I'm thinking about getting some cheap 4130 steel to do a practice run... build up a "rough draft" frame, so to speak. At the very least I'll likely use the jig to tack a few joints, then fillet braze, file and finish them. It's tough to decide whether I should just jump right in and start making my first frame, or if I should practice some more. The seat tube cone is probably a couple weeks out, so I have some time.
Other than brazing practicing, the wait will give me time to sketch some designs of the custom fat bike, finalize the geometry, and ultimately produce up a life-size drawing of the frame. I hope to be buying frame tubes in May, and brazing my first frame in June.
7 comments:
If you feel like mucking around with cheap stuff and don't want to wait for the centring cone, I have heard people using tow balls designed for cars as a centering cone. might be worth it for extra practice!
Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
Hi- That's a great looking lawn! Good work on the jig.
That's a good tip David, thanks! I might have to look into it...
How much did your jig cost, all said and done?
That's hard to say, Ben. I bought all the parts over several months... a couple parts at a time. My best guess at a grand total would be somewhere between $250 and $300.
Cool, thanks for all the posts! Both informative and super fun to follow!
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