Originally Posted by
busdriver1959
Spreading the dropouts works ok with steel but at times can be a PITA. Don't know about bamboo. I really don't see a reason that the aluminum block couldn't be replaced with a hardwood block that has the the correct spacing. I'm assuming that you have some woodworking tools since you are working with bamboo. A good quality drill press and a table saw would get decent results I would think. Shimming the rest of the fixture will work as well. Just make sure the other fixture parts are well supported across their width so the can't "wobble".
Thanks. Actually, I am a bit compromised in my currect working environment. I'm in a condo and doing the build in a small solarium room with no real pwer tool accessibility. If needed, I could just take the alu block to work where I have contact in the machine shop that likes to do little jobs for me on the side ;-)
I'll consider shimming the other mounts if I can find some alu or steel plates of uniform 2.5mm thickness. I think trying it with a bunch of washers is a little sketchy.