44 Bikes Frame Shop
- Thread starter fortyfour
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transplant_wi
Well-known member
Me too please - I build specialist cabinets and thought they would look really sharp as a maker's plaque.
So the outfit is "Aculine Etch" out of Seattle, WA. Let them know Kris from 44 Bikes sent you! Here's the website for that sort of inquiry:
www.aculineetch.com
They also make stainless business cards, but the basics are that you get a 18" x 24" space to work within. Ask them about options on the gauge of the stainless to be etched as they have a few options I believe. You provide them with an EPS file with the art in 2 layers: The etch later, and the "cut" layer. The etch is basically a reverse of what you want as the high points and low points (black is what gets etched - white of paper is what remains post etch). So consider what that should be when you produce the art. Know that certain tolerances can be held but the lighter or thinner the art/type or font case, the harder it will be to hold that detail. It's pretty crisp and holds fairly good tolerance and you can inquire what they may recommend based on the art you provide. My art's cut layer is the outline of the badges + the holes for the machine screws with a small tab left in the cut so I just pop them off the sheet when I first receive them. Here's a close up of one of my proof's for the seat tube badge art:
And finished product:
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transplant_wi
Well-known member
Cheers mate - beautiful photos too.
MajorLeeGassole
Well-known member
One graphic I recently did that's been personally inspiring:
Support the Local No. 44 by BLACK CAP Studio, on Flickr[/QUOTE]
I just felt like reading through one of my favorite threads and took a better look at the logo you created, especially the square and compass. I searched your thread, but didn't find a match for "Freemason." Are you a Freemason?
Support the Local No. 44 by BLACK CAP Studio, on Flickr[/QUOTE]
I just felt like reading through one of my favorite threads and took a better look at the logo you created, especially the square and compass. I searched your thread, but didn't find a match for "Freemason." Are you a Freemason?
One graphic I recently did that's been personally inspiring:
Support the Local No. 44 by BLACK CAP Studio, on Flickr
I just felt like reading through one of my favorite threads and took a better look at the logo you created, especially the square and compass. I searched your thread, but didn't find a match for "Freemason." Are you a Freemason?[/QUOTE]
I am not a Freemason for the record. However, I admire the symbolism used in many of the marks used as, for example, Union logo's as well as the mark of Freemasonry. The system of Apprentice, Journeyman and Master Mason (or just Master) of a specific craft is, in my own opinion, really how you ultimately learn a craft or trade. It's that work under a master's watchful eye that produces sound technique and repetition of methodology. What's unfortunate is that most of the system's that were well established to pass knowledge along are not as prominent as they once were so traditional routes into a craft can be tough to find in some cases.
But you still can seek out advice and if lucky enough, have someone take you on as an apprentice to work side by side and have invaluable information passed along to you through hands on work and problem solving under the watchful eye of a "master".
sbhockey
Well-known member
Always good seeing the old South Bend lathes still in use. Built in my home town. Was sad to see the foundry demolished. It was a massive complex.
JeremyBurke
Well-known member
I am very envious of your new tool and that you have the space to house one. Looking forward to seeing how you use it and how it looks in the shop.
CecilTheTurtle
Well-known member
Nice! Dying to get a lathe myself. Will have to keep it small, as I don't have the room for a beastie like that. Keep up the great work!
CubbyChowder
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I've only made it about halfway through this thread so far but I feel the need to comment on it. Your shop space is pretty incredible; the setting, the scenery around it, the fact that it's in your backyard. I would be very happy to have a similar setup one day. While I'm not exactly enthusiastic about bikes personally, I can totally appreciate the level of precision and quality that goes into your frames. Your jigs alone are works of art.
I must say, when I first saw your bright blue doors freshly painted laying down in your shop, I was pretty hesitant about them. I honestly thought they looked a little bit tacky (no offense), but once you installed them I immediatly changed my mind. They accent the shop and scenery perfectly, and it just looks awesome. Well done.
Keep up the good work man.
I must say, when I first saw your bright blue doors freshly painted laying down in your shop, I was pretty hesitant about them. I honestly thought they looked a little bit tacky (no offense), but once you installed them I immediatly changed my mind. They accent the shop and scenery perfectly, and it just looks awesome. Well done.
Keep up the good work man.
Thanks for the kind words - currently doing a little rearranging to get things in order for the lathes arrival. Have some temporary set ups in place so things are out of the way but still workable. Once it's here, and in place, then I can finalize that side of the shop for work flow and such. The far back wall will get rearranged then - that's next on my list as I'd like to shorten the long bench, make a nice thick top for it and add some shelving to the walls, and build out drawers for the bench
No offense taken. It's a nice bright blue with a lot of punch!
Funny you mention this - when we were picking colors for our house, that blue stuck out to me as just a really nice color, but I wasn't sure where I'd use it. My wife was a little skeptical, so we kind of tested it on the shop. Once she saw it she was sold. But once we (rather she) settled on the colors, things fell into place and we are using it on screen doors and batten's on the house (which is stained a very dark chocolate color).
