Top Five

[EnginCycles]

OK we need some positive talk here and a change of topic. My favorite movie of all time is High Fidelity It talks to me on so many levels. Retail, Music, working with the same people for many years and of course the fact that they are snobs within their group! Anyway I love the fact that they speak in terms of top five. Here are my top five tools in the shop (In order of desire and why)

1) Pedestal mounted Wilton Machinist vise - Amazing product that never fails me.
2) Miller Maxstar 200DX - The tig welder has little limitations and is so small for what it packs.
3) Clausing 6300 Lathe - Allows me endless ways to make cool things like made from scratch lugs.
4) My Files - without them not much would happen.
5) (this is the hardest one) It is a tie between my Victor J-28 and my alignment table. without the torch i would not need the table. Both have my love.

Honorable mention is all things made by the man known as Mr. Ferris. I removed them from the list since it could consume all 5.

Cheers,
Drew

[zank]

Good idea, Drew!

1) Anvil Fork Jig
2) Anvil Lug Vise
Don's stuff is beyond awesome.
3) Silva seat tube reamer
I don't know why exactly. It's just cool. And maybe because it's one of the last things I do to the frame
4) Meco Midget and super-light hose
The little guy is a great torch
5) I'm reserving #5 for the others to slide down when I get my Anvil Journeyman frame jig, which will occupy the top step.

[conorb]

Hmm,

1) Nicholson files
2) Torch setup
3) 4" angle grinder - well two actually, one setup for cutting, one setup for grinding
4) Machinist squares
5) A good set of eyes

There are more of course, fork jigs, stem jigs, the small Craftsman 4oz ball-peen hammer, 80 grit emery paper, that really, really cool Anvil lug vise, a large piece of granite.

In fact, I think I need to move the granite to number 4 or so on the list. :thumbs_up:

Conor

[conorb]

Oh, I can't forget Sharpies.

Can't make a frame without Sharpies.

Conor

[Tom Kellogg]

All of us have so many tools that we live by. Five that come to mind, no particular order:

1) Empire blasting cabinet (1982)
2) Dyna-File (our sixth)
3) Head tube reamer/facer that I made back in '84.
4) Sata Minijet
5) Southbend 11.5" toolroom lathe, leather drive. Beyond cool.

Oh, wait; The custom fork jig that Wilsey tool made for us, my old VAR wheel stand, the VERY old VAR third hand, Phil spoke cutter/threader, shop made quick release seat post frame holders, my coffee roaster, Redcay's old backwards vice, frame jig made in my parents basement in '76, Sharpies, absolutely.

[EnginCycles]

That is WAY more than five. The hardest part is sticking to the 5 spots.

Making a top 5 and adding a random list at the bottom is too easy!

-Drew

[Carl S]

Here is my top 5 although it's like choosing a favorite child (or dog in my case) because I love them all.

1. Paramount alignment table/system. I'm pretty sure it's the one pictured on page 148 of "The Custom Bicycle" unless there was more than one. I got the entire system along with heat treated surface plates to run the indicator along. It's my top favorites because of it's history.

2. Vertical mill. I use it to miter, I 'd hate to do it all by hand. I know because I used to.

3. Hokey little Delta drill bench top drill press. I don't use it to drill. It's used only for a super secret operation that I can't tell anyone

4. "Joe Joe the little slotter that could" This is an old horz mill that was set up for the single purpose of slotting ST's. I got it from Ibis. It works wonderfully. It's heavy and old and cool looking and I love it.

5. BikeCad. Rocks! I know it's not a tool in the shop sense but for a time saving, accuracy, great looking outputs and customer service nothing beats it. No I'm not affiliated with BikeCad in any way.

PS, Sharpies just missed the list. I use blue.

[Don Walker]

I need to be doing a seminar schedule this very minute, but it can wait for as long as it takes me.

1. Supah Mastah. Need I say more?
2. Bridgeport. Mitering main tubes
3. Atlas table top mill. I use it for slotting stays and forkblades. fast, fast fast.
4. Gasflux. A fillet brazers best friend.
5. Dynafile. A fillet brazers 2nd best friend.


barely missing was Bikecad. Brent rocks!

Now, onto the seminar schedule.

DW

[steve garro]

1: my full size Bringheli alignment table with fork attachments. 2: my access 65. 3: all 5 of my shop vises, but esp. my wilton machinist's . 4: my 4" machinist's square. 5: tie: 14" schmidt and 6" nicholson 1/2 rounds. honorable mentions - just as essential as the others - vertical mill, shop tunes and sharpies. all the anvil stuff is too obvious........steve.

