Mark's Blog

Moved the blog to worldpress

2008-06-09T22:08:00.001-04:00

I moved the blog to wordpress since it seems to have a nicer selection of features.
http://gatorback.wordpress.com/

All new posts will be at the worldpress blog.

Skate and Swim

2008-06-07T16:09:00.013-04:00

We decided to do a skate and swim today. It was actually Radovan's idea so we met at BJP park for a 36 mile route.

The skate out was pleasant in that we did a more social pace then normal and with the heat it felt good to go a little easier. Temperature rose to 102 degrees today.

At the half way we had a chance for a nice dip in the lake. The camera has a good timer mode so we got this group shot of the four of us in the lake.

I got this shot of Josh, Kendra, and Radovan after we got out of the lake. I am holding the camera so I am not in the photo.

The skate back was also nice but it was getting warmer so we once again took it easy and stopped often to rest in the shade.

I shot this video of the Radovan, Kendra, and Josh.

This video shows Kendra stopping at the bottom of the big hill. You can't really tell from the video but the hill is quite steep.

It was a nice social skate and although it was a bit hot the dip in the water really helped a lot.

The sad thing is that today marks the death of my digital camera. It worked fine for the skate but I guess the heat got to it and the display cracked at some point after I took the last photo. I think the problem is that it was in my black bag and the bag was in the car when we ate lunch.

Kendra and I replaced the camera with a newer one with more memory and features.

Commuting round trip, 30 of 461

2008-06-06T22:41:00.001-04:00

Road to work and back.

It is nice to be back in the swing of bike commuting. The bike is riding well and with the dry/dusty summer conditions it is easier to keep the bike clean vs. the wet/muddy conditions I had earlier in the year.

Also, it is nice to ride into work since leaving at 7am I get a chance to enjoy the relative cool of morning.

It's not the heat, it's the humidity, 32 of 431 miles

2008-06-05T20:55:00.004-04:00

Today was the first hot day of the season. I road moderately hard but with the heat it was difficult to motivate my self.

It was hot in Tucson over the weekend but that was nothing compared to today. Tucson might have heat but we got the humidity and while it is cliché's it also really does make a big difference.

On a day like this I feel like I am riding in a steam room. The sweat simply drips off and the air never really cools you down.

A little bit of rain

2008-06-03T21:55:00.004-04:00

It's Tuesday so Kendra and I got a chance to do the CSH ride/skate. Today was 35 mile at 19 mph average speed and substantial sections of 25+ bursts plus hill. Basically this is the most fun I have on skates, a good working, and a chance to chat with friends all at the same time.

The ride started with a little bit of rain and I was worried that I would get dropped. On the first hard climb my wheels were slipping and I could not get the traction needed for strong stroking but luckily I made it over the hump and was still in contact with the group just as the rain stopped. I was on Gyro pink wheels and even though they are soft just about all wheels slip a bit in the rain plus this particular hill is not the best pavement.

Since it was hot most of the day, the roads dried fairly quickly and after that first bit grip on the roads was not a problem. The pace was solid with the group especially motivated for some of the sections where we traditionally ramp up the pace.

Near the end of the day the cyclists put things into overdrive and the group split up. I stayed with the middle

Tucson Epic Ride, 24 of 399 miles

2008-06-01T07:50:00.003-04:00

Jason and I did our epic ride in Tucson. The ride was marked "extreme" on the mtb ride guide map.

Here we are at the start of the ride. The peak between us is the top of the mountain with the observatory.

The first 10 miles of the ride was up hill. In hindsight it would have been more fun to park at the top so we could do the climb at the end of the ride rather then at the start. As it was we road the climb quite easy to save energy for the rest of the ride. If we ride this area again I want to park at the top so we can do the climb harder.

The very top of the peak has an observatory that you can't actually ride to. We road up as far as the road allows and got this photo of Jason at the entrance to the institution.

The view from the top was awesome.

From the top we had a "hike a bike" section down a single track road that was far to steep for actual riding.

After the hike a bike section we got a chance to ride some more road sections.

I guess when cars break down in AZ someone just drives it out the desert and leaves it. This car looks a bit one Jason owned when we were in high school.

This one reminded us of "no country for old men".

Jason crashed on the ride back so we went easy. We finished up the ride with only one the one minor mishap and he was no hurt to bad. The next day he was mostly feeling fine.