The shop will eventually be stained that same deep color for the exterior and I think I may do natural shakes above the roof line in front/back? But in snow, those doors really pop. I have to say though that I think a lot of people are "afraid" of color, and always wind up with white, gray, that deep forest green or a red for trim/doors, etc. I always loved seeing homes that had pops of color to pull the eye or call attention to details, while the house itself was darker (or really bright) to accent the gardens or landscaping.
A shot recently when we had A LOT of snow...
And here's the house - can't see any of the blue, but it will eventually have a batten on the front door that is that same blue. I think I'll make a batten that duals as a screen door so you can pop the screen in/out for either a glass face or solid face in case of really serious weather. But the idea is to tie the two buildings together in terms of color:
[url=https://flic.kr/p/phRL34]
YoungMedic
Well-known member
A shot recently when we had A LOT of snow...
Ahhh Thank you for another great pic. This is one of my happy places I imagine when I need a pick me up
The new lathe looks awesome too!
buildyourown
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- Jan 8, 2010
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Is that your only lathe?
As a framebuilder myself, I'd really miss not being able to get a frame tube through the spindle bore. I looked long and hard for a short lathe with a big chuck.
As a framebuilder myself, I'd really miss not being able to get a frame tube through the spindle bore. I looked long and hard for a short lathe with a big chuck.
CubbyChowder
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Awesome man, sounds like you know what you like and that you have things well thought out. I look forward to following this thread
Ahhh Thank you for another great pic. This is one of my happy places I imagine when I need a pick me up
The new lathe looks awesome too!
HA! That's what I'm here for I suppose. Good to hear you enjoyed that pic. That was when we had nice fluffy snow... Kind of rock hard right now.
Correct - this is a lathe I just purchased after a long hunt and will be picking it up this week (Wednesday it appears actually). The spindle bore has a I.D. of 1.375", one of the reasons I was looking for a South Bend 10L. Not too big, not too small in a way and I really do not have room for anything bigger although a South Bend 13 would be nice. I have a good friend up the street with one of those should I need something larger than this. With the exception of down tubes which I typically use 1.5" O.D., I can still put 1.125, 1.25 etc. through the spindle bore should I need to. However, I do have a mill and ample tooling to true up any of the ends of tubes should I need to if they do not fit. Truth be told, I typically cut tubes to length with a hacksaw.
I'm actually more interested in the machines capabilities to make tools to make the bikes. There's a lot of small purge fittings and additional heat syncs, round parts of other tooling, etc that I would like to make to move some other projects along more quickly and improve upon some existing tooling.
Mr. 360
Well-known member
Congrats on the Heavy 10, I know you've been patiently watching for a lathe for a long time, looks like it paid off! I have a little old Myford ML7 in my shop, they allow you to do so much more in house, much like your mill.
Are you going to do anything to it to make it your own? ie hang a 44 tag on it or some kind of custom graphic? Can't wait to see it set up.
Are you going to do anything to it to make it your own? ie hang a 44 tag on it or some kind of custom graphic? Can't wait to see it set up.
Thanks and good question. I think for now, I'm going to keep the machines without any festoonment unless it's some sort of new tooling for the machine. I have an idea for a small tooling cart with wheels which will have a thick wood top. That will definitely get a little graphic festoonment on it under the clear.
One thing I will do though is paint the inside of the lathe's cabinet from red to machine grey. I have a big 3x5 anti fatigue mat on the way. Here's a shot as of this morning of the "slight" adjustments I made. Going to finalize that bench once the lathe arrives to the correct height and paint the base machine gray.
Here's the space before the rearrangement. You can see the table in front of the heater was a bit wider (24") but now it's around 16" in width - I'll be sure to put something together for when that gets finalized:
And after which is temporary:
You can see below the heater there is a 8x8 wood block - when they installed the heater, the block foundation messed up the height so they needed to raise it on the fly... That was all I had on the spot! So this winter I'm going to build a proper stand for the heater (yet another project that just needs to get done). Going to be ordering steel soon for a tubing rack so I'll do that at the same time. With that I'm most likely going to add some sort of leveling feet to both the lathe and mill. So a lot of projects are in store this winter. Hopefully I get to all of them...
Kiwi Canuck
Well-known member
Kris, I have read your entire thread and must say you have a very nice little business running and a very fine looking shop.
Your workmanship and skill are exceptional and the results are phenomenal, both the jigs and the bikes.
I started my own locksmith business from home 30 years ago and now have 20 employees and I look back with fond memories of those times working from home with just me myself and I.
Good luck and thanks again for keeping this thread alive and up to date, I can imagine how much effort that takes and I sure have been inspired to get my home workshop fitted out.
Regards,
David
Your workmanship and skill are exceptional and the results are phenomenal, both the jigs and the bikes.
I started my own locksmith business from home 30 years ago and now have 20 employees and I look back with fond memories of those times working from home with just me myself and I.
Good luck and thanks again for keeping this thread alive and up to date, I can imagine how much effort that takes and I sure have been inspired to get my home workshop fitted out.
Regards,
David
paranoid56
Well-known member
wow, sweet lathe, but man what an odd table let setup. kinda neat.
Mr. 360
Well-known member
Lathe looks right at home, looks like it's been well cared for too. I like your idea for the graphics under clear on workbench tops.. I might just have to steal -er, borrow- that idea.
