Tube Cutting and Jig Fitting

Here are the tubes for Neil's frame going through the process of being cut to fit together in the jig.

First is the seat tube being mitered with the abrasive belt system.  I cut the seat tube using vee blocks in the vice to make sure it's exactly 90 degrees.

Here it the fit to the BB shell.  You can see the scribe line that I "sand" up to.

Next is the BB joint.  You can see that the blocks I use to hold the tubes in the mill are still attached to the down tube. That way I can easily put the tube back in the mill if required.

Here is the head tube joint at the same point in the process.

This frame will have a titanium tube inserted into the top tube to act as a brake cable guide.  Here is the somewhat Rube Goldberg method I use to cut the guide holes for now.

It leads to a nice smooth transition for the entrance and exit.  Once bonded in place the tube will but ground flush with the carbon.

Finally, just for Neil, who likes this sort of thing, the weight of the titanium guide tube (prior to being trimmed on each end).  Not including the cap of course.

Next step is bonding in the tubes and bottle bosses.

Tube Marking

The next step is carefully marking the tubes for cutting and mitering.  I use a silver marker on the carbon then lightly scribe it away to mark cut locations.

I have a .01" graduated ruler I use for marks longer that the 12" calipers can reach.

I mark a cut length, miter location line, miter diameter and angle to make it very clear.

When all the tubes are complete I check them against the drawing once more.  I don't want to make any mistakes and have to get another tube.

Next step is to cut the tubing and fit it in the jig that already been set to the correct dimensions from the CAD drawing.

Neil's Frame Begins

Neil's new frame was set in motion today.  It will be a lighter version of his first prototype frame with ENVE tubing and twin seat stay tubes.  It should be somewhere around 900g when complete (but we'll see).

First the jig was set up according to the CAD drawing.

Then the head tube was cut to length (then turned on the lathe to exact length and to true the ends).  I cut tubes with a fine tooth band saw running on medium speed with a very slow down feed rate.  I found this does not snag or pull any fibers.

 Here is the progression of creating an external butted section to accommodate Neil's seat post clamp at 33.9mm.  It shows the wrapped pre-preg, the shrink tape, the cured tube and the turned, sanded finished end.

 Here we have the parts in process back on the shelf.  Dropouts are ready to bond when the time comes.

Five New Frames

After a very long wait I finally received my order of tubes and frame components for the latest round of carbon frame building.  After these frames are complete I'll have to find a new supplier of construct my own tubing.  I don't have enough order volume to qualify for the suppliers new 2013 "builders program".

Here we start with enough tubes and rear ends to construct 3 road frames and 2 cross frames.  I'll be building the three road frames first then getting into the cross frames.

I've organized the tubes by frame and have them stored on a new purpose built shelf.  Over the next few months I'll work my way through them all.  I have a few new ideas to try and techniques to perfect.

Sorry, no build photos yet.  I'm still waiting for a missing tube which is unfortunately part of the very first frame.  Instead here we have a few CAD images of it instead.

Road Frame 5 Complete...

...well sort of complete.  I had an issue when I bagged and cured the frame a few months ago.  The top tube went over temperature in the oven and slightly ovalized.  Not a big deal but one of those things that would bug me knowing it was wrong.  I decided to use the frame for testing and not bother with the final finishing and an expensive paint job.  It's a rattle can finish, good enough to test ride and destructive test later once a replacement has been built.

It's final weight came to 965g.  That's for a 58cm frame with ENVE molded chain stays and individual tubes for seat stays.  I moved all the Shimano Di2 components over and rewired for an internal battery.  I used the following battery which slipped perfectly inside a Ritchey WCS 27.2 carbon post.
http://www.airsoftparts.ca/store2/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1809

Here is the seat cluster with the twin stay tubes and brake bridge.

Stay detail.

Brake bridge detail.

 I used some woven carbon in the joints.  In the right light you can see it clearly through the top layer of uni-directional.  Also note the nice clean brake and Di2 wire routing under the top tube.

More to come in the fall...

New Frame

I've started on the next road frame.  This one will feature a titanium brake cable guide as well as internal Di2 wiring and battery placement.  This will be the first frame featuring thin twin seat stays.
Here is the BB86 tube with generous Di2 wiring passages cut  to allow the wiring to be tucked up inside the tubes easily.

This frame has a large down tube with an OD of 1.74", pretty close to the 44mm ID head tube for InSet headsets.

The BB joint ready to sand, clean and glue.

 The twin 0.55 OD seat stays are widely spaced which should make it easier to get the carbon to compact between them under vacuum.

Chuck's Bike Assembled

Here is Chuck's new carbon road frame all assembled.

The head tube joints turned out nice and smooth but you can see the uni-directional and faintly the 2X2 twill weave underneath.

The anodized Crumpton dropouts are small and light but also thick and rigid where needed on the hanger.

The BB joint...also very nice looking!

Finally the seat tube cluster with the exit for the rear brake cable.  I'm happy with the way that has worked out.

Yes, that's a nice arch on the cable...

Up next, I start on another carbon road frame with twin seat stay tubes and internal Di2 battery and cabling.

Chuck's Frame Finished

I picked Chuck's frame up from Stefan who did an awesome job with the matte clear over gloss clear theme.  I'll show a few teaser shots now and the rest once the bike is built up.  Here is the underside of the top tube showing the entrance to the titanium brake cable guide tube.

The matte over gloss clear looks really good with the logos.  Subtle unless you look closely.

The surface is smooth and consistent but you can see the pattern of the carbon layers through the paint at the joints.

The underside of the BB with cable guide tube.

Finally the shot Neil has been waiting for...

More to come in the next few days...and the paint weighs 28g for those who obsess over such things.  Total frame weight 1033g.

Final Details Before Paint

I spent some time tonight and wrapped up all the last little details before the frame is sent for clear coat etc.
The first thing I did was drill and slot the back of the seat tube.  The slot may be a little short but it clamps well.

I then drilled holes for the down tube cable stops followed by bonding with DP 420 and two rivets each.

Finally I carefully drilled a hole right through the frame behind the BB to guide the front derailleur cable and seal the frame.  Next time I'll get some titanium tubing to avoid possible corrosion issues.  I'll trim the tube flush once the glue sets.

A final light sanding all over with 600grit, a cleaning with alcohol and it's ready for the painters.