Boy, you have gotten some very poor advice on how to remove your steering wheel. Obviously none of the posters have ever worked on a Ford column from '28-'48.

The hub is a tapered shaft (7 degrees) with a woodruff key holding the steering wheel hub from rotating on the shaft. It has a nut on the threaded portion of the shaft, just above the tapered section to hold everything together.

To Remove:

Loosen the nut until the flat surface of the nut is flush with the end of the steering shaft. This will protect the threads from being damaged. Using a brass or aluminum punch held against the end of the steering shaft, give the punch a good hard wrap with a hammer. This will "shock" the tapered sections apart. Sometimes applying some upwards pressure with your thighs against the steering wheel when rapping the punch will help break it loose. Once loosened, remove the nut and lift the steering wheel off. When re-installing, be sure that the woodruff key is in place.