Where you at!?

Sorry for the lack of updates. A lot has been going on the last couple of weeks. My brother graduated from college a couple weeks ago and decided to move into our house. So we had to play musical rooms and re arrange the house to accommodate him and his stuff. During the moving process I have also been working on and finalizing Janes BB30 shell. Which I am happy to say is finally done and off to paint. There was a lot of brainstorming and figuring out involved in machining that thing, but I finally got it and I am very happy with the result. It is also my first big course in using a Bridgeport. I am sure there will be many more to come, but it was nice getting aquatinted with it.

Speaking of mills! My Hardinge TM Horizontal Mill has finally arrived and it is in its new home. I'm very happy with the machine and can't wait to put it to use. I had a few problems with the electrical, but after messing around and educating myself on the electrical workings of a mill, I finally got the thing to turn nicely. 

Also, during this whole production, I have built a 7'x6' shed on the side of the shop to house all the bikes, wheels and frames I have been acquiring. It will be nice to get all the bikes out of the shop space. More room is always a plus. I like space to move around. It also opens up a lot of room for more tools, vices, stands, etc.

That being said, it is now time to reorganize and get ready to build the next couple of frames in line. Andrew will soon be on a brand new commuter and DJ will be aboard his new CX rig. 

Here are a couple of pictures to tie you over until then. 

BB30 boring at its finest!

The setup. 

Boring in progress.

Bearing fits nicely!

You have to fit in the single speed ride!

The guy I bought the mill from told me he only had a couple collets for the mill. This is what he sent me. Awesome!  

 The mill in its new home!

Front view.

The side view of the shed in the backyard.

The view of the shed from inside the shop, through the backdoor and into the shed.

Popped a bottle of champagne to celebrate the new mill and the new shed!

I hope all of you are having a good week and that you are getting a lot of riding in. I will be out of town until Tuesday 6/28. I will be answering emails and phone calls though, so don't hesitate to give me a call.  

Here is a jam to take you out.

 

Clocking in.

Last week went by very quickly. I spent a lot of time catching up and getting things organized. I order all the tubing for my next two projects and got them all drafted out. Now I wait in ernest to start building again, but that doesn't mean I have nothing to do. There is a ton of stuff to do other than building. Starting a business and running it efficiently is probably harder for me than actually building bikes, but thats probably because the building comes naturally. But I can't complain. Getting the business side of things organized has its perks too.

Another thing that has been consuming my time is designing blocks to hold Jane's frame so I can bore out the BB30 shell accurately. Although it has taken a long time to design, once I have them, it will be easy to repeat the next time. Its all part of the learning process.

There are some other things going on at Stinner Frameworks that will be announced soon. All I can say is I am very happy to be part of this project and I'm excited to start riding again with a purpose. I'll give everyone a hint. It has to do with riding bikes in the dirt between Sept-Feb.

I also am getting my horizontal Hardinge mill this week! Its very exciting and I can't wait to get it set up in the shop. Pics to come soon!

One of my favorite bands of all time! Enjoy!

Lightweight BB30

I managed to finish up Jane's BB30 race rig. This bike is crazy light and will be a great race bike for her. It was my first time using really light tubing. Im really interested to get her feedback. I'm sure it will be positive. Here are some pics of the bike all done. I still have to mill down the bottom bracket. The BB shell distorts when it is heated so to make sure I get a nice tight fit with the press in bearings, you have to machine it post build. I will be borrowing the Bridgeport at C&S Auto tomorrow evening to do this. I will post pics of the set up when I'm done.

We got a really wet weekend here in SB. There was a local MTB race and it sounded like the soft dirt turned to muddy clay. Cross bikes would have been more suitable than MTB's. Belt drive cross bike? hmm...

Next up is Andrew's lugged commuter. Fitted with racks and a fork! Should turn out good.

Here are the pics of Jane's bike.

Seeing this bike come together was very exciting. I learned a lot and can't wait to have Jane ride it. I'm honing my craft slowly but surely. It has been a fantastic experience thus far and I can't wait to see where Stinner Frameworks is headed. Thanks for reading and here is a jam to take us out!

I'm pretty picky about my electro music. Some of the stuff out there I just can't handle, and its mostly dub step (and its followers). I do dig good electro music though. This is a remix that my brother told me about a few days ago. He listens to a TON of electro, but he usually knows what I like. Good job Christopher. Job well done on this find. I totally dig it. Great for the shop this weekend as I filed and it rained outside.