stem tubing- apologies if this has been covered and i just didn't find it

[adashner]

have scraps and binders laying around, and somebody who wants a filleted stem. any minimum thickness/material issues/etc i should consider when fabbing this stem? there seems to be a dearth of good info through google or my other usual channels- might speak more to my study habits than anything else.

any thoughts are appreciated, especially those of the non-sequitur variety.

[Andrew R Stewart]

.035 is getting thin for stem extentions. .049 better. Andy.

[Alistair]

have scraps and binders laying around, and somebody who wants a filleted stem. any minimum thickness/material issues/etc i should consider when fabbing this stem? there seems to be a dearth of good info through google or my other usual channels- might speak more to my study habits than anything else.

any thoughts are appreciated, especially those of the non-sequitur variety.

This subject was discussed a fair amount back on the old (pre Google groups) frame builders email list. You can search the archives here, bikelist.org mailing list archives

Alistair.

[EricKeller]

when I saw this thread, I remembered a list of tubing sizes posted on the framebuilders list by Drew Guldalian. Couldn't find it in the archives. The document I made from it is on a hard drive I don't have hooked up right now or I would look it up

[Rody]

The choice of material is much more about your ability to design and construct a safe component than the diameter or wall thickness of the pieces that make the whole.

Unlike a frame, smaller integral items like forks and stems have less area of margin for error, requiring higher levels of fabrication experience.

The fact that you are querying others for imput tells me that you have not yet had the opportunity to begin to learn and feel this for yourself, so start with the basics. Focus on excellent miters, solid brazing with controlled heat and minimum HAZ, and utilize heavier materials that you think you need. As your skill progresses, so too can your choice of available materials to dial in the performance and feel of the part.

Have fun and be sure to report back with your progress.

cheers,

rody

[Willie1]

... on the other hand, I think getting a good starting point is important. Even with good technique, using too light duty materials is dangerous. This is not something that need to be trial and error, and is the purpose of a forum like this.

[steve garro]

any issues i should consider when fabbing this stem?

Fabrication experience?
- Garro.

[adashner]

thanks for all the response. and in hindsight i suppose i should have clarified more- was speaking specifically to the steerer clamp and the bar clamp. ended up going with 1.0 stainless i had in short pieces- made lugs 1. because that's what the guy ended up wanting and 2. wanted to play with nickel silver some more.

as for fab experience... 8 frames now. still learning on the fly. i have a bunch of metal fab experience, not so much with bikes specifically. but i quit my office gig of 10 years a couple months ago and am just going all in for now, either until i can get people to actually pay for these things or until the better half decides she's done paying all the bills.

none of this is particularly frightening to me, and i'm willing to experiment a bit, just curious as to what others tend to do. unfortunately there aren't many guys left in this neck of the woods doing steel bikes anymore. i'd much rather being going about all this as a grunt in somebody else's shop for a couple of years, but there aren't any... or, i should say, the couple of guys i know of are in the same boat as i.

otherwise, i've got 3 at the painter right now. i'll post some pics when i get 'em back.

thanks again,
abe

[jaredjerome]

thanks for all the response. and in hindsight i suppose i should have clarified more- was speaking specifically to the steerer clamp and the bar clamp. ended up going with 1.0 stainless i had in short pieces- made lugs 1. because that's what the guy ended up wanting and 2. wanted to play with nickel silver some more.

I go 1/8" up from what you're clamping to with an 0.058" wall. That's a little less than a total of 1/8", so it fights tight, but there's enough of a gap to slide it on/off.
So for a 1" steerer (or bar) I use 1 1/8" tube with a 0.058" wall. For 26mm I use the same OD but with a 0.049" wall.

[steve garro]

none of this is particularly frightening to me

I honestly don't know what to say.
It's scary as hell - you can kill people, their life is literally in your hands.
- Garro.

[adashner]

I honestly don't know what to say.
It's scary as hell - you can kill people, their life is literally in your hands.
- Garro.

i understand this, and am not attempting to be flippant. i'm confident in my joinery at this point (between aforementioned previous experience and cutting a ton of stuff apart), just not so much with materials. i know that everything i've done to this point has been overbuilt, and i'm not anywhere near trying to cheat physics. in fact, if anything i've found out in the past couple of weeks (via various photo galleries and videos of some of y'all and others <said without tone of indictment>) that i've likely been way light-handed and overly anxious to this point. like i said, i just was trying to get a general jumping off point, and appreciate the guidance.

[Rody]

Abe,

Thanks for checking in. The fine folks here at V-salon will always assist where we can.

If I may, the sentiment that Steve and I are trying to politely communicate is this...

With eight frames completed, three of which are at the painters, it conveys a perspective that your career is in it's infancy. This is a time that you SHOULD NOT be providing frames or components to other, either as finished product or testing material.

If you strive to be a professional in this small niche, you need to adopt a plan that allows you time to acheive success; liability insurance, education, practice, repetition, refinement, attaining a solid fundamental skill set, designing a structured financial business plan, then hang out the shingle.

How long will this take? Each individual is unique, but it will not be something you will achieve in an abbreviated period.

As a professional, your first priority is the safety of your customers. We are just trying to insure that you allow yourself time to achieve this.

cheers,

rody

[cardinal-creative]

Along the same lines of constructive criticism, the top tube intersection at the seat tube appears way low.