My hours at the shop have been cut.  But, that gives me more time on Ians frame before we head for Mexico.  I positioned these small diameter stays to the outside of the seat tube so they will flow better.  Any more to the inside and
 they would look like
 branches sticking out of
 a tree.



The temporary tires showed up.  I did a rough cut on the bottom of the head tube so I could check the stand over height.  I will be right on the money and better once the 1.125" Small Blocks are available.  I also did a rough fit on the skinny seatstays.

The Avid Shorties are positioned nicely on the fork.  There is enough tire clearance to get by this summer at home and PIR for short track.  But for the mud this Fall, these 1.50" tires have to go.

The chainstays  are in perfect alignment and the wheel I built this week runs true.  There is a lot of wheel gap on both ends of the frame set.  Gotta have on this small size for chain line, heel, and toe clearance.

The steerer tube is now ready for its crown race.  It cut nicely with out any chatter. 

Now to start on the "Englishish" seatstays.  I bend them by hand on a wood mandrel I made.  The bottom curve is done, now for the top. 

I'm using Don Ferris' B.B.G. to set and align the chainstay for tacking and it works very well.    I'm not affiliated, but the Anvil stuff is the best there is in my book.

A very nice fillet indeed.  No copper and will require little clean up.  More name dropping: I talked to Dave Kirk at NAHBS and he gave me a few pointers that have greatly improved my fillets.  I'll go get some acetylene while it soaks.

The sun finally came out and I could take some pics of it. It's a beauty!

A little jury rigging here with springs, coat hangers, etc. to hold the dropouts in place.  But it works.

 Ians cable stops.

 I left the shorelines fat and will knock the points way down to minimize the look since the fork is going on the fillet brazed frame.  I detest uni-crown forks and will not make one.  They work well, but are ugly imo.

Time for a cold one.

With only some final finessing of the fillets on the front triangle, I decided to start on the rear triangle and the fork.  I'm hoping that "if I build them, the tires will come" similar to the Field of Dreams movie.  I always use a builders wheel for the rear triangle, so this will be interesting without a 24" wheel to use for alignment, tire clearance, etc.   However, the very short Sapim Lasers are to ship today.  So maybe by the end of the week I will have a wheel set.