Cycling UK Forum

Hiya All,
Since my last post on types of stands, I've come up with this idea for what I think is a new design. Obviously it's the first draft and will require adapting or maybe throwing away completely, depending on the feedback. See what you think and leave your comments.
Cheers... Alex

one of these



http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/rose-truing-stand/aid:553818

is a reasonable idea if it is done well. I had a Minoura one to the same design.

The staggered arms (to accept wheels of different OLN value) can be used on any truing stand design. If you want to make them robust, 3/16" x 7/8" steel stock (say) can be used, and this would work on your wooden stand.

But if you are going to use that steel, you may as well just make a simple large 'U' shape from this stock with one set of slots in it; it can be bent in a standard bench vice, yet once formed will be springy enough to accept many different hub widths, and the springiness is no real detriment when building. [The Minoura/Rosebikes design springs a little to accept different widths; you can have any width from about 90mm up to about 144 to contend with and that is without some of the weird MTB sizes or ones found on folding bikes, so a stand with fixed widths is somewhat undesirable.]

A simple 'U' can have pointers attached (old spoke and wing nuts) and be bolted to a bracket to be clamped in a bench vice or onto a table. The steel stock required costs about £6/metre and one metre is sufficient to make a stand with a wooden base. A little drilling and cutting, a few bolts with wing nuts, and the job's a good'un...

cheers

I just used an old set of front forks set in a piece of old floor board. I then drilled through the forks - outside in, not front to back and level with the rim position. A couple of 2 BA bolts with a nut both inside and outside of the fork to hold them in place. I toyed with a couple of ideas for vertical alignment but ended up using my thumb most of the time. To adjust between front and rear wheels was simply a bit of muscle power to spread/push back in as required. I made a dishing tool out of scrap wood (one straight and a block either end on the same side, size and thickness) and one bolt in the centre to adjust in and out for dishing amount.

Total cost? Zero.
Functionality? Total.

Hi TimP,
Yes, your set-up's totally adequate for its purpose, or I could have just turned the bike upside down and not even bothered with altering the fork but that's not the way I like to do things. The difference between us is that you seem to just want to build a wheel and while I too want to build a wheel, I also, as a separate project, want to build a well designed quality tool for the purpose, and if I can make it easier to use, store and construct, than the other designs, all the better. I was thinking of building one to the Musson design as the pictures I've seen looked really good but the finished size and the work involved put me off. I got round both of these problems by designing one which folds flat and is made out of one length of timber. I didn't even consider the cost as it is negligible. I'm on holiday at the moment but looking forward to making the stand when I get home. I hope it lives up to my expectations.
Cheers... Alex

1942alexander wrote:Hi TimP,
Yes, your set-up's totally adequate for its purpose, or I could have just turned the bike upside down and not even bothered with altering the fork but that's not the way I like to do things. The difference between us is that you seem to just want to build a wheel and while I too want to build a wheel, I also, as a separate project, want to build a well designed quality tool for the purpose, and if I can make it easier to use, store and construct, than the other designs, all the better. I was thinking of building one to the Musson design as the pictures I've seen looked really good but the finished size and the work involved put me off. I got round both of these problems by designing one which folds flat and is made out of one length of timber. I didn't even consider the cost as it is negligible. I'm on holiday at the moment but looking forward to making the stand when I get home. I hope it lives up to my expectations.
Cheers... Alex

I too like tools - and have too many (I worked in an engineering company some years ago). With the wheel jig for me it was a case of "okay, how many wheels am I going to make?" and the answer was as few as possible if I get it right. I did get it right and in fact I am still on the same wheels I built as a teen and I passed my 1/2 century mark over a year ago. I used to straighten friend's wheels for them for a while but after moving away for work that all stopped. I didn't like working on wheels still in the frame very much as they never stop wobbling around. A quick minor straighten job is fine but replacing spokes is better in the jig - or was as the jig is gone now. Too much kit and not enough space, so some had to go.

I probably commented a bit in the wrong tone. Not aimed at you. I was in a bike shop yesterday and was told at great length how their wheel jig with all the bells and whistles means they make better wheels then anyone else anywhere in the area and I took issue with it. I then came across this thread while the experience was still bugging me.

Thanks for the explanation, TimP, but I didn't pick up on any harshness in the tone of your reply. I thought we were just at crossed purposes with each other, you building wheels and me building a stand. For the moment, forget about wheel building, that comes later. My aim now is just to build a stand which is easier to build and easier to store than other stands. It will probably only ever build the two wheels for which I already have the parts as I'm 72 now and my active cycling days are coming to an end. Never the less I am going to put all my heart, experience and skill, as an engineer myself, into making it as good, purposeful and pretty as I can.
Cheers... Alex

for anyone who likes the idea of using an old set of forks, for its simplicity, but not the idea of bending them repeatedly, might I suggest that you consider making some slightly joggled brackets in steel that bolt into the fork ends?

This way even flat brackets increase the spacing by the combined thicknesses of the fork ends, and further increments can be obtained by adding spacer washers onto the brackets where they bolt in, putting them either side of the fork ends, and/or reversing the joggle in the brackets.

With the possible exception of some (eg singlespeed) wheels where the flanges are very widely spaced, rear wheels will go between a set of ordinary forks, except for the freehub body and/or axle ends themselves. The joggle brackets sort that out.

cheers

+1 on using an old pair of forks. In my case i have the luxury of a small workshop area in my garage with a bench (old wooden door hinged to the wall) with a small bench vise. I cut the steerer tube off and hold the forks in the vise. I have one pair for front wheels and another pair which i have spread which i keep for rear wheels. I use an old brake stirrup with bolts in the shoe slots for checking the wheel is centered. I have used this for building the odd wheel - in total i have built approx 10 averaging 1 a year.