Carys frame and new digs...

Well, I busted my bum to get a ride under Cary for the first race, but it was obviously not the finished state I wanted to present to him.  So I worked on his actual frame which will be ready for the open house and next race on May 22.  Here's a quick photo tour for ya...

The whole frame starts with the backbone...the seat post.  Here I've brazed on the binder bolt which will allow me to indicate off of for the miters, keeping everything straight...

The binder is then slotted using a slitting saw and the relief hole is placed with an end mill plunged in...

and whalaa...

Fitting it into the fixture, I then cut and miter the main tubes, which have all been inspection rolled for straightness, butts measured and marked, and oriented for the strongest placement in the frame...

miters are coming together...

Once I'm happy with the fit, extra details like water boss holes, vent holes, and cleaning the tubes are attended to then she is all welded up in the fixture to insure a dead straight component.

Then the rear end begins to take shape, starting with the chainstays... slotting for the dropouts;

and cutting for the bottom bracket...

I got through the whole enchillada yesterday with the exception of the rear disc placement and a few braze ons, hoping to finish fab today and move to paint next month.

I mentioned yesterday that lifes been busy on the personal and business front.  The main succubus of my time has been the aquisition of a new property for the family that would incorporate our home and the shop. Although I like the downtown location, the break ins, running back and forth from the shop to home for incidentals, and the inconvenience of never seeing the family have taken a toll these many years.  So we found a property to meet our needs and have been busy with closing info, design and contracting the construction of the shop, and getting our current home on the market.  It is our hope that the new location will increase my productivity and focus on the primary strengths of Groovy...making customs that are truly unique for the customer.

Anyhoo, here's some quick shots of the near future...

The new home, kinda a funky modern place with an open floorplan and warm feel.  Built new in 2007 and turned over to the bank due to financial constraints after construction, we will be the first owners/occupants :)

and plans for the shop...it is designed to compliment the house.  Slightly smaller than my current digs at 1150 square feet, it will be better layed out for more efficient operation.

Thanks for everyones patience this last month as I recovered from surgery and have moved through this transition...it took a lot more time and concentration to make it all happen than I anticipated.  I look forward to a bright future in my new work space this coming fall.

cheers,

rody