New Builder

[NR5A]

Hi its me again, Jerry in South Dakota. I downloaded the plans and I'm printing them out right now. After they are printed I'll have Office Max bind them, that will make a handy book. Now I have a few questions, be prepaired for many more. I'm pumped up about this project. Friday I will start getting parts.

1. Whats the best way to cut steel tubing?

2. Is there anyway to tack the parts together with a propane torche? I don't know how to weld and do not have the stuff. There are several places in Rapid City that do welding tho.

3. I've got a few tools, but what all do I really need??

Thanks guys.

Jerry - NR5A - South Dakota

[Pagan Wizard]

To cut the steel tubes, you have a few different options:

1 - a hack saw......your cuts might not be straight and they will take a long time to do.......positive note......this is the least expensive route

2 - an electric hand held grinder with a cut-off disc.....much faster than the hack saw, probably just as accurate........5this will cost about $50USD's

3 - one of these... http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_1038310_1038310 ....this is probably your best option......less expensive than a hand held cutting tool, just as fast as a hand held cutting tool, and you will get perfectly straight cuts.

A propane torch will not get the steel hot enough to weld. I too do not know how to weld and am waiting on learning how to be able to begin my DW build as well. If you are a bit less patient than I am, you can have one of the local welding shops do the welding for you. If you go that route, let me know how much it cost you to have it all done for you.

What tools do you already have?? Knowing this will help us judge if they will work for you and what else you may or may not need.

[TheKid]

You don't always get perfectly straight cuts with those 7" chop saws. If they're off just a little bit, they don't cut at 90 degrees. I believe Sir Joey has this problem with his. Mine developed that problem after just a few cuts. I have to sim one end to get a perfect 90 degree angle. I finally got one of my 10" miter saws back, and that cuts perfectly when used with a 10" cutoff blade for metal. That one's a cheapie Delta from Home Depot, $130. They can be had for much less used, and you might even find a better quality used miter saw or chop saw for $30-50 on Craigslist or E-Bay.
You can get a decent grinder and use the cutoff blades for under $30, some as low as $10. If you mark your steel accurately, and cut along the lines, you'll get perfect cuts using this method. Practice makes perfect, and hand cutting with a hacksaw, sawzall, jigsaw, or grinder will yield perfect cuts, albeit slower cuts, (especially with a hacksaw) with practice.

[SirJoey]

Actually, mine's one of the big ones, & it's a DeWalt, but it's just wore out. I bought it used, from a pawnshop, some time back, & it already had one foot in the grave...

Maybe I'll try your method next, Kid. Miter saw & metal blade.

[Patrike]

3. I've got a few tools, but what all do I really need??

Thanks guys.

Jerry - NR5A - South Dakota

Some one to build it for you! LOL. Just kidding mate! The the designer Brad -- builds using these basic things:

Drill (variable speed but not cordless)
Grinder (lots of cutting and grinding wheels)
Welder (I recommended a 110VAC fluxcore MIG)

If you don't know how to weld -- Smartflix videos has some great flicks on all sorts -- Oxy, MIG, ARC, TIG.

I think they have some how on metal working as well - have not seen it.

Good lucK and have fun.

Patrick

[SirJoey]

Hey Patrick, did you build your tad from the StreetFox plans, or had you already built it when you joined the Krew? Seems to me, you already had it built...

[Patrike]

Hey Patrick, did you build your tad from the StreetFox plans, or had you already built it when you joined the Krew? Seems to me, you already had it built...


Yes, done prior -- I call it the SYB - Six Year Build -LOL. I had planned to build a few. It was actually called Patrike1, never got around to 2 or 3. It was a hack job copy of the Thunderbolt by Rickey Horwitz. In fact it is not done yet -- I use it for experimenting -- I must of cut the rear end off 3 times already, seat 4 times, reworked the front end - I just keep playing with it. Started out with rear suspension-gone now!

Patrick

[SirJoey]

...I must of cut the rear end off 3 times already, seat 4 times, reworked the front end - I just keep playing with it. Started out with rear suspension-gone now!

That's way kool! You & your bent have some history! I have a long history with bents in general, but no real history with any one in particular (yet). I think that's gonna change, though.

Got any pix of that history?

Didn't like the suspension? Like it better now?

[TheKid]

Sounds like MY tadpole! It only took a year and a half with all the changes I made.

[Patrike]

Got any pix of that history?

Didn't like the suspension? Like it better now?

It had to much bounce with the pedal strokes -- I don't mind the harder ride. Might revisit suspension in a future build.

These pics are done in 2002 Trikefest in Port hope -- I had just taken the suspension out - the pivot point is still there - I just removed spring/shock an put metal bar in place of. The front end was a mess back then -- LOL the whole thing was a mess and not to much better today. About the only thing still origianl on it since I started is the Rust, but some of that is newer to! :p


Patrick

[SirJoey]

Now that's what I call a SEAT! LOL!

It's always interesting to see what kind of original stuff people can come up with.

Enjoyed the pix, thanx. :)

[Patrike]

Now that's what I call a SEAT! LOL!

It's always interesting to see what kind of original stuff people can come up with.

Enjoyed the pix, thanx. :)


The idea behind the seat was to create support on eitherside of the spine. I never found thicker soft tube foam I wanted - pipe insulation for now and I was going to make a slip cover for the top part to hide the tubes. I change the bottom part -- now has a nice dark grey foam seat, not to bad looking for underpad for carpet found a homedepot. I used some plastic cutting board found at Ikea for support to hold the foam. I also made the seat selfsupporting, no triangle bracing needed. Downside to that is the upright angle can not be adjusted. The last thing I was working on was moding the seat length adjustability as the bottom bracket is in a fixed position now. I got some electical U channel and they have special clamps that sit in the channel - turn bolt to loosen - move seat for new rider and tighten. I was thinking about doing that for the Kyoto -- but if you have a taller person and a shorter person then the short person will be to forward - not very sociable seating arrangement.

Patrick