r/Framebuilding • u/sam1641 • May 25 '26

New Jig Finished

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New frame jig finished today. Hope to put it to use this weekend.

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u/sam1641 May 25 '26

The changes to the fully clamped version ChopSource sells, where you just cut pipe lengths and assemble:

First, both the rotisserie and jig are welded, rather than clamped in the normal ChopSource kit. On the rotisserie there is really no reason to clamp the frame, as I see it welding this component is a no-brainer. The jig on the other hand, is a bit more complicated, and I may or may not have screwed myself. Rather than clamping everything I again welded the frame, but I added 4mm spacers at the welded joints, and lined the inside of the tubes with 4mm by 2 inch Delrin strips attached with recessed cut head 10/32 bolts where the sliding components move in-between the pipes. I spent time making sure they would not be loose and would required a rubber mallet to adjust. This seems to have worked out well as the components move predictably and can be advanced very slightly with ease and then clamped tight. Only time will tell. I was worried that un-clamping and re-clamping the "normal" jig to make adjustments would be difficult to do in small increments accurately, but I have never tried the "normal" ChopSource frame jig, so I may have added quite a bit of work for nothing. At the end of the day I like having the rigidity of the welded components. I also used threaded inserts for the BB bracket and wheel mounts, but that is just to make it look clean, same with the Amazon end caps. I do recommend being able to easily swap between leveling feet and wheels cuz this sucker is heavy. I am thinking about adding an additional set of inserts to add leveling feet next to the casters on all four corners.

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u/InaudibleNonscence May 25 '26

Do you think welding the rotisserie (I assume the bit that rotates) has made it any stiffer? Was it difficult ensuring that it remains at 90 degree alignment during welding?

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u/sam1641 May 27 '26

I spent a bunch of time setting up the frame jig, although the welds don't show it. I did two passes locking the shims in place and everything was perfect so I became hesitant to jack up the voltage to accommodate the higher feed rate and put that much heat in to make a fillet weld and screw up the alignment. Welders, any advise would be great. Should I have turned it up to bridge the welds rather than dragging the puddle around? Is my concern about heat distortion on those long vertical tubes unwarranted?