lugged bicycle frame fabrication

This is a brief demo video about DIY frame building. My camera died halfway through the video, so I had to use an older one with poor resolution and splice in clips from other vids.

You can find the book at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Lugged-Bicycle-Construction-Manual-Builder/dp/145365058...

This is the tool I used to make miters:

http://www.jointjigger.com/

Here is a cheap Chinese version:

http://www.harborfreight.com/pipe-tubing-notcher-42324.html

Neither tool is necessary. The builder can build miters using tubemiter.exe which draws a paper template:

http://www.ozhpv.org.au/shed/tubemiter.htm

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• bicycle
• bike
• frame
• steel
• miter
• braze
• fabrication
• construction
• DIY
• brazing
• mitering

[vyoufinder]

Is that a conduit bender you're using to bend stays? How has that been working out?

[mchimonas]

@vyoufinder Yes, it's a $35 tube bender I got at harbor freight. Comes with dies for 1/2" and 7/8" tubing. The 1/2" part broke the first time I used it, but I've bent many 22.2mm chain stays with the 7/8" part. Works good for smaller (10 degree or less) bends. Another method is to cap one end of the stay with a silacone earplug, pour water in the stay, freeze it, and then stick it in a vice and bend away. Ice keeps the stay from crimping as long as the bend is smallish (10 degrees).

[djSmow]

I am a first time builder hoping to construct a single speed/fixie frame. As I understand from your book the difficulty of incorporating horizontal droupouts for a single speed frame is aligning them when brazing so that the drive wheel is in line with the frame. Is this correct?

[mchimonas]

@djSmow yes, getting the dropouts to line up correctly is called getting them "in phase" which can be tricky. On the bright side, even if you don't get the dropouts (track ends) in phase, you will have at least one "sweet spot' in which the rear wheel is aligned in the stays. Problem is, the sweet spot might not be at the right place for correct chain tension given your cog/chainring tooth count.

[Axbent]

are the lugs bored when you get them?

[mchimonas]

@Axbent No, often the fit is too tight for the tubes. One can bore them out with a grinding bit on a rotary tool or hand drill. The hand drill works better for boring. The rotary tool is better for grinding miters.

[MrSoundnut]

Howdy, what is that mitering jig you are using in the vid? is that something you put together yourself using a drill press or is that a specifically designed tool? Im wondering as i am looking into building my first frame over the summer months. thanks

[MrSoundnut]

Howdy, what is that mitering jig you are using in the vid? is that something you put together yourself using a drill press or is that a specifically designed tool? Thanks

[Axbent]

@mchimonas Got a lathe dude! ;)