unterhausen

Thanks Doug, that's interesting about the 1/16" sizes. Inventory reduction has made those a custom draw, no doubt.

The problem I had with turning down the OD is that it makes the tubing the wrong size to fit my tubing blocks. So I have a block of wood down by the drill press waiting for the right size drill bits to show up.

ksisler

Doug +5 on all. Your analysis is very much want I was originally attempting to get across, excepting that you did/said it a lot better and didn't fall into any of the OP's typo pitfalls or introduce any new ones (as I did on the 1/10" gap being too tight when I meant too loose).

I think your first point is also worth emphazing as the #1 lesson from the thread... in that there is a degree of variability in stock tubing and in stock lugs (although some of the better cast lugs are now getting very accurate...and expensive). Before those, I do remember times of starting a basic layout mockup and just looking at the lug slipped over the tube and saying to myself...geez this is just not a good enough fit for a silver soldered joint and I haven't even cleaned them up yet! In those cases, I had to sort through several lugs or several tubes from different orders to find an adequate fit or in the worse case elect to use brass where I would have wanted to use silver. The cost of silver has altered the formula a bit in my mind...

+5 to the OP for starting a rather useful and uncommon discussion thread to benefit of the members.

Appreciated
/K

ksisler

LW; Reading back on my posts, can only conclude that I was having a bad hair day or something. My apologies for me being a big of a pinger/wanker that day. Your post were spot on! I'll strive to get a least a full cup of coffee flowing in the blood before entering the builders forum!

ksisler

All said then, I think there is solid agreement on all points (poke if I missed any);

1) Nooby builders would be better served to start with a set of tubes where a quality lugset is already available (this seems terribly obvious; apologies in advance).
2) Where needed or desired or a goal, it is practical to fab a lug
3) Selection of tubing materials to use in lug fab'ing is not an exact science due to variation in thickness and diameter of tubes away from posted spec's; complicated by limited selection in general
4) The metric that matters is to slip the lug material actually in hand over the frame tube actually in hand and ensure that the fit is within the range of acceptability for the joining material planned.
5) If a suitable sized tube for the lug material is simply or practically not available, then one can adjust the material's size (diameter or wall thickness) to fit, but the labor content increases significantly.
6) Some frame tube sets aren't suitable for lugged construction (mostly those designed for TIG)(dah!)
7) Aircraft Spruce seems to be the most comprehensive source for a full range of materials for lug making

Does that cover all the bases?
/Kerry