choosing a jig

[Matt92]

I've written often on these issues (related to alignment and the tools we use.)

Some gems from my website.

https://richardsachs.com/downsize-the-fantasy/

https://richardsachs.com/7-20-15/

https://richardsachs.com/the-spree/

https://richardsachs.com/repitition-...entlessness-2/

https://richardsachs.com/straight-talk/

https://richardsachs.com/having-tolerance/

https://richardsachs.com/starrett/

thank you Richard for these very inspiring thoughts

[Matt92]

There is a non-zero chance that you will find you don't actually like framebuilding that much after doing a few, so I would caution against spending kilodollars on a great big piece of equipment that takes up shop space and which is difficult to move or sell when you tire of it.

A generic decently-flat welding table, with some V-blocks to hold the frame tubes an equal distance off the table, will suffice for your first few frames, and has the advantage of also being a welding table!

Watch The Bicycle Brothers movie about the brothers who made Jack Taylor frames for decades. They held the frame tubes down on their flat (?) surface by laying heavy weights on them!

Yes, the marketplace has moved the goalposts, with respect to how straight a top notch frame is expected to be. The Taylors, rather than a granite table, held the frame up towards a window and squinted to determine the alignment. And lots of those bikes are still being happily ridden, no one complaining about the ride qualities of them (that I hear about anyway)

My advice is, after building a few with caveman methods, see if (1) you still like doing it and want to continue, and (2) if you're getting enough sales to justify investing money in getting faster. Some may find the game is more fun with a fancy jig, but it didn't seem that way to me. The jig didn't detract from th fun either, in fact getting new toys is usually cool for a while 'til the novelty wears off, but it wasn't a big game-changer in terms of quality of life. You'll just spend less time on the jigging, and checking, and triple-checking your layout before tacking.

After tacking, the jig's job is done, so all the other tasks are left unchanged. Since laying out the tubes and tacking is small-ish part of the job, most of framebuilding is the same whether or not you have a jig.

And if you do buy a jig, get it used, from some other dope who thought framebuilding would be more fun!

I am not saying the opposite, but it is also true that thanks to the experience of some, the tools have evolved, which makes the work easier or faster...
When it comes to spending money, I tell myself that I can't afford to buy cheap.
In the sense that it is better to spend a little more initially and have durable tools than to have to buy cheaper more often.

the main thing is to find the right tools and especially those that are suitable

[steve garro]

There is a non-zero chance that you will find you don't actually like framebuilding that much after doing a few, so I would caution against spending kilodollars on a great big piece of equipment that takes up shop space and which is difficult to move or sell when you tire of it.



And if you do buy a jig, get it used, from some other dope who thought framebuilding would be more fun!

Agreed !

This is what I did by buying Jim Stein's jig, he built several bikes on it in the late 70's and early 80's before deciding that it sucked and he kept on making tools - it was a great jig to learn on as it taught me how a machinist though a bike should be built which is way different then how I build one now by a long shot and a number of years later I got to sell it back to him for the same $400 minus the engine repair stand which my Anvil and an actual anvil share space on - I started with basically nothing but a big picture frame and a wonky rear end jig that ran off the CS angle and had a bad twist to the left.

From there I decided I wanted to live it up and have a jig with NUMBERS and ANGLES as I was building four bikes at a time with helper and we needed faster.

Then, bikes changed and my HJ would no longer accept the front centers that 29ers demand so here I am with my Anvil and my Bringheli alignment table but still hand drawing blueprints for every bike.

Some things change some stay the same.

- Garro.


IMG_3866.jpg

[Mark Walberg]

.... the engine repair stand which my Anvil and an actual anvil share space on ......
- Garro.

IMG_3866.jpg

Nice . I like that.

[steve garro]

Nice . I like that.

it's a perfect counter-weight, and you would be surprised how often an anvil comes in handy in life !

- Garro.

[Rody]

I can not stress enough the information learned through the design and construction of a bicycle fixture for a new builder... no number of frames will teach you more about bicycle design parameters and confirm a solid understanding of the numerous elements to be considered and how they interact.

I've been through 3 iterations of fixtures in 30 years and am constantly finding new ways to improve; two tool steel fixtures made in house, and one Aluminum tool plate that I worked on with a friend that has been taken to the next level by another good friend and fantastic fabricator.

A fixture, at a minimum, should be accurate, repeatable, provide superior access to all joints, and process all construction (material) types.

Dream it up and build it... you will not regret the experience or knowledge gained.

cheers,

Rody