The flight back to Raleigh went well. As was the case with the flight out my bike flew free due to the tight packing. I gave the sky cap $5 for a tip and was able to check the two boxes as normal luggage.

Tucson MTB ride #1, 22 of 375 miles

2008-05-31T20:07:00.010-04:00

Flew out to visit Jason for some MTB riding.

I was able to fly the bike for free by checking it as normal luggage with the bike in one box and the wheels in another box. When packing the bike, I zip tied everything to a piece of plywood to keep stuff from moving around and protect the bike. I customized the plywood with wood standouts for the frame and to protect the bike from being crushed in transport. The disassembly included removal of the fork, rear triangle, cranks, and a few other parts all. With this approach it takes about two hours to pack the bike and another couple of hours to put it together for the ride but I like working on my bike and the disassembly gives me a chance to inspect everything.

I mounted a brand new cassette and chain for the bike.

The first day in Tucson we did a moderate 22 mile ride.

The ride was very nice. We kept good tempo. On the way back, Jason made me hurt but he did not twist the knife too much since he is such a nice guy and it was only the first day.

CSH Skate

2008-05-27T23:30:00.004-04:00

Awesome skate tonight from the CSH shop. We did a solid pace for 35 miles, usually around 19mph but with some 20+ sections and hard efforts on the hills. My fitness is coming along and while I am not in 2005 form I am starting to feel stronger and skating way better then at anytime last year.

Version three of design for mounting blocks.

2008-05-26T16:43:00.004-04:00

My ideas for mounting blocks have evolved a bit more.

This version uses a traditional aluminum block with four threaded holes. I like the idea of four holes so the skater would have some redundancy if a threaded hole ever fails. I am clearly paranoid about stripping threads but I actually think doing so is relatively rare. The block is also wide so it will allow for wide range of frame adjustment and stiffen the boot quite a bit in the mounting area. The blocks are also asymmetric such that the front block hangs back and has a horse shoe shape to stiffen the critical area where the second wheel comes close to the boot. The rear block is more traditional. The idea is that this block would allow for a boot design that brings the foot very close to the second wheel and not suffer from problems with sag leading to the wheel rubbing the carbon.

I also plan to machine the blocks from the top and the bottom to reduce weight by carving out some of the excess material from the block.

Woody Earns his keep

2008-05-26T09:11:00.005-04:00

Kendra has been working with Woody to teach him skills so he can earn his keep.

Road Dog

2008-05-25T20:30:00.003-04:00

Hard 25 mile skate with Radovan.

Skated with Kendra and Radovan

2008-05-24T21:19:00.007-04:00

We did our normal 30 mile skate out at Radovan's house.

I got a little clip of Radovan skating by himself. You can see his skating form.

I also shot this quick video of Kendra leading up hill on Rock Springs Church.

After the skate we had a nice BBQ dinner.

Ride in Delta Ridge with Kendra, 9 of 350 miles

2008-05-24T11:41:00.004-04:00

Took the bike out to Delta Ridge single track with Kendra.

Prior to the ride I swapped out the chain and went back to using the old one. The old chain worked much better in that it did not skip. This confirms that in 350 miles my cassette and chain have worn to match.

More design work on the mounting block

2008-05-23T23:23:00.005-04:00

Now I am thinking about using mounting blocks with an array of threaded holes. No special nuts or sliding or anything complex just a simple array of threaded holes with a strong alloy. The blocks would be made out of a high strength alloy so the threads would be quite strong.

I still plan to use the apron around the lip of the block so the block will be held well by the carbon fiber. I also plan to use an exposed face on this style of block.

More design work on the mounting block

2008-05-23T09:16:00.006-04:00

I did a bit more design work on the mounting blocks project. To explore ideas. This version drops the idea of sliding mounts but keeps the idea of using a replaceable nut. Nut replacement in this design would be through windows inside the boot sole. Making the nut replaceable adds complexity to the boot construction but I think it is an important area to consider new ideas. Failure of aluminum threads is common and while helicoils can be added for thread repair this can often be done only once and it is a difficult procedure for a skater on the road who does not have a full shop.

