Anyhoo, we'll try another contest again next week, with LOTS of notice for all the worldwide time zones.
Today the Big Brown truck stopped by and dropped off two packages of Ti tubing for me...we got Luv handles, a Ti LD stem, some material for a few rings, and a bicycle all hiding in there.
Folks are embracing alternative transportation in the big town of Woo...I rode my bike and these folks are riding in style...
June is the month I'm gonna start bustin' on some frames (2 really) and forks (about 15). Today I got started on three forks; Matt's 100mm corrected modern segmented, Fred's box crown for his Bonty, and a 29er segmented. Here's a little picture diary of Matt's work...The fork laid out on the table dimensionally and all the pieces parts, ready to begin...
I always draw out a life sized representation of the part on the alignment table to easily double check my dimensions, cuts, and anticipated geometry.
I always draw out a life sized representation of the part on the alignment table to easily double check my dimensions, cuts, and anticipated geometry.Let's get started by turning open the ID of the race. Very few, alright none, headset races come ready to slide onto the steerer tube. A quick turn in the lathe to allow for a press fit is all it needs. I quickly bore out the inside, debur and file the edge, then press it onto the steerer.
The fit should be tight, but still advance with hand pressure. I close down the mill vice so that the jaws gently sit on the race and push the steerer tube through...
Once located, the race and steerer are cleaned again then fusion welded. FYI for you want to be builders...if you are not adept at heat control, do not fusion weld your race. The heat MUST be focused so that the material forming the weld comes 80% from the race and 20% from the surface of the steerer, leaving a smooth uniform bead. If you undercut your steerer attempting this, someone will eventually have a BAD day. Better to add filler or braze if your skills/confidence are not rockin.
While the steerers are cooling, I cut up the material for the legs, cleaned, and then chucked them in the lathe to face, debur, and sand...
For this particular fork, I'm using 1.125 blades and some hooded dropouts. I swaged down the dropout end of the blade to a nice oval shape, to give better for/aft stress resistance as well as to snug up the fit on the edges of the hood. Here we are mitering in the ends...
And the cleaned up product...
While I had the Mill spinning, I also cut up the crown pieces then set up the fixture to get ready to tack everything together. Here we are measuring off the indicators to insure the Axel to Crown length and offset are correct...
When I'm sure everything is good to go, the pieces are loaded in and tolerances checked...
Nice and tight!
A final wipe with Acetone to insure all the little dust nibblets are gone and we'll tack it all up, check alignment with a straight wheel, then reload and weld away...
I think Matt is envisioning a black and silver theme for the fork as it is going on his Titus race bike...cool!
The fit should be tight, but still advance with hand pressure. I close down the mill vice so that the jaws gently sit on the race and push the steerer tube through...
Once located, the race and steerer are cleaned again then fusion welded. FYI for you want to be builders...if you are not adept at heat control, do not fusion weld your race. The heat MUST be focused so that the material forming the weld comes 80% from the race and 20% from the surface of the steerer, leaving a smooth uniform bead. If you undercut your steerer attempting this, someone will eventually have a BAD day. Better to add filler or braze if your skills/confidence are not rockin.
While the steerers are cooling, I cut up the material for the legs, cleaned, and then chucked them in the lathe to face, debur, and sand...
For this particular fork, I'm using 1.125 blades and some hooded dropouts. I swaged down the dropout end of the blade to a nice oval shape, to give better for/aft stress resistance as well as to snug up the fit on the edges of the hood. Here we are mitering in the ends...
And the cleaned up product...
While I had the Mill spinning, I also cut up the crown pieces then set up the fixture to get ready to tack everything together. Here we are measuring off the indicators to insure the Axel to Crown length and offset are correct...
When I'm sure everything is good to go, the pieces are loaded in and tolerances checked...
Nice and tight!
A final wipe with Acetone to insure all the little dust nibblets are gone and we'll tack it all up, check alignment with a straight wheel, then reload and weld away...
I think Matt is envisioning a black and silver theme for the fork as it is going on his Titus race bike...cool!See y'all tomorrow,
rody
5 comments:
Hey Rody,
Is that a rotisserie you have setup for fusing the headset race on the steerer? Same system for fusing endcaps to segemented fork legs?
-Andy NC
The picture of the alternative transportation is great! I also love how your seat post binder is in the front. I always seem to fill mine up with dirt.
I don't think I have every seen a seat post binder in the front like that.
hey guys,
I place all my binders to the front for a very specific reason...it's stronger, cleaner, and makes me happy.
I never understood why builders slot and bind to the rear of the seat tube. A large portion of the stress on the tube is placed towards the rear by the leveraging seat post. To slot and bind at that focal point introduces a weakness that is not necessary or prudent. By moving the compression slot around to the front, the highest stressed portion of the seat tube is retained intact, allowing the binding duties to be taken up elsewhere. Stays cleaner too.
Andy, the roller is a throwback to the Grove days, simply an adjustable dradle with sealed bearings that allow you to rotate the tube in a fluid motion for fusing. It gets a LOT of use for the endcaps on the Luv Handles.
cheers,
rody
OOPS...
"simply an adjustable dradle"
...should have been
"simply an adjustable cradle"
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