those used for the 3-leading, 3-trailing pattern). I got the feeling that everything would have been perfect if the spokes had been made with zero thickness…
. Has anyone else ever made a decent looking 36 3-leading, 3-trailing design? (no, not just a pretty picture generated by a CADCAM program, but a
real wheel!). What gauge spokes did you use? I'll bet it was using a large-flanged hub…
Hint 2: start with a simple 36 x3 or x4
Hope this helps
- Wil