44 Bikes Frame Shop
- Thread starter fortyfour
- Start date
Most of the studio shots (white background) and photos in the shop are taken with a Nikon D60 body with AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm lens. I used to lug this along on rides if you can imagine... Once in a blue moon I will now if I have something specific I need for a graphic or catalog. All corrections that are needed are done in Photoshop v5.5.
Here's a shot taken with that camera / lens combo in color, but turned to black and white in PS: (to date, I think this is one of my best self portraits while welding-lucked out on that one)
I recently upgraded my iTouch to the newer version which for it's size and resolution takes some great pics. I use an app called "Snapseed" for photo correction/manipulation. The two photos of the ride in the snow via fatbike were taken with the iTouch. Much easier to carry in a pocket instead of lugging a hydration pack. Here's an example of a shot from the iTouch and then manipulated using the app Snapseed using the options: Tune Image (allows for contrast, saturation, brightness etc type changes0, Tilt-shift (gives the edges a fuzzy feel/out of focus look), and Center Focus (allows you to adjust a few aspects but it puts emphasis on where you want the viewers eye to fall):
Since a race, I've switched to water bottles as it's just simpler as the majority of my rides are about 1 hr. Anything that happens... it is what it is. I carry a spare, tire iron and pump. Anything past that, if I can't fix it with my bare hands I'm walking. Longer rides I will carry a hydration pack which allows for more "stuff". I will make a small tool roll though I think for the saddle so I can carry a multitool and patch kit. I am tubeless on all my bikes with the exception of the fatbike, and to date, I've put holes in tires 5 times that the sealant would not seal up for this season alone. Maybe it's the granite or bad luck, but flats are still a "thing" for me. So a tube has come in handy more than once.
But getting back to photographs/cameras, it's all about the lens quality. With the digital camera's we have now, the ability of the camera to capture information is even greater giving you a greater range of colors and information to tune your shots. Smaller point/shoot cameras are great to a certain level, but for real clarity and purity, you get what you pay for as they say. I have my eye on an upgrade in the new year for this camera body. More Megapixels...
A few recent shots off the Nikon D60:
Finished a few tools:
But as a side note, you can plainly see in a bunch of the shots that white balance is a problem. For money's sake, I have CFL bulbs in my overhead lights. They cast a light that is incredibly difficult to shoot / compensate for... I've considered getting incandescents JUST for the sake of the "look" of the photos. Also the type of light that they give off while working isn't that same glow of incandescents and fluorescent tubes actually are a bit easier to shoot under (some of my earlier shots had a richer feel to them because of the temporary lighting I was using!). Anyway, it's all fun no matter how you spin it. A good challenge. Till next time, enjoy.
Thanks for the info. Photography is a huge hobby of mine. You have a really good eye for it.
I typically use a D90, but it is a pain to lug around. It has made it out on more than one bike ride though. Typically I use my droid phone a lot.
I clicked on this thinking "motorcycle frames?!" but being a bit of a cyclist I read through the first post was instantly hooked and continued to click thorough the 41 page thread over the past few days.
Epic is the first word that comes to mind. The shop, the photography, the designs, the fab skills (art in my opinion), and the attention to detail even where it will certainly go unnoticed (hearts, tooling, work benches, etc.) are all simply awesome. You and your story are an inspiration to me being an aspiring metal fab junky and amateur machinist/welder.
I'd love to buy a frame, leave it raw (maybe a satin clear?) and hang it on the wall. I suppose riding one would be cool too...
Thanks for sharing and keep it up!
Edit:
Also, is there a reason for placing the down tube so close to the top top be where they meet the head tube (essentially further up the head tube from the lower headset cup)? Seems like it'd be more susceptible to buckling especially with the leverage generated by the taller dirt forks and the forces associated with riding off road or even stopping hard. Apparently it is not an issue due to all your testing and I understand these aren't free ride frames. In my experience head tube junctions are generally a weak spot. I just wonder if it would be worthwhile to put the down tube as low as possible.
Epic is the first word that comes to mind. The shop, the photography, the designs, the fab skills (art in my opinion), and the attention to detail even where it will certainly go unnoticed (hearts, tooling, work benches, etc.) are all simply awesome. You and your story are an inspiration to me being an aspiring metal fab junky and amateur machinist/welder.
I'd love to buy a frame, leave it raw (maybe a satin clear?) and hang it on the wall. I suppose riding one would be cool too...
