Frame Build #1 - 29er

[afwalker]

Question about the RotaCut Sheet metal hole saw. Works better than regular hole saws? I like the small teeth on the ones from Missouri Precision Tools:
Missouri Precision Tools, Inc.: Rockhard HSS BiMetal Fine Tooth Hole Saws
Can anyone chime in and compare?
cheers
andy walker

[PCW]

Cycle designs also sells flux and brazing supplies

Cycle Design USA

Which I'm in love with BTW!!! Ryan, the white flux is for silver rod, not brass. We may have confused you the other night with that. There is a different paste flux for brass rod. Back to Cycle Designs.... Dave, I got some samples at the Austin show and used the LFB to do the seat binder and love the way it works. It's really amazing how well that stuff works. The silver flux you guys have is awesome too. I'm out, used the last of my sample last night and had to go back to my Harris stuff and certainly don't like it as much. Headed to the website right now to order more before I forget.

[Dallas Tex]

Which I'm in love with BTW!!! Ryan, the white flux is for silver rod, not brass. We may have confused you the other night with that. There is a different paste flux for brass rod. Back to Cycle Designs.... Dave, I got some samples at the Austin show and used the LFB to do the seat binder and love the way it works. It's really amazing how well that stuff works. The silver flux you guys have is awesome too. I'm out, used the last of my sample last night and had to go back to my Harris stuff and certainly don't like it as much. Headed to the website right now to order more before I forget.

Let me add that the Fillet Pro rod is amazing, but the STAINLESS LIGHT flux is absolutely incredible!

[RyanHeller]

[QUOTE=dbohemian;440481]

Thanks Man! I have a 1.5'' that I sell for a small additional fee. I don't know if they sell wood drill bits in a 36mm? I will have to find out.

Am I missing something? This person (O.P.) has an incredible shop space? and a uber height gauge and stuff. Nice!

What Glenn said is correct. I wish the shop space was all mine.

afwalker - I don't have any personal experience with the hole saws that you linked to. Blair Rotabroach is the brand I use and they are far superior to normal hole saws. They are far more stable and actually round. I would be afraid to buy those hole saws you linked to because of the fine tooth count. There would be no way to cut aluminum (if you ever needed to) because they would clog, and I doubt there is a real advantage in accuracy compared to the Blair brand in the sizes we use.

[dbohemian]

Let me add that the Fillet Pro rod is amazing, but the STAINLESS LIGHT flux is absolutely incredible!

Hey thanks for the kudos guys. Stainless light is my favorite product that we sell. I know that the website is poor and that we still have our growing pains but we are really trying to offer some great products that make framebuilding easier and we thank you for your patronage.

Many people think the magic is in the rods but really the magic is in the flux and it has evolved and progressed just like everything else in life. The flux advancements over the years have been really amazing. Ryan, even if its not yours (shop space) it's great you get to work in it.

[afwalker]

The most difficult cut I try to make on my mill is the seatstay to seat tube junction. Even with the sputnik jig holding it at the correct angle, the hole saw wants to grab and pull one of the stays into the cut.
I've factored this in the cut and file it to final, it may just be easier to do all by hand as many advocate on this forum:) I don't know if small teeth or large ones make any difference on the grabbing phenomenon.
I've only made 4 bikes, so the much more experienced fbuilders may want to chime in here...
cheers
andy walker

[RyanHeller]

The most difficult cut I try to make on my mill is the seatstay to seat tube junction. Even with the sputnik jig holding it at the correct angle, the hole saw wants to grab and pull one of the stays into the cut.
I've factored this in the cut and file it to final, it may just be easier to do all by hand as many advocate on this forum:) I don't know if small teeth or large ones make any difference on the grabbing phenomenon.
I've only made 4 bikes, so the much more experienced fbuilders may want to chime in here...
cheers
andy walker

Now I see where you are coming from. Initially I had thought you were just trying to drill expansion holes in the tubes. For the operation you are doing I would definitely look for a fine tooth hole saw like what you posted. You will have more teeth contacting the part at one time rather than just one tooth with the coarser tooth hole saws. Should eliminate a lot of the grabbing.

[Micah Lee Vestal]

Hey Ryan, do you have any closeup pics of the mitered TT on the ovalized end? I will probably need to ovalize my TT also and not quite sure how to get the miter right. Did you miter it by eye with a file or did you use a template for the miter?

[shirk]

Any updates? Curious to see how this is coming along.

[RyanHeller]

I have been pretty busy with work starting up again. Luckily I was able to fully braze my SS in place last Friday. I did them exactly like my CS and notched, bent, and brazed them on to the dropouts and ST. I got a lot of filing done that day and I got a couple hours in after work this week to finish the frame. The fillets aren't perfect and will need some more filing before I paint the frame. They need some more polishing, filing to make them totally symmetrical, and I still need to remove some of the black from the flux. I also need to put on the braze-on cable holders but will wait till I have my brake/derailleur set up in hand. My plan is to build the bike up in the next month and then ride the hell out of it. I will tear it down over the winter to paint it. Before paint, I plan on sending it out to crack testing just to see if anything comes back. Sorry for the short update but I hope you enjoy the included pictures of the "finished" frame.


IMG_0118 by RyanHeller, on Flickr


IMG_0119 by RyanHeller, on Flickr


IMG_0120 by RyanHeller, on Flickr


IMG_0121 by RyanHeller, on Flickr


IMG_0123 by RyanHeller, on Flickr


IMG_0124 by RyanHeller, on Flickr


IMG_0128 by RyanHeller, on Flickr


IMG_0132 by RyanHeller, on Flickr

Thank you to everyone that has helped me thus far, it has been extremely fun and I have learned quite a bit on my first build. I already have plans for my next two builds. First a mountain bike for my girlfriend, and then a triathalon style road bike for myself.

[Dallas Tex]

NICE!!

Come back over when you're ready to chase/face your BB, ream/face your headtube, and ream your seat tube.

Looks good.

GT

[Chauncey Matthews]

Cool, nice job!
You mocked up the brakes before you put on the seatstays, right?

[RyanHeller]

Cool, nice job!
You mocked up the brakes before you put on the seatstays, right?

Yes sir, should be good to go.

[Nate Zukas]

Looks fantastic!! Do you have plenty of fork/shock crown clearance on the DT, assuming that you are using an external 1.5" lower headset cup.
NATE

[padelsbach]

Hey Ryan, the frame looks great. I know I'm late to the thread, but can you describe what you did to angle the ends of the chainstays, where they fit to the ends of the dropouts?

[RyanHeller]

Hey Ryan, the frame looks great. I know I'm late to the thread, but can you describe what you did to angle the ends of the chainstays, where they fit to the ends of the dropouts?

I slit the chainstays down the center so I could slide the drop outs in place to the correct depth. I then removed the dropout and slid a punch in the end that was slightly smaller than the ID of the chainstay. I had a given depth that I was trying to achieve but I can no longer recall what it was. I then bent the inside "tang" to the correct angle. After I slide a tube over both tangs and bent the outside one to match the angle of the inner tang. Repeat on the other side, test fit, measure, measure again, and then braze.