With a replaceable nut design you have two options. One approach is to provide a slot so the nut can be slipped in from the bottom. The other option is to provide some sort of window in the boot shell for a nut to be slipped in from above. This block design is based on the idea that the boot shell will provide access to the nut when the skater removes the insole. The actual nut can be slipped into the slot from above to replace worn threads. I am currently trying to avoid the need for a slot. I am torn about the need for a slot. If the boot is properly manufactured a slot for fore/aft sliding is of limited appeal and I think such an approach does weaken the boot slightly so this version does not provide a slot.

Currently I am designing around the idea of using a standard hex nut although I might consider adapting the system to use a custom nut similar to the one Luigino uses for their slotted system. I am not sure if the replacement nuts in the Luigino system are inserted from the inside of the boot or from the outside of the boot but regardless it is a nice looking system based on photos I have seen on the web.

The sides of the my block design are shaped to provide a lip that will enhance the block retention in it's carbon fiber pocket. This block design would also lend well to exposed mounting surfaces if I decide to go that way. With this block the lip around the base would provide containment holding if the face was left exposed.

Visit to Andy's shop

2008-05-22T23:53:00.011-04:00

I had a busy afternoon and evening.

After work, I did a quick MTB ride at Delta Lake. On road about 10 miles but I road hard and it was off road. The new chain on the bike was skipping a lot so that is a problem I will need to look into in the future.

After the ride I went to visit Andy Stewert. Andy is a local bicycle frame builder and his shop was a very cool place to visit. We chatted about bikes and making stuff. The stuff he makes is really well crafted and it opened my eyes to what is possible for creative bicycle building. At some point in the future I am interested in building a bicycle frame but this year my focus is still going to be on inline skating stuff.

Planning stages for making some skating boots.

2008-05-22T12:25:00.011-04:00

I am in the planning stages for making some skate boots. My goal would be to build some boots that compliment my skate frames and provide performance equal to that of other top end skate boots. At this point my motivation for the project is simply to produce good boots for myself and use it as a chance to play with a new type of manufacture.

Big thanks to Eric Gee from EGC for the inspiration to take on the project and the advice he has already provided.

My all time favorite boots have been the 2001 stock Verducci VTEK although my current custom Hyper boots are a very close second. In addition to the Verducci and Hyper boots I have owned many other pairs of boots with various levels of success. If I complete boots for myself they would be modeled after the Hyper boots but include features that I think would improve the design.

One feature that I would like is an improved system for mounting the frame. With both the VTEK and Hyper boots the mounting areas is the weak link in the design and that area is prone to failure. My VTEK boots died when the mounting blocks broke. Hyper boots have also had problems in this area and were repaired by Brad once already.

I also think that boot design and construction is even more important then fit. My feeling is that a well design boot will have a shell that flexes to cradle the foot and when laced the ankle area will pull in a bit to hold the foot well. My stock VTek boots were very well made in this respect and they fit just about as well as my custom Hyper boots. Other boots I have owned had shells that were so stiff my foot never felt properly supported even though the shell fit quite well. The problem with overly stiff shells was that the boot lace system would not distribute the retention forces very well and such stiff shell boots seemed like they felt loose in areas and overly tight in other areas. The shell needs to be quite stiff in areas like the sole and flex in areas like the heel cup so it pulls in and yet still provides support where needed. The key to this will be careful selection and layup for the carbon fiber layers. I plan to use a mix of fiber types to tune the shell.

The plan for the project is as follows:

Step 1) Make accurate plaster foot molds similar to the ones used by other boot makers.
I am going to use the STS casting socks for the initial mold. After creating the initial plaster mold my plan is to add material to the heel and ankle area to make the rear part of the heel more like a bowl shape to smooth the transition area above the bump of the heel. I also plan to shape the ankle area a bit more based on the feel that the skating stroke produces some dynamic movement in this area. People debate about heel movement but an exact mirror of the foot is not the solution to fit. The best fit is going to be a last based on the static cast of the foot but with adaptation to accommodate the dynamic demands of skating.

Step 2) Make the leather liner.
The design of the liner will be similar to a light weight moccasin. This will evolve as I start cutting leather although my hope is to keep it simple and minimize seams.

Step 3) Attach padding to the liner in critical areas.
My boots are going to be lightly padded. I think boots don't need much padding if they fit well. Right now I am thinking of using 3mm EVA foam thought the boot and adding a bit of additional padding to the ankle area.

