Cyclery North Jigs ID Help

[Andrew R Stewart]

These two jigs are what we used ay Cyclery North (Chicago, IL) for our framebuilding. One jig holds the TT, DT and HT. The other does the rear end after the front is brazed up. Neither has a name or manufacturer on them, both made of mostly all steel (over 50lbs each) and are for classic tube diameters (1” TT, 1.125” ST and DT and 1.25 HT). Both could be converted to more modern tube diameters with some creative changes to the tube holders.

I first used these jigs in 1985 when I put in a season at Cyclery North. I don’t remember who made the jigs, they were already looking old then. I suspected that they came from another shop or framebuilder in town. Eddy Weisler (the boss) and Tommy Winn (the other builder) never told me the jigs’ story. Fast forward to 2011 and I see an online posting from Blue City Cycles an ad for a couple of jigs. I followed up and found that they were the very same jigs from Cyclery North. I decided to buy them to save from being separated or scrapped. They sat on my shelves since until recently when I pulled them out and checked them over with the idea to get them back in use.

For now, I am hoping someone might offer more story or backround about these jigs. They show serious tool and die design and machining and could have been a one off or of a low volume production. If anyone can help ID them, please let me know.

My short-term plan is to build a frame with them (mostly to relive that memory) then seek a new home with someone who will use them. If I had more of their story it would be pretty cool.

Cyclery North Jigs | Flickr gets you to my Flicker album with more photos and some text for each shot. Andy

[e-RICHIE]

These look like copies of what we had at Witcomb USA.

We had a local machine shop make ours.

It was long before people bought or used pre-fabbed tools made for hobbyists.