More Time On Jigs

[taycat]

just worked it out, have spent 20x the time on making jigs for the bikes i build for kid's than i have on building the bikes themselves.
make no wonder it feels like im getting nowhere.

 

[brino]

I really see only two reasons for investing the time in making jigs:
1) the work is extremely precise and there is no other way to align for the next operation, or
2) I am going to bang out at least a hundred of the part and I need a way to index them quickly

Otherwise you run into what you see, more time spent setting up than getting work done.

However, you likely learned a lot about fixturing that can be applied in the future, and now you should be able to bang them out quickly.

-brino

 

[taycat]

they need to be cock on, and it means each one is quicker.

 

[aametalmaster]

I spent a year making welding and cutting fixtures for my ceiling trains. But they have to be perfect when the leave my shop...Bob

 

[Firestopper]

As mentioned, Jigs are the key to precision and production. I hope you invested time on your fixtures for future bike builds (stand alone jigs).
On the fixtures I have spent significant time on, I try to incorporate "bolt on" features for different options/models. This way I'm not storing multiple large fixtures. I can send out replacment parts for a product I built 10-13 years ago and they fit, all due to the Jigs. Looks like all the responses so far are in agreement.

If I got into building bikes, I would certainly use jigs that can be adjustable for different sizes and features.

 

[taycat]

basic jig is interchangeable between frames but some of jigs are specific like the adaptors for using the motorbike swingarms on latest project.
main thing is i can put bike together to see if it looks right.
can also leave it set in jigs for week or so whilst busy with other things.
my latest jig is for shortening crank arms.
it as had shorter centre piece fitted since pic was taken.