Frame building class day 6.

We put the main triangle together today. I didn't take as many photos for two reasons; One, you can only look at so many mitered tubes; right? And two I am very busy working hard to complete the frame on time. Me and the retired cop, Kit, are the only two to have put our front triangles together.

Inside the bottom bracket shell, the seat tube is supposed to be mitered to meet the down tube perfectly; and mine was. As I said before my teacher says my miters are immaculate. When I dry fit the joint everything lined up perfectly. Then you have to put it in the jig for a second dry fit; no problem. The problem came when I took it apart, fluxed it up and put it back in the jig.

Because the flux and the jig add drag and makes it difficult to feel what's going on inside the bottom bracket shell. While trying to spin the seat tube and get it's miter to "fall" perfectly on the down tube, I missed by a couple of degrees. I was devastated. But my teachers said not to worry about it. Instead of the joint being 4 times as strong as it needs to be, now it is only 3.8 times as strong as it needs to be. The only people who will know about it is them, my painter, my mechanic and now whoever reads this. It pissed me off pretty good. I squandered a FUCKING PERFECT miter!

The mistake caused the seat tube not to insert as far as it could, and the down tube to protrude into the bottom bracket shell a little to far. You can see it in the photos. When I chase the threads in the bottom bracket shell, the chase tool will cut off the part of the down tube that protrudes.

Oh well it's my very first frame. I can't get so worked up about a tiny error that won't effect the bike and only a hand full of people will ever see. Time to concentrate on the remaining tasks. There is plenty of work still to be done. I have to let go and soldier on. It reminds me of a tradition The Native Americans have. They purposely weave a mistake into their tapestries because only God or nature is perfect: certainly not man!