Thanks fellas. The pick up of the lathe and subsequent transfer went very smoothly. My partner in crime for the day had a pick-up with a 6' bed so that solved transport. He also has a giant tractor and a fork attachment, so that solved that problem of getting it off the truck and into the shop, which took a huge load off my subconscious since I had a friend really willing to help. Big jobs like this, that goes a LONG way.
At the sellers location, we attached 2 x 36" 2x4's perpendicularly to the base just in case the truck unexpected rocked or we hit an uneven spot. Preparing for the unknown basically as these lathes are top heavy. I had sewn up a tent for the lathe out of some lumber wrap which act kind of like a vapor barrier I had saved when we had a bunch of siding delivered for our house. Figured it would come in handy and it kept the lathe free of dust and salt on the trip back to the shop which was about 70 miles south of my shop. Ratchet straps accordingly placed and the lathe wasn't going anywhere. Again the large in-swing doors worked perfectly as we had plenty of room to move around and didn't have to fight any frozen piles of snow outside the shop. Those 2x4's made it a piece of cake once in the shop as we got out some schedule 40 pipe, put them under the 2x4's and just rolled it into position. I then just jacked it up using a small 3 ton truck jack I've used for just about every thing to take the 2x4's off once in place.
Finalizing some tooling and the new quick change tool holder today and we'll be off and running. With the addition of the lathe, I now have freedom to fully realize a lot of ideas, tooling and projects that I formerly had to create work arounds. Really feel like the shop is now legit in that respect.
Got some serious work lined up for this girl!
Tman
Well-known member
Lathe is nice. And I always love seeing the stark contrast of the Blue doors on your shop. In the snow they pop with a "sunshiney" feeling.
Modern Jess
Well-known member
Wow, nice lathe. I'll bet that thing will be getting a workout over the next few weeks.
andrewd
Active member
Kris,
Thanks so much for taking the time to post all of these amazing pictures of your process! It's been a joy to scroll through. I hope to find myself aboard one of your creations one of these days. Have you built and 650b+ frames? I'm intrigued by the idea of having that wheel size with a 3" tire on it.
Stay warm up there!
Andy
Thanks so much for taking the time to post all of these amazing pictures of your process! It's been a joy to scroll through. I hope to find myself aboard one of your creations one of these days. Have you built and 650b+ frames? I'm intrigued by the idea of having that wheel size with a 3" tire on it.
Stay warm up there!
Andy
Thanks for the kind words. I have built quite a few 650b's and I have had a lot of inquiries about the new 27.5+ size tire set ups. That really opens up some possibilities in the traction department. Here's one I finished up earlier this spring. One of the next builds in the new year is a 650b actually.
Nightshift
Well-known member
Nice find on the Heavy 10 there Kris. What year was it born? I have 2 SB 11x60 lathes ... 1929 and 1931. The '31 is in storage, but the '29 is still working like it was new. Great lathes. Bill
The bed was reground at some point in it's life so the serial number is just about gone. I have to call South Bend as I have the catalog no. and part of the serial so maybe we can pull something up. But my best guess is she's somewhere in the 1940-1945 range based on what I do have of the serial number and catalog number.
JordonMusser
Well-known member
Great use of space, I like the angled arrangement. Everybody(including myself) want to build against the walls.. space runs out fast that way, and all of a sudden you have too much space in the middle!
Nightshift
Well-known member
Kris, you might want to contact Steve Wells. He's the most knowledgeable SB guy on the planet. I'm sure he can help you. Here's his page ... http://www.wswells.com/index.html Cheers, Bill
The lathe was originally going against the wall and the heater was supposed to be on another wall. But when the heater was installed, they insisted on the North wall. So it goes! Kind of worked out nicely as it puts both machines back to back in a way at ~45* angles. I have a tooling cart coming shortly that I'm going to add some wood tops to so that will fit neatly next to the lathe so I can have just the essentials and parts drawings right at my finger tips for both the Bridgeport and South Bend Lathe. It will be on wheels so I can move it out of the way easily when doing photo shoots.
Here's a few more shots from today...
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buildyourown
Well-known member
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- Jan 8, 2010
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I completely agree with your layout. Mills love corners. Otherwise they have a huge footprint. You can also blow all the chips in the corner and vacuum once a week. 45 deg works great for the lathe. It ensures you can always get long stock in the back of the head.
You'll need something to keep chips off the heater though.
You'll need something to keep chips off the heater though.
Kiwi Canuck
Well-known member
The lathe was originally going against the wall and the heater was supposed to be on another wall. But when the heater was installed, they insisted on the North wall. So it goes! Kind of worked out nicely as it puts both machines back to back in a way at ~45* angles. I have a tooling cart coming shortly that I'm going to add some wood tops to so that will fit neatly next to the lathe so I can have just the essentials and parts drawings right at my finger tips for both the Bridgeport and South Bend Lathe. It will be on wheels so I can move it out of the way easily when doing photo shoots.
Here's a few more shots from today...
Wow that looks like jewellery, maybe you should look at making some,
I guess you can't forget where you've come from.
David