Abstract: Friction welding apparatus for substantially automatically welding relatively small diameter workpieces.The apparatus comprises a pair of spaced segmented transfer wheels on a single shaft for retaining workpieces and rotating the same between loading, welding and ejection stations, and a plurality of high-speed motors which carry workpieces at the opposite ends of each rotor, such motors being moveable from a load station through a series of speed-increasing stations to a weld station between the several transfer wheels. Hydraulic means then forces the oppositely disposed transfer wheel segments in their weld stations toward the motor therebetween to simultaneously complete two friction welds. Thereafter, the parts are ejected when the wheel segments move to the ejection stations.