Rivs, jigs & DIY

[John Rinker]

I don't know, there's something about the intersection of Rivendell ethos, futzing with things, and self-reliance that strikes a chord with me. Maybe it's not only Rivs, but bicycles in general beg to be tinkered with, taken apart, and put together. This is, to my mind, almost as fun as riding the darn things. Anywho, I enjoy building wheels so I built this jig for lacing wheels (first iteration), and it seems to work like a hot damn! Thought any like-mind folks might enjoy seeing it. Cheers.

[Eric Marth]

Nice jig you've got there. Is the center hub support turned? I see it tapers upward. 

I dig those Wandel-style shelves in the background. I've built a lot of them, some for our warehouse and others for hardwood storage. 

And I'm into shops so I'm looking at everything — looks like the wood stove is out of commission? 

[brendonoid]

This is really neat. I think I get how this works but can you give us a little explanation of your design ideas and its functionality/problems?

Thanks for sharing!

[John Rinker]

Hey Eric,

The hub support wasn't turned but run on a belt sander clamped upside down to a sawhorse (Wish I had a lathe!). The shelves are bombproof and have them all over my shop, and the woodstove works just fine though not in summer so I can rearrange my shop. The table with the jig and the truing stand is on wheels so I can move it around.

Cheers.

[John Rinker]

Hey Brendon,

The arms with wheel braces are spring-loaded to open easily and hold the rim in place, and the rim runs on two tiny wheels on each brace. The hub support is 3 pieces of 1 x 4 laminated together and then sanded to a taper with a threaded rod onto which I slide the hub. As you can see, it's held onto the table with a clamp and then folds up for storage. No real functionality issues, but I may slightly change the angle of the wheel braces so the wheels contact the rim in a more perpendicular manner. I did put some pieces of Newbaum's tape over exposed screw heads to avoid scratching the rim as I put it in or take it out.

The inspiration came from the jig I saw on the Prowheelbuilder's homepage (photo 8), but theirs is super skookum! I guess that's why they call 'em 'Pros'!

Cheers.

[John Rinker]

Brendon,

Here's another angle on the jig. Not sure it shows too much more. 

[brendonoid]

This is such a great piece of DIY I plan to shamelessly copy!

[Bill Lindsay]

I like the jig.  Just the act of instantiating a first revision out of one's head can be super fulfilling.  I confess the aspect of the photo that makes me the most jealous is your tidy work surface.  I need to do a little bit more tidying, and less accumulation of bits...

add it to the list...

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[David Person]

I like it!  What purpose does the glass bottle mounted to the right leg of the table serve?  Just curious.   I like the spoke holders too.  Quite an efficient set-up.

[RichS]

That is so nicely done John. You've created what looks like a therapeutic workspace too. I'm with you on the DIY Riv ethos which for me includes all things bicycle and much more. Thank you for sharing your handiwork.

Best,

Rich in ATL

[John Rinker]

Copy away, Brendon! I believe Picasso said, 'All great artists steal' so there's definitely no shame to be had.

Cheers,John

[John Rinker]

The bottle is there to occasionally hold a flower or two from the garden outside the shop. Mounted there so it doesn't take up space on the table top.

Cheers.

[John Rinker]

Thanks, Bill. Yes, my father bestowed upon me the gift of knowing which side of the soldering iron to grab so being somewhat handy with tools makes that 'instantiating' possible and fulfilling. Oh, and I have a whole other workbench below all my tools that loves to accumulate bits. Horizontal surfaces just beg for clutter.

Cheers.