Step 4) Vacuum form a thin carbon fiber shell
Since the lining and padding will be done prior to carbon shell construction I will be ensured that the liner will fit in the boot properly. When vacuum forming the boot liner will be protected with a layer of seran wrap to prevent epoxy from reaching the padding. I also will create a buildup on the mold for the lacing area in the molds at the time time of the vacuum forming step so carbon will curve away from the foot. The first vacuum forming step will create a very thin shell without mounting blocks.

Step 5) Add lacing system, buckles, and mounting blocks to the carbon shell.
Very few boots are built this way but I had this type of construction with my XENAN skates and have seen it used by at least one other boot maker. I want the lacing and buckle systems to be anchored into the carbon system the boot will be stronger and when it is laced, the boot will pull in from the shell for better support. In effect this means that the lace system and buckles will be a bit like a sandal design such that they connect directly to the sole rather then pulling on uppers that are only glued to the sole. This approach will require a bit more labor but I believe the result will be much stronger and provide better support.

Step 5) Epoxy mounting blocks into place.
I will attach the mounting block to a fixture and glue them in place taking care to create percise alignment. My current boots have a very slight canting problem on the right skate and I have seen similar problems in the past with blocks that are slightly miss aligned. My plan is to use the flat sole of the casting base as a reference plane for this operation. After casting the flat base of the foot casting will be used in an fixture where I drill fixture holes through the "legs" of the cast. After the fixture holes are created they will provide all future references because the base area of the casting is sanded and shaped along the way. The mounting blocks will align relative to the fixture holes and then the fore/aft position will be set to provide a 50/50 weight over the frame. In addition the left/right orientation of the blocks will be set to match my desired frame position.

Step 7) Perform a second vacuum bagging step to add outer layer for the shell.
At this point the shell will have two complete layers of carbon in all areas. Additional carbon layers will be added for the base layer to provide strength in critical areas. The retention system for lacing, buckles, and mounting blocks will be firmly anchored into the carbon shell. My goal for the shell is to have it VERY stiff in the base and still provide enough flexibility so that it will flex inward when laced. The current plan is to use seven layers in the area under the ball of the foot. Other areas will use between two and three layers depending on where I want to have strength.

Step 8) Perform a third vacuum bag step to add a final cosmetic layer of carbon
The final thin layer of carbon will smooth over everything to provide a final bit of strength and a smooth appearance.

Step 9) Add the outer covering.
I am planning a minimal outer covering. The anchoring for the lace system will not depend on the glue for the outer leather system. The outer covering will smooth over the transition area from the inner liner. This boot will have more exposed carbon then other most skate boot style. My outer cover will focus on function and not provide a lot of bright colors bu I might do a small embroidered logo or something else special to make it look nice.

Step 10) Lace up the boot and go for a skate
I expect that even with great care, the first pair of boots will have problems. Like Eric Gee did I will document the problems and create new versions until I am happy with the result.

A mounting block design with fore/aft sliding.

2008-05-22T11:28:00.000-04:00

I thinking a lot about making skate boots and I think this is the year to do it. I started with some quick CAD work for frame mounting blocks.

The idea is to provide a block with areas for two sliding nuts to allow for fore/aft frame adjustment. It should also be possible to replace the nut if something goes wrong.

Ride of Silence

2008-05-21T09:20:00.001-04:00

Last night was the ride of Ride of Silence.

The RoS is a chance for cyclists to get together to remember riders who were killed by cars. We road in support of our friend Sara Joe who's mother was tragically killed while leading a bicycle ride.

Rainy Day

2008-05-20T12:43:00.001-04:00

It rained today, no exercise but I had some time to spend on the CAD work for the next skate frame I am building.

Easy ride in the woods, 22 of 326 miles

2008-05-19T21:46:00.004-04:00

Went on a nice easy ride in the woods by myself. Road fairly easy.

North Raleigh with Dave, Kendra, and Radavon

2008-05-18T09:25:00.000-04:00

Dave, Kendra, Radavon and I did a nice 30 mile skate in N. Raleigh. It was windy and I really enjoy windy days. Somehow I simply like the feeling of the wind since it makes me feel alive. A good headwind you can lean into and push is great especially when you have a group of people drafting behind since it allows you to work for the group. A tail wind is pure delight when skating becomes effortless. Even a cross wind can be fun since if it is strong enough you can feel your form in a new way. Without wind and hills skating would be quite boring.

