Machine for fitting spokes into wheel hubs

In a machine for fitting spokes into wheel hubs, each wheel hub having 2n evenly spaced holes, the combination comprising, a frame, a post carried by said frame, first means supported by said post for maintaining said hub in a position in which its axis forms an acute angle of less than 30.degree. with the vertical, second means cooperatively engaged with said first means for rotating said hub about its axis, first and second tubes adjustably carried by said post and forming a small angle with the axis of said hub, a nose-piece carried at an end of each tube, each said nose-piece being associated with a ring of said hub, third means coupled to said tubes for reciprocating said nose-pieces in the vertical direction, said nose-pieces being positioned in a low position just above the associated rings for supplying the holes, fourth means supported by said frame and positioned to supply a spoke to each tube when said nose-pieces are in their low position, so that said spokes descend under the effect of gravity into said tubes with their flattened part in an upward position, control means connected to said first, second, third and fourth means so that said hub is rotated in a selected direction and makes a revolution during which said nose-pieces are moved downwardly n times, and so that, after each downward movement of said nose-pieces, a spoke is fed into each tube, said nose-pieces being lowered every (2.pi./n) and only being raised again after having passed, each one, over at least one hole and after a spoke has fallen under the effect of gravity into the first hole met by each of said nose-pieces, and means carried by said frame for handling said hub so as to take said hub after the first pass and place it, after turning it over, in a position where the remianing holes will be provided with spokes during a second pass.