Gravelometer (Wolman Plate)

Our Wolman Plate didn’t return from its last expedition, so I looked around for a replacement and was quite surprised to see just how much distributors will charge for what is essentially a thin sheet of aluminium with some holes in. Combined with some long lead times and with the next job looming, I made my own!

wolman plate
This is my laser cut gravelometer, cut from 3 mm Perspex

Many thanks for the B.15 Architecture Workshop for the use of their laser cutter. They cut my design from high visibility 3 mm Perspex sheet. You can cut your own from my AutoCAD files if you have access to a laser cutter, or order online from a manufacturer using the same file if not.

gif animation of laser cutting process
Cutting in progress – watching the laser cutter work is mesmerising!

For more details on measuring coarse stream beds, start with the classic papers like Wolman (1954) and Leopold (1970).