All four of us were on Gatorback frames. Kendra and I had prototype frames (Kendra is currently on the prototype ultra light 4x100). I was on the 3x110/100 frame and the others were on the 2006 4x100 model.

Nice skate in Apex, about 35 miles

2008-05-17T14:45:00.003-04:00

Skated in Apex with Radovan, Kendra, Sibert, and Artem. We did a moderate pace with some hard efforts mixed in.

No workout today

2008-05-15T21:42:00.002-04:00

This has been a bad week for fitness. I went out to eat for lunch twice and so far only road to work once and had one skate.

Today I made some modifications to the fixture for the 4x110 skate frame and was fairly happy with the result. This will allow me to use a shorter and stiffer ball end mill to produce a smoother finish for the interior area of the frame.

Broken chain, 34 of 304 miles

2008-05-14T20:12:00.002-04:00

Road to work and back. On the way back I did Rocky Road. Near the end of the single track I broke two link of the chain on the bike. It was weird, I broke one link and as I was fixing the chain I noticed that another link in a different area of the chain was also cracked.

I was lucky that some other rides let me borrow a chain tool. I will start to bring mine with me until I can get a travel chain tool.

Tuesday is my favorite day of the week!

2008-05-13T22:15:00.002-04:00

Tuesday is my favorite day of the week because we have our Tuesday night group ride around 20 cycles with me on my skates. It is so much fun to skate in the draft, chase the bikes up the hills, and generally hang out in the back of a pack of cyclists. We did 35 miles tonight and had just enough daylight.

"Normal" is a cycle on a washing machine

2008-05-11T16:50:00.006-04:00

Kendra and I went to visit the a garden tour in Raleigh. Kendra is actually quite a gardener. I snapped a few photos of stray stuff that I thought was slightly interesting.

I liked the sign.

Fish are cool and remind me of my friend Jason's mother from Reston since she also kept fish.

CNC electro problems

2008-05-10T19:03:00.007-04:00

Every so often something goes wrong in the CNC. Today was a weird one, I turned it on and tried to home the machine. Home means the machine tries to find it's reference location and is critical to keeping good machine tolerances.

In any case, today the home function did not work. Z axis moved to home nicely but then the machine simply froze and did not move in X,Y. After a reset I was able to manually home the X axis and the Y axis and Z axis but if I tried to do an auto home the machine simply moved the Z then froze.

Electronics are funny but really it's not magic so I spent the next three hours checking all the connections and looking for a bad micro switch, loose connection, or some such evil. After about three hours I figured out that the problem was a relay that must have been loose or sticking. It is actually a relay I replaced earlier in the year $40 just for the relay so I hope it is not going bad. After I removed and replaced the relay the system worked perfectly and I was able to correct a slight chamfer problem with the 4x110 frames.

Since it was late I decided not to do any other machining but spent the rest of the time setting up the fixture for tomorrow when I do the left side of the frames. With this fixture the frames are held from the right side so the machine can reach the side that we could not reach with the fixture 2 from last weekend.

Skating with Radovan and Kendra

2008-05-10T13:25:00.007-04:00

Skated with Kendra and Radovan in North Raleigh.

I shot this video of Kendra and Radovan skating up a hill.

I also took a few still pictures:

We skated for about 35 miles at a moderate pace.

Worked on my bike

2008-05-09T19:00:00.001-04:00

Did not ride today but worked on the bike. I wanted to make sure everything was good with the suspension system. Took everything apart, cleaned it, and put it back together.

Umstead Group, 38 of 269 miles

2008-05-08T20:51:00.004-04:00

Good ride today. Felt strong the whole ride and I can tell I am improving at single track. Still loving the Giant but thinking a lot about what I would build if I ever develop the skills to TIG bikes.

I think sometime later this year I will get started with learning how to miter tubes, setup a jig, and fillet brazed joints. I would be kinda cool to build a folding MTB bike with 24 inch wheels and interchangeable dropouts (i.e. single speed or gears as options). Full Sus would be nice but not essential.

Did not ride today

2008-05-07T20:48:00.002-04:00

Life got in the way so I was not able to ride, skate, or even work on my own projects. Basically I got a late start to the day and was not able to get into work until noon with the result that I needed to sling Java code from the office until dark leaving no room for skating, cycling, or other fun.

