I'm kickin' back lazy today and decided to create a whole thread about my Super Deluxe (free) Build Stand. My son and I made this at the beginning of winter so we could work on our projects in the cozy comfort of the heated basement. Don't get me wrong...I love the venerable milk crate as much as the next guy...I just thought it would be fun to build something a little fancier.
I had 2 very stringent requirements when we started:
1) It had to hold a frame
2) It had to cost me nothing to build.
I could only use scrap pieces I had lying around....NO trips to the hardware store.
We cut some 3/4 ply into the basic shape for the sides and glued/screwed them to a couple of 2x4's which form the base...then we added another piece of 3/4 ply flush for the top. We originally used this trapezoid shape with the open ends so we could reach in and bolt the frame to the top if needed...
Later we realized that by adding a bottom to it (1/4 Hardboard or Luan) it would create a compartment to hold some of the bike's components or a place to throw the tools when we were done working for the night...
My first choice for the top cover would have been a nice piece of 1/4 thick soft rubber....but since I didn't have any I used a piece of black commercial carpet tile I had left over from a job. I left a cutout in the center to allow for a handle...
For the handle we used a piece of 1/4-20 threaded rod ("all-thread" to you southern boys)..... 10" piece.... 4" for the handle portion and 3" each for the down legs...we slid a piece of 1/4" fuel line or vaccuum tubing over the thread to act as a cushion (be sure to slide the tubing over before you bend the 2nd leg :doah
Drilled some 5/16" holes so the handle drops in easily....a couple of washers and nuts are threaded onto the ends (acorn nuts would have worked best since they would jam themselves...but remember I'm not spending any money). In use the handle lifts up to carry it and then drops down flush when you let it go....
To hold the frame secure while working on it we bent a couple of "shepherd's hooks" or "candy canes" out of the threaded rod..use the rubber tubing again as a cushion so as not to scratch the frame paint..
Pass them through a couple of holes drilled in the top and tighten from below with a couple of wing nuts. If you've got a whole fleet of bikes you may end up with lots of different holes but that's ok.
Couple of coats of standard white house trim and some free decals...presto!!!
Worked out pretty good....every bike is a little different but those style hooks will hold down most. If the bike has a kick stand on it you may need to modify it some. I also need to make some small rubber feet for the bottom but haven't figured out how to make them for free yet
It's a work in progress...I'm sure you guys have some ideas on how to improve it.....:thumbsup:
I had 2 very stringent requirements when we started:
1) It had to hold a frame
2) It had to cost me nothing to build.
I could only use scrap pieces I had lying around....NO trips to the hardware store.
We cut some 3/4 ply into the basic shape for the sides and glued/screwed them to a couple of 2x4's which form the base...then we added another piece of 3/4 ply flush for the top. We originally used this trapezoid shape with the open ends so we could reach in and bolt the frame to the top if needed...
Later we realized that by adding a bottom to it (1/4 Hardboard or Luan) it would create a compartment to hold some of the bike's components or a place to throw the tools when we were done working for the night...
My first choice for the top cover would have been a nice piece of 1/4 thick soft rubber....but since I didn't have any I used a piece of black commercial carpet tile I had left over from a job. I left a cutout in the center to allow for a handle...
For the handle we used a piece of 1/4-20 threaded rod ("all-thread" to you southern boys)..... 10" piece.... 4" for the handle portion and 3" each for the down legs...we slid a piece of 1/4" fuel line or vaccuum tubing over the thread to act as a cushion (be sure to slide the tubing over before you bend the 2nd leg :doah
Drilled some 5/16" holes so the handle drops in easily....a couple of washers and nuts are threaded onto the ends (acorn nuts would have worked best since they would jam themselves...but remember I'm not spending any money). In use the handle lifts up to carry it and then drops down flush when you let it go....
To hold the frame secure while working on it we bent a couple of "shepherd's hooks" or "candy canes" out of the threaded rod..use the rubber tubing again as a cushion so as not to scratch the frame paint..
Pass them through a couple of holes drilled in the top and tighten from below with a couple of wing nuts. If you've got a whole fleet of bikes you may end up with lots of different holes but that's ok.
Couple of coats of standard white house trim and some free decals...presto!!!
Worked out pretty good....every bike is a little different but those style hooks will hold down most. If the bike has a kick stand on it you may need to modify it some. I also need to make some small rubber feet for the bottom but haven't figured out how to make them for free yet
It's a work in progress...I'm sure you guys have some ideas on how to improve it.....:thumbsup:
