Category: Bicycle Frame Building

File the finishing touches on the tube. This is the most tedious part of all but the snugger the fit the less chance of frame distortion.

Carefully grind as close as you can to the scribe line.

Hard to see the scribe line in the picture but it is there. Grinding/Filing to the line is the next step.

Blue the tubing and scribe the notch via the lug. Pictured here is the top tube and top head tube lug.

Setting up Henry James Jig for chain stay length and BB drop.

Setting the seat post angle on the Henry James Jig using the supplied HJ Protractor.

I have been studying (for too long) handmade bicycle frame building but am now ready to start the real deal. Tubing is here, lugs are in, and frame jig is ready! Now it is a matter of time, patience and many mistakes before the first “Lincoln Smithy” Frame is made.

Practice Fillet Welds – just plain 4130 tubing from Aircraft Spruce (it’s cheaper that way) for practice. Learned all about notching and fillet brazing using this stuff.

Tubing – Thanks to Joe Bringheli. While I have only dealt with him for my first tubing purchase he as more than helpful and delivered real fast. I will be learning about tubing for the rest of my life from the looks of it.

Lugs – Joe was out of lugs when I called so I got these from Nova Cycle Supplies. Long Shin make them and as far as I can tell seem pretty nice. Like tubing, I will be learning all about lugs for a long while as well.

Finally for this post I got my Henry James jig up in the stand and will start getting acquainted with it soon. Great jig I was able to find used! Can’t wait to put it to use.