Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Back Home

I've returned from my business trip, and it's time to get back to work.  I'd like to finish the jigs this week and hopefully begin working the steerer and the fork crown.

One thing I'm starting to realize - working with maple is hard.  It was a significant challenge cutting the curve into the block of wood, and now I'm wrestling with how to cut a trench in the edge of the wood to accept the fork blades.  Doing it by hand is probably time-prohibitive, but I don't know anyone with a router table or other equipment capable of doing this work.  There's a woodworking shop down the street that I may consult with, but if I can find a conduit bender I may rent/borrow/steal one.

Because I cut the window in the fork jig too large, I need to cut the clamp block down a little shorter.  I also need to square the ends of the dropout block and drill a hole in it for the threaded rod that will hold the dropouts (still need to acquire the rod and some nuts, too...).  After that work is done, I can attach the blocks to the backboard.

I still haven't found a local source for Dye-Kem and have yet to purchase any brazing consumables.  I think I will plan to leave work early on Friday to take a trip to the welding store.

1 comment:

  1. Have you purchased materials (tubes/lugs etc) yet? I was wondering hoe much this side of the project costs. Also, what kind of tubing, and how heavy for the completed frame? IANAWW, just a bit sick of hills on my 30 lb commuter and considering using my existing tools for a custom build.

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