Thanks for sharing and keep it up!
Edit:
Also, is there a reason for placing the down tube so close to the top top be where they meet the head tube (essentially further up the head tube from the lower headset cup)? Seems like it'd be more susceptible to buckling especially with the leverage generated by the taller dirt forks and the forces associated with riding off road or even stopping hard. Apparently it is not an issue due to all your testing and I understand these aren't free ride frames. In my experience head tube junctions are generally a weak spot. I just wonder if it would be worthwhile to put the down tube as low as possible.
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HellaFab
Well-known member
@44,
Im looking to build myself a road frame, just to try.
Any resources that you would recommend to beginner frame builders? Websites, articles etc.
Cheers
Im looking to build myself a road frame, just to try.
Any resources that you would recommend to beginner frame builders? Websites, articles etc.
Cheers
Heifer Boy
Member
So your into riding so much your even clipping in to your foot pedal!!! LOL!!
Thanks for the kind words. Good to hear it's an inspiration. The reason for marching the down tube a bit up the head tube on mountain bikes which sport suspension forks is to clear the fork's crown and adjustment knobs. That's the basic reason and that distance is typically in the .75-1.00" range. I don't like to use gussets because where the gusset ends, you're basically telling the tube where to fail and if you've seen a lot of frame failures via the web, many buckle/crack right where the gusset ends. The majority of my down tubes are 1.5" in diameter which is a pretty large pipe. But you are correct that the down tube should be as far down the head tube as possible, but clearances must also be balanced so the fork's crown and knobs does not hit the down tube if the bars spin in a fall.
Paragon Machine Works for small parts, bottom brackets, head tubes, braze-on's, dropouts etc. Tubing suppliers are Nova Cycles, Henry James for True Temper, Columbus, Reynolds, and Pacenti to name a few. Henry Hames and Nova also supply lugs, bottom bracket shells and braze-ons as well. Wicks Aircraft, Aircraft Spruce and a few others offer 4130 Steel aircraft tubing in a large selection of seamless tubing profiles / diameters / wall thicknesses.
For how to's and such, Richard Sachs has a section on his website which has a list of links for "how frames are made" where he gives you links to see how other builders go through their process. My own is here via flickr. each image has a description and reads like a book with steps. Also some of the websites have Frame Builder sub-forums. MTBR has one. My preferred one and one that I contribute to often is Velocipede Salon. Very knowledgeable people there. But go in being informed if you are asking questions. Basically do some homework before you ask any questions as there is a lot of information out there on the basics and many threads on the basics.
Also many of the prominent builders have a how-to section on their site, maybe not an actual how to, but a picture thread from start to finish of a bike. Many do this on their blog, flickr or tumblr too.
Also, it would depend if you are building lugged to start or if you are going to tig weld your first frame. Both methods progress the same in a way, but different processes need to be taken into account for both.
There are a few books on the basic methods, but I'd say the best one is The Paterek Manual.
Understood. I figured there was a good reason for it. Funny you bring up the fork adjuster clearance. That isn't an aspect some of the big name builders take into consideration. I had a Santa Cruz that had some interference issues there and it was a pucker factor any time I crashed haha.
Interesting point about gussets. My other aluminum full suspension frame developed some cracks along the lower most weld on the gusset. From an engineering standpoint gussets work well when properly designed. Like you said, lots of times they're too stiff and promote failure... but on another note maybe with out the gusset those broken frames would just break at the head tube welds. There's a lot that goes into something like that and I think lots of MFG's just slap one on there thinking they are adding strength...
Either way, keep it up man!!
HellaFab
Well-known member
Thanks for taking the time to write this for me.
Being that I have a TIG welder but no torches (at the moment) I plan to TIG weld the frame.
What tips would you have for TIG frames? I assume its mostly heat management and warping, but fill me in!
Cheers,
M
Alexbn921
Well-known member
Great work. Nice to see a true craftsman building beautiful bikes.
Tacking sequence is important. Tube prep and cleanliness is important. Depending on how much fuss you wan to go to, back purging is important as it reduces the time/wear on your reaming/facing tools especially when reaming the seat tube post weld. That one can be a real b!tch if you have not purged. Heat control and minimizing HAZ (heat effected zone) is important. For your first frame, or first dozen, alignment is less important as you are most likely still just attempting to get over the hurdle of building the bike. Having a systematic method and approach that keeps this held while tacking and on center will build a fairly straight frame out of the gates. Tight miters help with this tremendously. Heat input and heat management help with this.
