Measure, refine, test

There are times when this project seems to make one step forward and two back. It's just that it is important to be sure you have things in order before you start cutting . . . or aligning . . . or even something as simple as purchasing hardware. Today's ongoing effort centers on a clear understanding of how this trailer will finally come together and what effects the various parts and sequence of construction will have on the outcome.

For example, I thought today would be devoted to simply mounting the wheel brackets on the frame members. A careful, or at least second, look at the jigs I created for the wheel brackets showed them misaligned. Nothing significant, but a potential problem as the trailer is assembled. One centimeter of misalignment at the beginning could result in a great deal of problems when the trailer is rolling down the road.

Things my father taught me

My father, Fred Reber, was a mechanic. When I was an infant, he worked in a government motor pool by day and officiated dirt track sprint car races on the weekend. Our family's first dining room furnishings were purchased with race track earnings.

(A finished wheel bracket)

By the time I was in school, my father had switched careers to become a lobbyist in state legislatures. He retained all of his tools and kept an exceedingly neat and organized workshop garage. He never really worked on cars after that, but I learned to use my hands and tools to repair things by watching and working alongside him. Lawn mowers, barbecue grills and my bicycles came under his care.

Pedal to the metal

I stopped by The Steel Yard today while running other errands. The ever helpful Lance was there, ready to put the Omada H-4013 to good use. I now have enough metal plates for at least three trailers, though I will have to do some further cutting. Seems Lance was reluctant to put his hand in this gigantic hydraulic scissor machine to get all of the cuts needed.
The experience was a good lesson in "right tool for the job." If you have absolutely no other option, hacksaws will work. But, having someone cut these for you and having plates cut for more than one trailer is not only effective and efficient, but it moves the work along much faster.

Fabrication, round one

I finally got my building feet wet today. And, just as I suspected, there's more to this than meets the eye. When you look at the design and directions and the simple line drawings of the tools, all look straightforward. Then, you actually have to get the tools out and go to work. Or, in my case, create some tools to do the work.

Because the sheet of 14 ga. mild steel is much taller than my vice, I needed to create a sort of jig to make the sawing stable. I cut two lengths of scrap bead board and used them to stabilize the metal.

Measure twice

I finally got down to determining how many beams I would need and whether or not the ones I had would do the trick. It's not always obvious. At first glance, I thought I did not have enough lumber for the job. But, as I evaluated the various parts, I realized that I could make the entire trailer out of the four beams that I have. So it is.

Tomorrow, I start the actual fabrication. I'll be cutting out the metal bits. And, I will be adjusting the dimensions provided by Carry Freedom so that the metal parts fit more closely with the wood. You'll see it more clearly as I post pictures.

Wood is good

While this may be titled "Bamboo Bike Trailer Project," it looks like my particular trailer will be built of wood. I discovered, or finally paid attention to, a cache of excess 2 x 2 lumber used for two other projects. As noted in earlier posts, I would endeavor to use what was available rather than purchase new materials.

According to the project plans provided by Carry Freedom, bamboo, steel, and wood are all acceptable or preferable materials. The plans show 2 x 2 lumber being used with a notch cut for added stability. The lumber I will use is fir or pine, I'm not quite sure. It would be better, I think, to be using hardwoods, but this is a somewhat experimental project. Should this wood prove to be too flexible or not strong enough, I can always salvage the hardware bits and use them with other material.

Gauging the steel

Today's lesson involves plate or sheet metal, thicknesses and getting something you can use that does not require special tools or machinery.


I went to The Steel Yard this morning knowing that they sold plate metal, which I'm told is what I'm looking for, in scraps as well as full sheets. A phone call last week was answered by a helpful sales person who told me that 1/8" thickness steel plate, which is what is specified in the plans, would be 10 gauge and it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to bend and shape with only a vice and a hammer. He said 11 gauge would probably work and was not that much thinner.