Just wondering how many that visit this forum have a mill and/or lathe to assist their frame building efforts. I've seen pics of "ftwelder"s over the top(in a very, very good way!) shop but who else has what brand, size, etc. Pics would be great if you're so inclined to share them. I'm not asking if these tools are necessary to build a frame(obvioiusly they are not), just curious.

thanks, Brian

I have a Sheldon R13, which would be a lot better if it wasn't so worn. The nice thing for framebuilding is that it will pass almost any tube used in framebuilding through the headstock. I would really hate to go back to a lathe with a smaller hole through the headstock because of this. Unfortunately I haven't been able to get the carriage tightened up enough to do mitering, it's an annoyance.

I also have a CNC Bridgeport, but I hurt myself setting it up a few years ago and haven't worked on it seriously since then. Keep telling myself I need to get it working though.

Hey U.! Hurt you due to shifting it, or it bit you? I guess neither is much good.


I have a South Bend heavy ten, it also has a good passthrough. Passthrough is over emphasized, but now that I have it... I have 2 south bend 9s. A Burke horizontal mill, which is an often cheap, horizontal that has major power. There is a US army manual for it, which is always a good sign. I have a Clausing 8520, I think, the best small Bridgeport mill. I think a small Bridgeport would be better, but this one is a classic, and resale is very good on them. I have a south bend 7" shaper. I have a small surface grinder/tool sharpener. A large Buffallo forge drill press. A crappy, but useful bandsaw. And one of the most useful all around tools for customizing, a 2x72 belt grinder. I have a variety of woodworking lathes, and they can be useful for various things. I have several surface plates, camel back levels, and scrapers...

Remember, the purpose of chinese machine tools, which are highly usable, is to keep the pressure off the old iron!

These days I spend most of my time on the computer, and ever since the math coprocessor became standard, I have designed everything in CAD, pretty much. So I feel real stupid not to have CNC in the shop... Even relatively small machines add a lot of power. They have to be able to take a heavy cut, but they don't need to be large.

That is too much stuff to randomly shoot photos, but if there is anything you particularly want to know or see...

I am a little confused as to how you use the Sheldon lathe in frame building. I have a monster lathe that I may polish tubes with but is mostly used as a head tube reamer/facing station. Lathers are designed for positive tool pressure and *generally* can't be used for below center shenanigans. I use a lathe for crazy mitre angles but it's not awesome.

I had some help moving machines from storage to the production floor a couple of years ago. One machinery dolly was stuck on a 1/4-20 nut on the floor. I went to my knees to sweep the nut away and at that moment the machine slipped and went to the ground catching my hand underneath. I got lucky with only a good crushing. I had to go back in a couple of days and get back to work. It was very difficult but I really had no choice. I am safer at all times after that. It could have been a blessing.

I didn't buy any of my machines for bike building, I just like to make things. Any use I get out of them for framebuilding is a bonus.

mostly I cut tubes to length on my lathe. When it was built it was a really good lathe, so even in its current crapped out condition it still can make some good parts.

The injury I got working on my bridgeport was stupidity on my part, one of the servo motors wouldn't move and I pushed on the timing belt. It took off, dragging my finger through the timing pulley. Fortunately my reflexes are good enough that I got the finger out before it was too squished, but it still required stitches.

I would like to have a manual mill, but I really don't have room for it.

You should ask Dazza about lathers he is constantly writing odes to his. He just got a mill, and seems to have started on it. So maybe he is just naturally grateful. Some folks do they metering on lathes, but that does not require passthrough. I think that lathes are useful to small shops, foreign, shops, and maybe great artists, because you can make one-off unique, or routine stuff that you would otherwise need to buy. And of course, making fixtures and tools.

I never wear gloves in the shop. But last year it was cold, and I thought, what the heck. Got wrapped up in the drill press. Stuff happens fast. Thankfully it was the 8" drill press.

Does anyone use one of those "Joint Jiggers" that basically hold the tube at a set angle and provides a spindle/chuck to mount a bi-metal hole saw blade to cut the fish mouth?

Ksisler- The tube notchers have been discussed on line many times before. The general view is that they don't support the thin wall tubes well, have a flexibility that creates angle distortion and the slop in the hole saw shaft fit makes catching a tooth real easy. Some notchers have more or less of these characteristics. The basic steel Joint Jigger I have (and given up on) took more time to set up and cut the tube then doing a miter by hand, but still the result needed hand touch up. Andy.