My tacking sequence is as follows: Chainstays have been tacked to the dropouts and to the bottom bracket, so this is a subassembly that is placed into the jig. I then tack the seat tube to the bottom bracket first on the side facing the down tube, then facing the rear dropouts. So basically if that is the compass, South, North the West, and finally East. Down tube overlaps seat tube, so I weld from the center facing the down tube to the west (drive side). Then starting back to center over to the east (non-drive side). See how I have started and finished using the heat and compensating for how things are cooling? I will finally do a small wrap behind the seat tube facing the dropouts perhaps 4-6 beads. Next I place the down tube in place, flip the frame upside down and tack the underside of the DT/BB. The heat pulls the tube down and against the Head Tube. Flip the frame and tack it at the Head tube. Flip again and tack it under the HT/DT junction. Last is tacking the DT at the ST crotch. If the top tube (TT) is very close to the down tube (DT) I will wrap a weld across the top of the down tube in either case as it is hidden or if it's close, it's a heck of a lot easier to wrap that weld now without the TT in place. TT goes in place. Tacked at top of TT/HT junction, over to the TT/ST junction and tack there. Flip frame back to TT/HT junction tack underside of tube, and then lastly over to the TT/ST junction.
Allow frame to fully cool. Remove from jig. Ream/face the bottom bracket and onto alignment table or beam to check alignment. Note where frame is moving. Make any corrections now - once seat stays are in place, it is exponentially harder to make any correction once they are in place. If moving one way or the other more than usual, I will lay down a few beads in key spots to move things back into center. Cool, check on alignment, miter/fit seat stays with wheel in place to make sure all bends are in the right spot. Clean/prep/tack seat stays in place. Final alignment check after cooled. If you are using heat syncs at any time during the construction, they should be left in place until they are fully cooled before removal. This keeps things round. Frame is fully tacked, weld sequence determined, weld-fest commences. Frame is fully welded outside of the frame jig on a stand that rotates for ease of access. Hope that helps and good luck!
Tman
Well-known member
Nice as always. New day job has me ******* with less time to read Vsalon or here!
Kiwi Tinbender
Active member
Yeah, Trent--you better get to selling some cars--the Lakester won`t build itself....
That's possible. Was it one of those ads where they tune it to your viewing preferences or something? I'm not associated with them in any way other than having an account like many others.
In other news: State of the shop 2 weeks ago. We're getting a bunch more snow now...
YoungMedic
Well-known member
Ahhh I was anticipating some winter shop pictures this year. Thank you, looks amazing. 
I just love this place.
893cv
Well-known member
Many images from this thread are in my " Inspirations" folder. Thanks Kristofer.
More Snow. More Bikes
First, some cool news: I will be showing at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) in Charlotte, NC. More info can be found here for show dates/times. If you are in the Charlotte area, be sure to stop by as there are a lot of really talented builders showing and the work is top notch. My booth is #926. Swing by and be sure to say hello. I'd love to meet you and share my work
Moving along, we got hammered the past 2 days with snow. I think all told about 16"? Will have to take a more "official" measurement. But here's a shot of the shop after the clean up:
This past week was spent putting together the 2014 catalog. You can view it on Issuu here. So that meant more time up at the studio and not in the shop. But I have 2 at paint right now and a 3rd at powder and I'm waiting on some components to start the next one in line. All told, there's 10 in the list for 2014. 2012 I built 8. 2013 I built 16. We'll see if I can push that even further as word grows. Slow and steady! But I was working on a small part for a the build that is currently at powder. Most CX solutions for cantilever brake routing is sometimes to drill a stem and route the cable up, over and through the stem. A good solution, but kind of not so elegant looking to my eye. Under the stem seems like a better solution. That's what this little part does. This only requires drilling one small hole that is tapped for a M5 x .8 cap screw. 2nd rough draft here:
And routed using an old brake noodle (new ones on the way):
Going to do a little more machining on these to make those edges not so thick looking. Then CAD it up and see where we are.