[anthonymaietta]

1. The Anvil Chainstay fixture I bought from Mike Flannagan...I can't imagine how I TIG'ed a BB before I had it.
2. The homemade mitering setup I made for Hot Tubes and continue to use...I can't imagine how I kept my TT and DT miteres in phase without it.
3. My gas-mizer craddle...I use about a tank a year of oxy/acet, but its pretty darn cool.
4. Miller Elite welding helmet...all I can say is the cliche is true..."you buy cheap you buy twice"
5. Miller Maxstar 175 welder...14lbs, 110V plug, and PERFECT for welding bikes.

My Anvil Journeyman is almost too obligatory and obvious to make this list

Tony

[Curt Goodrich]

1. Marchetti frame jig.
2. Marchetti alignment table.
3. Marchetti fork alignment table.
4. Anvil fork jig.
5. Dynafile.


I dig my Smith torch but am perfectly happy with a Victor or Harris. Sharpies are indispensible. Files I use'em and throw 'em when they're dead.

[Tom Kellogg]

1) June (my wife)
2) Jeff (my assistant)
3) Coffee
4) i-Pod
5) Riding

There are lots of others, but if any of these went away, I'd be sunk.

[Chauncey Matthews]

1. My Morroni jig- tandem capable with every side machined...200 pounds of framebuilding badassedness!
2. Coconino Tubing Blocks- you're clamping a tube in a vise, can they really make a difference? Yes they can!
3. Dummy axles- by Anvil, nuff said.
4. Starett protracter- they were throwing these out at my Dad's work because they were being replaced by digital crap!
5. Morroni fork jig- made out of a door from a very old ship. It's fiddly and requires you to do about 20 different caliper checks per fork, but it always reminds of what can be done with a little imagination.

[rabbitpunch]

pics please!

[crumpton]

1. anvil fixture
2. bikecad pro
3. meco midget(not used enough)
4. my grieve model 333 oven
5. airtech stretchlon 850 in lay flat tubing form

[Dave Kirk]

All these big tools you guys have that plug into the wall are threatening my manhood.

Here are a few of my favorites - from left to right -

1) stay spring clip and wooden spacer - stick the chunk o' wood between the stays and slide it back and forth (or up down if you like) until the stays are spaced how you like and then slide the spring clip over them to hold them in place. I ask you, what could be finer?

2) wooden tube blocks - wood is the shit for this as it grips the tube well so you don't need to crank down on the vice to hold things still and wood has very good imbedablity so a stray metal chip clamped between the tube and the block won't dent the tube. The best blocks are always home made and feature a chunk of leather that was a part of a stool their grandfather made in the 30's. The stool didn't survive but the leather Ernie tanned himself did.

3) lug mandrels - wedge style lug mandrels are the shit. Give the wedge a whack with a hammer and the lug she no move no more. Whack the other end to release. No wrenches or any of that fussy stuff. Holds the lugs firm enough to blacksmith on and change angles. Again the best ones are the ones you make yourself from scrap tube and chunks of water pipe. I made these when I first hung my own shingle and thought I'd make better ones when money was better. Money got better but there is no reason to get rid of them.

4) Kirk-O-Matic Bendatron 2000 - all purpose bending rig. Variable radius, variable and repeatable bend duration and variable bend location. Bends fork blades, chainstays and most everything in the stay type diameters. Even bends Terraplane seat stays with special attachment (not shown). Made from wood or course and using only the finest wingnuts. No wrenches allowed.

5) Inverted T slot ground surface plate - what all the other stuff is sitting on. This is my real work horse. For those of you who wonder what the hell an inverted T slot table is - The slots allow T shaped hardware to be placed in the slots to clamp most anything down most anywhere. A jig with no limits if you will. I now use it for general fabrication but used to use it to fixture every bike that went out the door (with special attachments). Since I got my Anvil jig I only use the plate to fixture special stuff that won't fit on the Anvil. I've used this thing to make stems, tandems, lugged bikes, fillet bikes, race car suspension pieces and even full on car roll bars. The best $700 I ever spent. It now handles all my alignments and general day to day stuff.

I have other stuff I like very much......... my electric dynafile, my hacksaw..........Hmmm? I guess that's about it. That's most of what I have embarrassingly enough.

If you even come and take a tour don't worry about the special safety glasses that will keep the lasers from hurting your eyes. I think you'll be fine without them. Everyone's welcome. Not all at once of course. I don't have the room.

Thanks for reading.

dave

[Don Walker]

4) Kirk-O-Matic Bendatron 2000 -

Best name for a tool ever. Ever.

DW

[steve garro]

Best name for a tool ever. Ever.

DW

i own a "blattener" that has formed 100's of seatstays...........it's HO-MADE! steve.

[Dave Kirk]

Best name for a tool ever. Ever.

DW

You should have seen the first 1999 of them........ not pretty.

dave

[Don Walker]

it's HO-MADE! steve.

How much did you pay her to make it? :hahaha:

DW