Tuesday skate at CSH

2008-05-06T21:04:00.008-04:00

This morning was election day so I skipped my MTB ride and instead Kendra drove me to work so we could stop on the way to vote.

On the drive into the office I reflected on how I am so lucky to be able to ride the MTB most days.

After work we went out to CSH for the Tuesday night bike ride/skate. Turnout was good and I always enjoy skating with the cycling group. We did about 30 miles. The pace was brisk but not too hard with the group avg at about 18mph.

Monday morning commute, 34 of 231miles

2008-05-05T19:52:00.000-04:00

Road to/from work and snapped a few pictures on the way.

Much of my ride is on fire roads through Umstead park.

I also have a section where I ride through Lake Crabtree MTB trails with single track and even a small "skills" area with skinnies and tetertotters.

The final part of my commute is to ride through some private land. I took this photo near a tree stand (looks like a tent in the air). There are actually several tree stands in the area so come deer season I plan to wear orange when I ride.

I also took detour RR trail on the way back and explored some sections that I had not ridden before. Most of RR is super technical single track. I took a couple of pictures but they did not come out.

Managed to get a one hour skate in

2008-05-04T22:56:00.000-04:00

Got in a moderate paced skate with Kendra. Snapped a quick photo of her skates as we were rolling along.

Weekly bike maintanance, 198 miles

2008-05-04T21:32:00.000-04:00

Cleaned bike and lubed the shocks and chain. Also wiped down disk rotors with alcohol and checked to make sure all bolts for the sus linkage are in good shape.

Making Skate Frames

2008-05-04T11:48:00.013-04:00

Ever wonder what goes into making your skate frames?

This blog entry shows my process for turning raw billet into top quality skate frames. Very few manufactures work with the solid "billet" of aluminum. Most frames are made from lower strength extruded channels using an alloy that is soft enough to squeeze through a form then heat treated after the channel is created.

Working with a solid billet makes sense for me since I am a very small operation and the up front cost associated with the high volume extrusion process does not make sense given the small number of frames I sell. The process I use also results in a stronger frame and provides flexibility so I can make lighter weight or heavier weight version of my frames if needed. I can also change the layout of the frames to provide longer or shorter frames and move the mounting decks around if I choose without the drawbacks associated with high volume manufacture.

Making skate frames involves machining sequences and manual processes. I start with a solid billet of high strength aluminum alloy. The process of turning this into a speed skating frame involves tool selection, programming of cutting movements, loading stock in the CNC, and precise positioning of the tools and fixtures.

Everything I make is created in my garage behind my house on weekends or the evenings by me working alone. I view the process as a "craft" and am working to make the best skate frame that I can produce.

The first production step is to create four precisely positioned holes in a block of aluminum. Two of the holes are used to hold the block for subsequent operations and the other two allow me to index the block into my fixtures for later operations. The holes used for holding the block are tapped with 1/2 bolts while the indexing holes are reamed at to 4mm size so they will mate with hardened steel dowels that I use for my other operations. In this first sequence, I work with each block individually to set it up in the machine and then make the cuts. One of the most difficult part of making a frame is figuring out how to hold on to the material as you cut it down. By using bolts to hold the billet and index locations to position the frame I have flexibility and do not need to worry about having a machining operation cut through a clamp plus since I index the location of the frame based on the position of the mounting decks I can change the wheel spacing and use the same fixture system for 4x100, 4x110, 3x110/100, and other layouts.

For creating the index holes, the block is positioned on pins so it is always held in the same X,Y,Z position. The following photo shows my Kurt vise with special jaws attached.

Block in vise.

Block in vise (bottom view).

The height for each tool needs to be recorded before machining can start. When the CNC selects a tool it uses the programmed height to offset movements. If the programmed height is wrong the part and often the tool is going to be destroyed so great care is taken to ensure that the height is correct to +/- 0.001"

I use a drill then a CNC reamer when making an index hole or skate axle. Drill bits never really make perfect holes so I drill a smaller initial hole then use a reamer to expand the hole to the proper size. The reamer is like a drill bit but it has six flutes with straight cutting edges.

At the end of the first part, we have a block with four holes in it. It does not yet look like a skate frame but we are well on our way. Also, since I use these same holes for all my current frame designs and my holding fixture I can make 4x100, 4x110, 3x110/90, or most other frame layouts from this block using the same clamping techniques and fixtures.

