And the winner is....

Dirk A. of East Barre, VT is the winner of the 2010 Pedal for Paws frame and fork. I want to thank everyone that came out in the foul weather to help me and NCAL raise some money for the animals. It is a great event and a great cause. There are some nice changes in store for 2011 that I think will be liked by all. I will be there again with hopes on raffling off another frame. I also hope that Dirk will be around to show off his new ride and enjoy another ride to raise money for NCAL.

I will be getting the information that I need to get this frame started and will be posting the progress here. Keep in touch and check back for updates.

Thank you, Wil

plenty going on - no blogging

A couple months have passed and I have not made any attempt to show or explain what has been going on around here. I have some jigs that I am updating. I have some things being machined for me and I have ordered a bunch of 8020 extrusions for some projects that I am working on. I have the prototype bike that I am designing about ready for assembly. I have some PR things in the fire and really too much to keep up with.

Its all good though. I decided that this is the best way to take care of it. It is fall, winter is upon us and it's time to use this to my advantage so that I can be ready when it is time for the bikes to roll. Stay tuned, I promise that I will share more!

update

Well here it is the Friday before the Pedal for Paws and I have a camera full of pictures of the frame that I am building to show and not a one of them on the computer. The whole build process changed as things progressed and it turns out that I will be showing the frame at the event in a current build status. I will set up a little area that will be similar to what it is like right now in the shop for this frame. I will still have the rear triangle to do but the front is together and I am at the lug clean up stage of the build.

At this point, the pictures will have to be posted after the show but that doesn't change much. The frame still needs to be completed so the posts will go on.

I am also going to restructure the way things are happening around here so there will be updates as things progress. I really want to focus on setting up a solid process for building. Keep your eye out.

Roadie

I got the parts set in this week for the Pedal for Paws display bike. Everything checks out and I drew up my full size drawing of the frame. I also started doing some cleanup and fitting on the lugs set. I had a pretty tweaked up lower head lug and it took me a while to get it into shape for the down tube. Next up will be getting the bike's spine ready for brazing. The first joint I do is the seat tube to the BB shell. I will set off first thing in the morning to get this rolling.

I also have problems with my camera, so I will be using a different one that requires more work to upload to the blog. I will get some pictures on and start a Flickr group for this build.

NCAL's Pedal for Paws

On August 22, 2010, there is a fundraising ride in Stowe, VT. It is comprised of a Century, Metric Century, and a Fun Ride (25 miles). The proceeds of the event are to benefit the animals at the North Country Animal League. I have ridden it (the metric) two of the three years that it has happened. It is a very nice ride and it is for a very good cause.

This year I decided to contact the organizers and give them a proposal. I would build a custom steel frame and fork for a lucky individual that will win a raffle to raise money for the shelter.

I am really excited about this project. I will be building a frame and fork that will be displayed to represent what some lucky winner will receive. Lucky for me, I will be building the display for myself. I will build it up over the winter and have it to enjoy for next year's season. Feel free to Click for some details of the event and the frame. The build will begin soon and be documented right here on the blog for you to follow along.

A brief description: Pacenti Artisan lugs, BB shell and fork crown, Nova tube set, Henry James dropouts, and a hand full of braze-ons. Stay tuned.

absentee excuses

Blah Blah Blah. Our move took a lot out of me and my time. It took a while to get everything ready, then move, then settle. I am there now and of course with nice weather, I have been playing a lot. I like living closer to the shop. I ride nearly every day. it is about 11 miles one way so I am getting about 100 miles in every week just from my commute.

I signed up again this year for the Vermont 50. It is the 50 mile mountain bike race that I did for the first time last year. It is in September. I have 4 months to get my butt into shape for this. I have a goal of completing the race. I guess it will take about 9 hours. I have my work cut out for me on this one.

On to frame work. I happened to get the top tube fit, brazed, and initially cleanup in the frame. I will do some more lug clean up on the seat lug and the upper head lug. Then I will face and ream the head tube and ream the seat tube. I will also do a final face and chase on the bb shell. That will leave me at the rear triangle. If you remember, it is a wishbone rear end with track drop outs. I will get some pictures posted of where I am now and then get back on track with the updates there after. See ya soon!

blog update

I am going to attempt to rekindle something that I once did. check it out here.

delays and changes

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have to upgrade my torch setup and I have some tools that I am working on getting made that will help me with the rear triangle on #001. It is also necessary for a frame that I am designing to build coming up. I have some things that I need to work out with the carbon frame as well. And on top of all that, we are moving. Getting closer to civilization and the shop. Less travel time on the highway will make me happy. I will also be able to commute by bike a lot more and take the public bus when the weather is too bad. All good things ahead. A little patience is what I need to get situated. Thanks, Wil

Looking good

I took some time to clean up the re-braze of the seat tube and the new braze of the down tube into the BB shell. There is a lot that can be done here and the amount of time you spend on clean up is an individual decision. I am happy with this junction. I may use my Dremel to clean things up some more before is gets sent to powder. Catch up with the details over at Flickr.

After the soak

I am ready to clean up the joint I just brazed. After I sand and file it all nice, I will tap and face the shell. Then I will shoot some primer on it to see how it turned out.

I will then move on to fitting the top tube. I think that this is one of the trickiest parts of the front triangle. It requires plenty of precision and no less patience to make it right. stay tuned for those details.

Spring has Sprung!

The weather here in Northern Vermont has been unseasonable. Yet this time it was to a cyclist advantage. We had temps in the 80's on Saturday. We got out for some riding and it feels great to be in the warm. It is going to tone down here a little bit but it is still nice to have the shorts on and feel Spring coming.

I did manage to get the down tube brazed into the BB shell and I cold set it on the alignment table. I need to chase and face the shell and do some clean up. I will then move on to the top tube. This is the trickiest part of the front triangle. Slow and steady will get it done. I will update photos tonight of my progress so far.

Re-braze

The seat tube to BB shell joint was not adequate for my desires so I stripped the primer of it, cleaned it up, put some fresh flux on it and added more silver. Wow, how perfect it turned out. I am very pleased at the shorelines and how just the right amount of silver was pulled through the joint. Next up is the down tube.

Ready!

A slight delay from working on this frame. I am back on track and will show real progress over the next week. I have prepared the down tube to BB shell joint for brazing. I lined the tubes up over my drawing with the down tube in the socket. It is then scribed to the miter and then cut by hand. This miter doesn't need to be perfect because the taps will clean up any extra little bit.


Every thing is lining up like it should. I hope to have this front triangle together soon.


Next, I will clean the primer off the BB joint and add more silver to the seat tube joint. I wasn't quite happy with it. You can see alot with primer on it. I will then tack the down tube into the shell above the drawing and then finish brazing it in the vise.

new happenings!

Hello there. NAHBS has come and gone. I missed it (again) but got to see a bunch of it through the grace of all the coverage that you can find on the internet. It has been announced that the 2011 show will be held in Austin, TX. My plan is too make it. Not only do I want to go to the show but I hope that I am in the position to show my work there.

I have updated my Flickr to reflect some of the new things going on around here. I have to keep in mind that I do this as a sort of journal for myself to look back on as I grow and change.

I am working on some headbadge designs and you can see them here.

I also have made an attempt at working on some TIG welding for a design that I have in mind for a future build. For what it is worth, you can read about it here.

And last but certainly not least, I have some more details on the SSCX that is coming up next. I have put a lot of thought in how I want this to turn out and I think it is going to be great. Go here to see the latest details.

I have to get some more tooling setup here to more forward but I will keep pecking away at what I can. All the little processes add up to the big process. When that happens, you have a frame!

some good cleanup

I got to finish up the lower head lug joint. I have one more area that I want to clean up a little more but other than that I am really pleased with it. Right here will bring you up to date to where I am. I will be working on getting the miter and prep done to the joint of the down tube to the bottom bracket shell next. I will be tacking this joint on the alignment table with the framing sitting in V blocks. After it is tacked, I will put it in the stand or vise for final brazing.

A farewell to a great friend!

This is Spaz. He has been in my life for 16 years. He had recently been showing signs of getting old. Unfortunately the day came where I had to lay him to rest. My wife called me home from work because he had lost control of his back legs. We went to the vet and they said that it is a cat's version of a stroke. I knew in my heart that this little guy should not suffer any longer. I will miss him dearly and remember him for being so loyal to me for all those years. I love you Spaz.

The "Hockey Stick"

I built another jig that held the head tube / down tube joint so that I could braze it. It was designed very similarly to the first jig I made that was used for the seat tube / BB shell joint. The tubes were positioned into there 72 degree angle and the tube blocks were mounted to the plate (MDF). I stiffened the back with aluminum angle as the other jig. I cut out a section near the lug so that I could access both side of the joint as well as the top and bottom. Below is a picture of the braze right after I turned off the torch. I can't tell how well I got it. I will know more after I soak it. I think I have some globbing on some of the shorelines and I see a problem with the bottom of the lug lifting from the down tube. This problem is solved with a c-clamp but it was tight when I started. Unfortunately, I think this joint has to come apart.

New Happenings (and a shout out)

I have noticed on my Feedjit Map that there are plenty of hits on my blog. I was hoping to see if anyone will read this and send me a comment. This blog is designed to be a "journal" of my business as well as an avenue for people to see my work and as a reference for future designs.

I have ordered the tubes for the SSCX. This bike is going to be nice! It is sort of a prototype bike for several designs that I have in mind. It will incorporate several design elements that I want to test. It will be a favorite of mine and I plan on using it a lot. Once I get more components in, I will post some details of this frame.

Thanks for reading, Wil

Next assembly to prep

I have the head tube/ down tube joint ready to braze up. I thought that I would get a few more setup before I light the torch.

The next one to prep is this joint. This is a wishbone rear. I think this is my favorite look for the seat stays. The top tube is straight gauge 4130 that will be brazed to the wishbone and mitered at the top to meet the back of the seat tube. The seat tube lug has a socket to receive this joint. The seat stays are 14mm that taper to 12.5mm at the end. They will get cut down considerably and brazed to the lower legs of the wishbone. I will have to take my time and really think through a good way to jig this up for brazing. I assume it will be done very similar to that of a fork.

progress

I managed to get a little more work done on the frame tonight. This is a picture of the table in action.


It is a fine setup and all I need to do is finish making the drawers for it. I will have plenty of storage in it for tools.

I started prepping my next joint on the frame. It is the head tube / down tube joint. You can see the photos here. Continue to the right and it will bring you to where I am now.

First post of the new year

On a positive note, 2010 is "the year" of Eight Zero Two Cycles! I haven't posted in a while but that is far from meaning that nothing has been getting done. I have, like I said before, a lot of pokers in the fire. Many of them are starting to take form through good planning.

I also finished my alignment table, sans drawers, and drilled the hole in the granite that I needed to mount my BB post. It turned out nicely. Tomorrow I will get some pictures posted of the setup.

I have spec'd everything that I need for frame #002. It is the SSCX that you will be able to follow here. I know that frame #001 is not completed yet! It will be, I promise. It has a meaning associated with it that cannot go without completion. I can't say that frame #001 will be done before the SSCX but it will always be #001 because I started it first. Its just how I function. Sometimes things don't make since but it just happens that way.