Wheelwright

Wheelwright is a traditional craftsman who makes and repair wooden wheels, particularly for horse-drawn wagons and carriages.  The word combines the word wheel and wright, which comes from Old English word "wryhta" meaning a maker or worker.  Similar occupational titles include shipwright and cartwrights.

Wheelwrights typically use different woods for different woods for different parts of wheel: Elm for the central hub or nave, oak for spokes, and flexible ash for outer rim. They often worked with blacksmiths, who often heated fitted custom iron tyres around finished wooden wheels.

Wheelwrights worked in association with blacksmiths and cartwrights, swayers and carpenters.

The western concept of traditional wheelwrights did not exist in pre-British Malabar.  Instead of wheeled vehicles they used water transport. But with the coming of British rule bullock-carts with large wheels came in.