Using a hand tap for the 1/2 holes. The tap cuts the threads for the bolts in the hole made on the CNC.

It's a tight fit but my CNC table hold four blocks for the second milling sequence. In the sequence, I machine the left side of the the frames. The blocks are held in a fixture that positions four blocks on my CNC table. Each block is held to a fixture from the underside using beefy 1/2" bolts. If you look close at the photo you will notice that one of the blocks is longer then the other since it will include a brake frame. I also mill out a tiny bit of the long block in the first sequence so I can access a fixture bolt. The shorter frames don't overlap the fixture bolts so I don't need to do this little bit of milling. The second operation has a lot of machining to remove all the material from the blocks. It takes about 3.5 hours of machine time for this stage of the process.

Fixture 2 loaded in the CNC with four blocks.

I start by making holes for what will become the skate axle positions. Each hole needs to be drilled using steps since the material is 1.5" thick. Then I ream the upper part of the hole and use a smaller drill to drill the part for the threaded area of the skate axle. After the axles holes have been formed, I machine the outer profile of each skate frame then machine the side cutouts and finally put a nice chamfer on the edges.

At the end of the second machining sequence the blocks now look a bit like skate frames but they are still solid and only finished on the right side.

With a new fixture mounted in the machine, I can finish the left side of the frames.

Here is a quick video of the chamfer operation.

At this points the blocks look good from both sides but they are solid in the center.

In the fourth operating, I machine the skate frame channel from the top and cut the mounting slots. With this operation it is hard to see what is going on since the frame is locked deep in a vise with extended jaws.

Roughing:

Here is a picture of me taking the frame out of the fixture. You can see how the fixture works and how much of the frame is now finished. The only part that is left to do is to flip it over, machine the underside of the mounting decks, bearing bosses, and bracing.

The fixture for the final operation holds the frame in the vise with the underside exposed for machining.

I mount axles through the holes in the frame to stabilize this area for when we cut the bottom side of the bearing boss.

If you look close at the photo you can see the shape of the bearing boss. I am quite proud of the shape since it is one of the more difficult areas to machine especially when you consider that the hole is made from an earlier fixture and then the upper hemisphere of the circular boss is cut from the top of the frame and the lower hemisphere is cut from the bottom of the frame. The boss is a place where a mis alignment in tool offset or fixture position will show up.

The cutting marks on the metal look worse they they are since the way light plays in the photo it looks less smooth then it really is. After some hand polishing and then anodize the final product will look quite smooth.

As a final step, everything gets inspected to ensure the frame is accurate.

The 4x110 frames weigh in at 217g for the non brake version. The brake version adds 39g.

At this point, the the frames are functionally complete. I still need to hand polish them and they are anodized before they go to the customer.

I did not get any photos of the hand polishing process but I snapped some photos of some frames as I was cleaning them.

Here is a soapy frame as I clean it after polishing.

Inventory of clean frames that need to go to the anodize shop.

Skating in N, Raleigh

2008-05-03T09:29:00.000-04:00

Went skating with Kendra and Radovon in North Raleigh. Used the 3x110/100 frame that I built a few months ago. The frame was nice and the big wheels are good.

I also used some new Sinsystems bearings and really like the bearing design. The Sinsystem bearing has a 10mm bore and uses a special spacer system (http://www.sinsystems.com).

We skated for about two or three hours. It was a good workout and I felt tired but not beat afterwards.

Post bonk ride, 31 of 198 miles

2008-05-02T19:51:00.000-04:00

Woke up today still feeling the effects of the bonk on last night's ride.

Ride to work was fine but felt no energy. Legs were not sore or anything just felt like I was a bit light headed and not able to generate aerobic power.

Ride back was similar although I was feeling a bit better.

In other news I have been thinking a lot about getting a TIG welding setup for my shop.

BONK, 55 of 167 miles

2008-05-01T21:29:00.000-04:00

Road to work.

I raised my bars a bit. The new position is a bit more comfortable.

Road to the Thursday night ride.

BONKed hard at the end of the ride. It was actually like an altered state where I was like a 3rd person observing me as I road at 2mph in the lowest gear and had a hard time keeping a straight line. Actually thought about taking a nap a lot in the post bonk daze.

Big thanks to Todd for giving me some food after the ride.

Road home slow.

