Handbuilt to help you get lost
This was my first attempt at S-bends seatstays. I have built two frames with single-bend stays but those were a couple years ago and I did the single bend on my 7" radius oak fork blade bender. After hummin and hawing for awhile and attempting to make my own somewhat clunky 8" radius bender out... Continue Reading →
THIS ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD AS OF 4/30/13 I bought this chainstay mitering fixture in 2011 for approx. $800 total with: 3 sets of tubing blocks size = 2 of the 30x16 (one square and one with rounded corners) and one 26x18. ($200). The newer rounded corner 30/16 fit better than the squared edge blocks... Continue Reading →
The Anvil main (all, actually) tube mitering fixture barely fits on my horizontal mill. Mostly the 5x20" table is pretty tiny for an 8" rotary table (rotab) which is what the MTMF requires. I have the rotab attached in the center t-slot but really i should have fabricated an extension plate so I'd be able... Continue Reading →
Just getting back to blogging about fabricating some stuff but been busy with other things lately. I'm done with Scott's fatbike fork with an good amount of bling (brazons) for fatty loaded touring goodness and the use of a Dyno hub with internally routed wiring. I'll post something on that fork soon once it gets... Continue Reading →
But I am giving it a try. I've watched many of the Tubalcain's YouTube videos and they do in fact rock, but you also need the right tools and hands on training and experience to get even the simplest job done on the mill or lathe. I'm sure I'll get there with more trial and... Continue Reading →
I got a new fixture. I feel guilty just saying that. After all, it's cooler not to have fixtures and use files, or make your own. I know, but I gave in to the inner tool whore. I'm trying to streamline and quicken my process so I can actually make bikes for people one day... Continue Reading →
I usually make wishbone stays but I wanted to make this current cross frame more 'classic' looking and a little lighter, so I went with fastbacks. I've been filing my fastback seat stays as a way to "earn my chops." (If you're not a new framebuilder you don't know this...but the old/er guys mostly recommend... Continue Reading →
It's been awhile since talking about my tooling setup but I haven't thought much about my milling machine since getting it set up. I guess that's a good sign, eh? It works for what I use it for, even though it'd be great to have a bigger machine. I'm putting it to test more now... Continue Reading →
Thanks to everyone that regularly stops-in to see what I'm ranting about in the framebuilding microcosm. It's actually a much bigger world than I'd imagined and a great group of people. Truls, whom I do not know other than seeing his signature on message board posts, linked to my last post on Pulsed Tig-welding in... Continue Reading →
Someday, I'll have to post a full writeup on the details of this frame fixture, but for now I just wanted to comment on how cool the tubeholder is. With any fixture it seems to me that unless you're building a lugged frame (tube-holders 'built-in') it is really nice to have a way to at... Continue Reading →