aren't you getting a king?
i wouldn't risk damaging a $100+ headset with a 2x4 + mallet ghetto install.

chicken

i just put a dura ace in the kogswell with a homemade press. i had to sand the steerer down a little to smash the crown race in (and even then, i really had to smash the hell out of it).

for the crown-race, i got a chunk of galvanized steel pipe for 25 cents at home depot and a cheap copper reducer fitting (really tight to the inside bumpy part of the race). i stood the pipe up on the floor, put the reducer on the top-end, stuck the race on the steerer (after sanding it a little), grabbed the fork and smashed it with ape-like strength about 9 times down into the tube at 2AM. i'm sure this was to my downstairs neighbor's delight.

everything's aligned and smooth--except for the dura ace logos. one's a little off, so i might strip it off of the cup.

now i just have to cut the steerer. i'm thinking i should mark it, throw an old lock-nut on it just below the mark, douse it with cutting oil and hacksaw it, using the lock-nut as a guide and thread chase. i dunno...

That is sort of my thought process at the moment.

F*ck it, i can install a king with a hammer and a rag and a set of stairs. and a book, seriously. Dont be a bunch of sallys. Sh*t Happens.

the hammer is the original multi-tool

does Park make one of those?

VisitorDesigns Headset cup press worked well. Threaded rod, two nuts, a bunch of washers and some time, it went it real nice, and only on the 18th try. (partially because i didn't realize a spot of powdercoat still on the inside of the headtube that was makin the cup go in at a wierd angle, so once it was gone, it went in perfect). Now if I only could find the 8mm Allen bolt that went in my stem, my bike would be together and on the road.

+1

two paperbacks and a coffee table works well too

My old threads are the best.

wait i thought they were the ****ing worst:)

Depends who you ask :)

2 ratty paperbacks, lots of grease and a rubber mallet :) works great! Jonny5 and I were both drunk and we had to use what we had around, and it worked!

Starting the cups nice and straight can be tricky (depending on the fit). If the cups tilt, push them back out with something round. a flat bladed screw driver will dent the cups

Oh, and being the scatter brain, I made the mistake of mixing up the top and bottom bearings recently. Was puzzling until I realized that they were not interchangable on the HS I was using.