Bike builders that have machine tools/shops

[FOG]

I've read thousands of books but one of them was about this dude that crossed the Atlantic in a 10ft homemade boat. Are you kidding? no.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerry_Spiess

The book's title is "Alone Against the Atlantic".

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

I just finished reading John Steinbeck's Log from the Sea of Cortez.
Speaking of solo sails in a home built boat, this one is good.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23199779-jagular-goes-everywhere
The author Tom Pamperin lives a bit North of me.
Tom

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

All I have been doing in my machine shop of late is cutting split wood into kindling on almost every other day routine.
I have a full pack of #35 diamond chain degreasing in mineral spirits and should draw it out and soak it in my crock pot full of
https://moltenspeedwax.com/pages/clean-your-chain
Some distractions are because my wife has cancer, which her Oncologist is nearing remission. I took her to the last of round five Velcade injections this afternoon.
I also have a Huffy Davidson that needs better wheels and a engine mount to replace the BBR generic POS.
Tom

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Pulled 10 foot of #35 Diamond brand chain out of the crock pot full of chain wax. Hot 35 chain is a dickens to get ahold of. Wax on low was 286F by my laser temp meter.
Tom

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

New project to begin, nothing major.
But making it look clean will be a challenge to make top tube clamps for a Indian style tool box that just arrived in the mail from Dan Orabona. Beautiful fabrication, built to my Spec's.
Sending it for powder coat tomorrow.
There is almost if not .312" or more between tank top and top tube. Clamp material will be 6061T6 aluminum.
Fasteners not sorted out yet.

 

[indian22]

Tom I'm starting to like this home alone mandate, though most of my progress is on home improvement some is bike related.

I've seen some really nice work that Dan's turned out for some of the forum guy's who were building cool stuff years before I made my first post on this forum.

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Rick,
You know how to find the early Taylar links? Curt always seems to have a better handle in the archives, but then again I am a relative new comer.
Because the company I work for also does Powder Coat, I asked my supervisor Mohamed if he would run my tool box parts thru the line. Never blinked an eye. Actually he winked an eye.
I have not yet stayed home because of our Governors isolation request, but will by Friday, completing the hottest project in the shop.
With my shop I can still produce a home.
Haven't talked to personnel yet.
Tom

 

[indian22]

Tom I think they built this site around Curt and a couple of other guys and yeah he's got handles on this stuff. Though I've not done business with Taylar I have followed his work.

Great to have access to processes and equipment. I've two friend's that powder coat and another with a commercial plating company, but I seldom use any of them. Since I kind of specialize in builds with lived on looks and nick's 'n scrapes occur on daily riders so a hard finish isn't that big a deal to me & I only like a little shiny metal on my bikes, but my attitude is dang sure not conducive to building what most guys want and that really makes sense to me as well. I like both show bikes and go bikes & no reason one bike can't be both.

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

My supervisor Mohamed gave me my powdered coated tool box parts today. Not glossy as I had hoped, but a little elbow grease should correct that. My wanting this additional storage is primarily for a battery to power a early acetylene head light. Photos to follow on Saturday.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Photos never happened cause I never got to it. Took the Brooks off the Flyer instead to reason out why the saddle clamp will not hold the saddle in the desired position.
https://www.brooksengland.com/en_us/b190.html

The main frame is constructed of parallel 6mm rods. Might be 6.5mm just eyeballed.
The seat post clamp is blanked, formed, and then stamped with radial serrations that mate with the similarly made frame mounts made in the same fashion.
Outside of the mounts drawing the mounts and seat clamp together are just washers and nuts. In theory pitch adjustment done and stays where you want it. But, the clamping washers have neither the area or thickness to sustain the clamping force of the draw nuts.
My plan started today, is to machine copies of the frame mounts to use instead of washers. With channels milled in them to contain the torsional loads.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torsion_(mechanics)
Today all I did was square up a block of 7075T6.

And now for something completely different.
Saturday being mild weathered and knowing Easter was weather wise was going to be normal. A neighbor a day early gave us a Easter Parade.

Beer was in the bagger.
Tom from Rubicon, WI

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Beer was in the bagger. Had the Saloon been open, their precarious return home would have been perilous.
The trailing chair only went in the ditch once.
Tom

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Back in the shop today, my B190 Brooks saddle keeps rotating pitch wise going nose up at every bump in the road of late. Standard hardware, view stock photo.
https://www.brooksengland.com/en_us/b190.html
The seat post clamp and angle adjustment is inside the 6mm frame wires and on the outside are just1mm washers and 8x1 nuts. The torsion exerted on those puny 1mm washers overcomes the retention force of the stamped serrated adjuster bits of the seat post clamp.
I tried thicker 4140 washers with the same results.
So something has to change, Brooks has had this problem for some time. How long I do not know as I am going on anecdotal evidence, but mine is empirical.
The outside frame washers cannot take the strain put upon them.
This is my first attempt. Material, 7075-T6 aluminum. Dimensions per piece, .5x1.26x1.89. Two needed, one for each side. After squaring my block, I used a .062" slitting saw to separate the two pieces I needed conventional feed by hand. Using WD40 for lube. Two parts parted off.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

More tomorrow, supper time.
Tom

 

[indian22]

Tom I've encountered this problem on a few classic style saddles and I'm glad you're choosing to go "full Monty" on the solution. Half measures I recall were not solutions, rather a waste of time. On one I chose to use a MIG to cleverly convert to a non-adjustable attitude (the saddles, not my own) and though crude; it was effective. John barley corn may have been involved in that solution.

Rick C.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Needed 3mm radius channels for the seat frame but didn't have a 6mm ball end mill. Plan B, stand the paired blocks on end and drill on the centerline with a 6mm drill.
Tom

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Done, and cleaned up with fine tooth file.
Tom

 

[FOG]

I forgot about this thread and there's a lotta machine work needed on my cylinder head so I'm movin' on over.

Going from a drawing to a tool to actually make the cut and real world results ... needs to be checked in the real world. Because of velocity design I needed the opening into the squish band to be .006 larger than the clearance at the corner. Ya can't see that by placing a piston on it, so I sawed a spare piston in half.

You can barely see it in the pic but I got it! I luv it when a plan comes together.

I also needed a real world look at the combustion chamber so I turned a dia. down to match the planned radius of that cut and it's looking good too.

The last thing I can check is the volume without the piston. I've been using an online dome volume calculator all along for compression reasons and I should be able to predict how many cc's the practice piece will hold.

We'll have to see what the real world has to say about that next.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Thanks for sharing FOG,
I was hoping you would come over to put some meat on this thread.
Tom

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

These photos are from Saturday. 3mm radius channels created.
Next step drill a 5/16" thru hole for 5/16-18 draw bolt and counter sink 82 degrees for a flat flat head screw.. Lastly clamp blocks mounted on a 5/16-18 internal threaded arbor, and turned to a radial dimension on the long axis.
Monday I will create a taper profile of the external surface of 18 degrees. There is not a lot of room from the saddle frame to the interior saddle body. Review the Brooks link at post #652.
More to follow.
Side line.
Wife's, Myeloma may be in reemission. Way different than six months ago.
I self isolated due to high risk conditions for susptibility to the covid -19 virus because I am 69 years old. I am trying to get extended FMLA. I could get fired from my job because the factory I work for is having problems accepting risk for their workers.
Stay safe,
Tom

 

[indian22]

Your doing the right things Tom, chips fall where they may & can be cleaned up later.

Rick C.