How to? tacking jig fot TIG welding frames

[darthmuller]

Who can point me in the right direction????

I have looked at the commercially available jigs and WOW! they are costly, besides the initial cost I would fear the price to ship over to Africa.

So that brings me to DIY. I am looking for a good solid design or plans to build my own. I see 8020 seems to be the weapon of choice for most DIY jigs. So looking for good design using 8020. I have a machine shop so milling and turning pieces not a problem. Would rather like a good solid design over something that is just bolted together with hardware nuts and bolts.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Jonathan]

This thread has some great pics for ideas if you can think about tacking horizontal rather than vertical and with a machine shop very doable.

http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum...ild-30714.html

[Amaro Bikes]

There're many different diy ways, from just tube blocks over a flat surface, to the commonly used 8020 based ones.

I would recommend having your own thought first on how do you feel confortable or how is your building procedure, as this will define how your jig would be. What is ok for someone, might not suit you (for example you might tack differently to others, build different type of frames (fat bikes, recumbents, etc) or any other question.

Having a Jig is one of the big investments, as welding equipment, etc, so better to be 100% sure the actual jig will be something you're happy with and not something you'll end up changing after 20 frames, or wishing something might have been done differently.

Anyway, this is not whay you asked for, I guess... just in case is of any help for you, here is the original drawins I made for my own jig, althoug you should take it just as a sample or reference, not as an absolute or the like. One of the main things of the jig is that I can change BB or dummy axles so to accomodate different type of bb and dropout widths. Your main target should be keep HT/BB/DPT in very same axle and warranty enough access to all areas so to be able to reach with the torch (mine can rotate, for example). All you need is to think a little bit measures so to make sure it will all stay in the same axle.
Jig Drawings (pdf)

Anyway, there're loads of posts and info in this forum about this very same question, and many other places (flickr has some cool pictures around) so you should be able to figure your own design.

Cheers

[Andrew R Stewart]

I'll suggest a flat surface before a jig. With some creativity it will act as a jig then also be used to align the tacked construct before the finish welding. The flat surface has more uses besides bike frames, making it more likely to be found used and then sold after your building phase is done with. A 2'x3' is the smallest that is easy to build with and is not too big or heavy yet. I would save your jig construction for the tube holding on the surface devices and the other fixturing needs like braze one and alignment tooling. After you build a frame or three what needs a jig should have will be far better understood. Andy.

[dsaul]

Check out 44bikes Flickr page. Kris Henry has one of the best 8020 based frame jigs I've seen.

[pruckelshaus]

There's a link to a wordpress site that I created in my sig that has a bunch of homebuilt jigs...many of them are 8020. Not all of us have the cheddar or the space for a dedicated plate.

[fortyfour]

Here is the link to my frame jig set for those interested: 44 Bikes : Frame Jig

[Dornbox]

Check out 44bikes Flickr page. Kris Henry has one of the best 8020 based frame jigs I've seen.

RISD! That is correct, right Kris?

[odile]

Hi there

many thanks for this great discussion

i like this 8020 Design - it looks pretty impressive and very well done.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/44bike...5727223/page2/