Ride home, 21 of 111 miles

2008-04-30T20:45:00.000-04:00

Finally returned to bike commuting. On the ride back a bolt holding the shock came a bit loose and I heard a funny sound. I was able to stop and tighten it up. Will add the bolt to the list of things to check plus I want to look up the torque settings for the bolt.

First ride in a while, 10 of 90 miles

2008-04-29T20:49:00.000-04:00

I was sick for about a week and this was my first ride in a while.

Road delta ridge single track and met the Tom the trail builder. Tom was on a SS and showed me around a bit plus showed me that someone who knows how to ride can drop me even with one gear.

Short ride to get the car, 14 of 79 miles

2008-04-20T18:40:00.000-04:00

I left the car at work on Friday and decided that I don't really want to drive in tomorrow so I did a short ride to go get the car. Bike was all clean at the start but the trails were wet so the bike is dirty now.

After the ride I adjusted the rear suspension sag (now it sags 5mm and with 210psi). Also the front fork seems like it lost a bit of air since I filled it up yesterday so I pumped it back up to 130psi. The front brake started rubbing so I adjusted the position.

Bike cleaning, 65 miles

2008-04-20T11:31:00.000-04:00

I gave the bikes a bath and did some work on them.

I also swapped the bars from the Trek to the Giant. The flat style bars from the trek and they are not as wide and I think they fit me better plus it will be easier to avoid catching the bar on trees and such. Last week I crashed when I hooked a telephone pole in front of crabtree so my hope is that the narrow bars will make piloting through single track a bit easier.

I also cleaned and lubed the chain and lubricated, fork seals, cleaned the brake rotors, and performed general inspection.

Afternoon Commute, 13 of 62 miles

2008-04-18T23:39:00.000-04:00

Prior to my ride home, I adjusted the pressure on the fork. I am now running 120psi top and bottom as recommended by the owner's manual. The fork felt MUCH better then yesterday.

For the ride home I road all out and made great time. The bike handling felt good and I could tell that the suspension was helping out a lot especially on fast descents like Ceder Ridge.

On the ride back I found a small insulated lunch bag by the side of the road that looked like it fell off a truck. Out of curiosity I stopped and looked in the bag. Inside was about 1.5oz of pot. Since I don't use pot and never have I will probably simply throw out the stuff. It's always funny what you can find by the side of the road.

Morning Commute, 13.5 of 45.5 miles

2008-04-18T16:55:00.000-04:00

Road in to work the short route through crabtree. Bike was good, I installed my SELLA ITALIA PROLINK road saddle from my old bike and pushed the seat back all the way. The saddle feels much better then the stock saddle. It's a road saddle but I like the way it feels and it is in good shape. It also matches the saddle on my road bike so my butt is used to it.

I also installed a new set of Egg Beater SL pedals.

Thursday night group, 32 of 32 miles

2008-04-18T00:53:00.000-04:00

Today was the first ride on my new Giant Anthem2. I had the shop install SRAM X0 twist shifting with an X9 derailleur. Other then the SRAM stuff and Crankbrother smarty pedals the bike is stock.

The smarty pedals came from my old bike and are just about trashed. I still can't believe how crappy the smarties are. Overall I like the crankbrothers design and will replace them with the Egg beater SL version.

I did 32 miles with the Thursday night group and felt good.

The shifting on the bike was awesome. I am very glad that I upgraded to the SRAM stuff and love the way twisting works vs. my old bike's Rapid Fire LX shifters.

The fork felt very bouncy so this weekend I will play with suspension tuning. The rear shock was not as big a difference as I had expected. The bike road well and the shock clearly helped but I did not notice any downside and often the shock was not noticeable at all.

The stock saddle is too narrow for my but so it will be replaced. The bars felt wide and I caught a bar end on a tree a couple of times (and it caused one minor crash). I am thinking of cutting about 10mm from each side of the bars.

I am also looking to put a longer stem on the bike since it felt sorta crunched up.

Overall I am glad I got the bike and I think it is was a good deal for price/performance.

Unrelated to MTB riding I had a Physical Therapy Appt . today and we looked into the problems I have had with my hip/IT band area. The evaluation confirmed that while the IT band is involved it is not a typical case of IT band friction syndrome. We found that my IT band flexibility is good and decided that rather then focus on the standard IT stretching as I have been doing for the past several months it would be better to work more on my hamstring stretching and do some strength training for my hip muscles.