Also took some time friday to play. Play as in play with some settings on my Miller Dynasty 200dx. Been meaning to try out some new kit and make some adjustments. I altered the flow from the reg. to the torch, increased the Pulses Per Second (PPS), adjusted my Peak amperage percentage and tried out a No. 12 Alumina Nozzle with matching gas lens. I have a No. 10 on the way, but I like the larger nozzle as you can grip it in different ways and I felt like I had a lot more control holding that nozzle vs the No. 8 stub. But I'd like to use all the same settings with my preferred No. 8 stubby nozzle (I can see the no 12 getting in the way in certain spots) and see if i can achieve the same results. Much better coverage and my speed was a lot faster too due to the PPS increase.
In other news, here's some recent work for all to enjoy. Till next time...
This next bike is very special. It was commissioned by a global player in the cycling industry to be one of their show bikes for Nahbs, Interbike, Eurobike and all points in between. It was quite the honor to get that call. It's finished and currently in Providence, RI getting painted by Jay Nutini of Circle A Cycles. We came up with a pretty rad paint scheme. That's all I'll let on-it will be at Nahbs, and if you attend, see if you can spot it. One of the colors will be gloss black of course...
First, some cool news: I will be showing at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show (NAHBS) in Charlotte, NC. More info can be found here for show dates/times. If you are in the Charlotte area, be sure to stop by as there are a lot of really talented builders showing and the work is top notch. My booth is #926. Swing by and be sure to say hello. I'd love to meet you and share my work
Moving along, we got hammered the past 2 days with snow. I think all told about 16"? Will have to take a more "official" measurement. But here's a shot of the shop after the clean up:
This past week was spent putting together the 2014 catalog. You can view it on Issuu here. So that meant more time up at the studio and not in the shop. But I have 2 at paint right now and a 3rd at powder and I'm waiting on some components to start the next one in line. All told, there's 10 in the list for 2014. 2012 I built 8. 2013 I built 16. We'll see if I can push that even further as word grows. Slow and steady! But I was working on a small part for a the build that is currently at powder. Most CX solutions for cantilever brake routing is sometimes to drill a stem and route the cable up, over and through the stem. A good solution, but kind of not so elegant looking to my eye. Under the stem seems like a better solution. That's what this little part does. This only requires drilling one small hole that is tapped for a M5 x .8 cap screw. 2nd rough draft here:
And routed using an old brake noodle (new ones on the way):
Going to do a little more machining on these to make those edges not so thick looking. Then CAD it up and see where we are.
Also took some time friday to play. Play as in play with some settings on my Miller Dynasty 200dx. Been meaning to try out some new kit and make some adjustments. I altered the flow from the reg. to the torch, increased the Pulses Per Second (PPS), adjusted my Peak amperage percentage and tried out a No. 12 Alumina Nozzle with matching gas lens. I have a No. 10 on the way, but I like the larger nozzle as you can grip it in different ways and I felt like I had a lot more control holding that nozzle vs the No. 8 stub. But I'd like to use all the same settings with my preferred No. 8 stubby nozzle (I can see the no 12 getting in the way in certain spots) and see if i can achieve the same results. Much better coverage and my speed was a lot faster too due to the PPS increase.
In other news, here's some recent work for all to enjoy. Till next time...
This next bike is very special. It was commissioned by a global player in the cycling industry to be one of their show bikes for Nahbs, Interbike, Eurobike and all points in between. It was quite the honor to get that call. It's finished and currently in Providence, RI getting painted by Jay Nutini of Circle A Cycles. We came up with a pretty rad paint scheme. That's all I'll let on-it will be at Nahbs, and if you attend, see if you can spot it. One of the colors will be gloss black of course...
Not sure! Just had a banner underneath the login with a nice photo of guy welding on a bike frame and I could only see half of the emblem on the fork tube, which looked sorta like yours. I assume if it was though, that they would have notified you or taken it themselves.
Like today on my main page its a scene from a small bakery, on that particular day it was inside a bike frame shop.
MonoxieChild
Well-known member
Oh my god, i dont know if i love your shop, or that red fat tire bike more. I just spent the last 2 hours reading and drooling over this entire thread!
sbhockey
Well-known member
Moved to TN from Northern IN about a year ago. Never really thought I'd miss the snow, but I do. Went home for Christmas, no snow. Head back down, and then they get record snow fall...
superspec
Well-known member
yea. about that snow...you just keep it up there okay!
jason_etc
Well-known member
Have fun at the show. I went last year when it was in Denver. Some fantastic workmanship from many of the smaller fabricators and backyard builders. Hopefully you're planning on going with some of your rides in tow, they'd fit right in there.
cheers
cheers
rixtrix1
Well-known member
It shows in some earlier pics of Kris using hole saws in his mill to notch the tubing. My question, as I have never had success using a hole saw on thin wall tube: Is it the stability and speed control of the mill that lets you use hole saws, or have you gotten some very fine tooth holesaws, Kris? I notch a lot of DOM, .090" to .125" wall using a tubing notcher and Starrett bi-metallic holesaws and it works great but thinwall is a pain. My notcher has a 2"x3"x4" aluminum block with bronze sleeves supporting a 1" machined shaft to fasten and drive the holesaws with a 1/2"drill. The frame is 1/2" steel plate. It seems solid, but.....
I assume feeler was meant to mean filler? .035" Weldmold 880T filler in most situations and in others I will use ER70S D2 .035" filler in some others.
Hole saws I use Starrett's bimetal holesaws but the ones with finer/more teeth per inch (TPI). I have a set of 3/4 arbors with an R8 collet mounted in the bridgeport with all sorts of custom tooling to hold the part when mitering (Or coping or fishmouth - I call it miter but you know what I mean). Secret on thin wall tubing is reduce your feed and your spindle speed almost to a crawl. I know I step mine down and into back gears on my J-Head. I'd have to double check what the physical RPM is as I can't recall off the top of my head at the moment what that is. For feed, I do not hand feed and do not use the autofeed. I engage the fine hand feed and use the hand wheel to slowly go through my cut. I've found that is the most controlled way to go through thin walled tubing where I feel like I'm in complete control and I'm letting the tool do the work. Slow feed, slow spindle speed, the finer the teeth the better. Hope that helps!
See above but I'll add with any step you want as rigid a setup as humanly possible. The more mass the tooling has, the more it will soak up any vibration. The basic concept of working at the mill on any part is you want to use the mass of the head and the machine to your advantage. So you want the tool to be as close to the head and the workpiece as possible. Some situations you just can't avoid it, but you want to eliminate any possible means of vibration or chatter. Spindle feeds and speeds are critical especially on anything thin walled if you're doing a mitering operation (or coping I know some call it that). Hope that helps!
YoungMedic
Well-known member
The Huntsman just showed up on my Facebook feed on a recommended link. The bike caught my eye, then of course I read who built it 
rixtrix1
Well-known member
Thanks, Kris. Where do you source your fine tooth holesaws? I have not found anyone here in Phoenix that has any in stock( I must admit I have not checked with McMaster-Carr, who seem to have everything I can't find elsewhere) and all my racecar chassis builder friends laugh at me when I mention using a holesaw, as they all use huge endmills .
MSC is where I typically source all of my holesaws. I spend a little extra on the Starrett's which seem to have the finest teeth. There are other brands, and there is one which has much finer, but they're on the expensive side. I've found the Starrett's have the best balance of all worlds. Just my .02 on that.
The one thing about really large end mills with steel tubing is it can really make some ear piercing racket if you don't have all the feed/speed just right. It can really sing. Not to mention just how expensive some of those large endmills can be? I'd rather trash a $12-15 holesaw than dull a $75+ end mill. But like I said, feed, spindle speed and rigid setup with as much mass as you can muster in the tool holding department. Good to go. For example, here's my new fork setup for holding tapered thin walled fork legs:
Not too shabby right?
ALSO: Big shout out to everyone who stopped by my booth at the North American Handmade Show in Charlotte, NC. It was great to meet you all, shake hands, put names to faces and share my work with all of you. I had a great time, and you all made that great time even better. So thank you!
MonoxieChild
Well-known member
You sir, are a true artist.
I actively follow Standards custom builds, and thought what they were doing was some of the coolest out there. You have really proven that wrong. Thanks again for sharing your garage, and you custom fabrication's!
I actively follow Standards custom builds, and thought what they were doing was some of the coolest out there. You have really proven that wrong. Thanks again for sharing your garage, and you custom fabrication's!
Why D2? I'm surprised you don't use something in the stainless. I'm really trying to figure out how you get the "stacked" effect on your welds??? So consistent and precise. Amazing!
Sorry: Most times I believe it's referred to as ER70S-2? I use this sometimes in some locations like disk mounts etc. while all others I use Weldmold 880t. Here's a great explanation of the two in comparison to one another.
I am using a pulse when I weld. That has a little to do with that stacked look. That and a lot of practice. My first stack of dimes was in 1996 and I've been tig welding ever since. I can't emphasize that it's just a lot of practice.
