Woody Build Updates

[jcsmith]

Hello all,

Here are two pictures from Craigslist of the project bike I bought. It is a workmen industrial cruiser. What do all of you think?

I think it has good bones, but it will need some work. The chain is not on it because the guy I bought it from did not have a master-link for it and because the chain is a bit wider than usual, he had to order it directly from Workmen, so I should have it in a few days. The fenders are miss-shaped and they have a lot of little dents. The tiers look like they may need to be replaced. They have a number of little rubber bits peeling off, and when I put air in the tiers and rolled down the driveway, the back tier still seemed flat.

It will be a rolling project for a while. I have a few ideas for what I want to do to it. I am thinking of doing a wood tank, using 2 pieces of mahogany with a strip of yellow heartwood down the middle. I plan to switch the fork out for a Springer front fork. Replace the black tiers with white ones. I will add a head light, new seat (in brown leather), new grips (either in leather to match the seat or in wood to match the tank) and a back rack. Once I have all the bits and pieces added I think I will have it painted or powder coated a dark green with flake. Once it is painted, I will probably get it pinstriped and possibly have something painted on the side of the tank. I have also considered to eventually make a wood piece to match the tank to put on the chain guard and maybe do something similar for the peddles. As I said it will be a rolling project for quite a while. I am thinking of it sort of like a bike version of a woody car. So what do all of you think?

 

[deorman]

Re: Woody Build

Worksman's a good sturdy cruiser to build on, have fun. :wink: Definitely change those tires if you're going to ride much.

 

[jcsmith]

Re: Woody Build

Yea, I was thinking the same thing on the tiers. They look like they are in bad shape and I think a set of all white ones will look the best once it is all finnished. Does any one know how well the white ones stay white? Do they end up needing to be cleaned after every ride? Do they fade in the sun?

 

[jcsmith]

Re: Woody Build

Hi All,

Ok so I got frustrated waiting for the master Link for the chain. I went to a shop with the chain and they had one that should fit. I also got some black tiers with white walls. I am still considering getting the white ones or maybe brown ones but the current ones are cracked and peeling so I needed something for the time being. Tomorrow I will put the chain on and the new tiers and finally take it for a test drive. I will try to post some decent pictures.

 

[jcsmith]

Re: Woody Build

Hello Again,

Ok, so last night I took some better before pictures of the workmen bike. The show the damage to the current fenders and the wood I plan to use to do the tank. Let me know what all of you think. I also could use an opinion on which Springer front fork to use? Should I use the normal one, or the Monarch style one? Finally, My wife and I keep have a disagreement over weather I should make a wood chain guard to match the tank. What do all of you think? Thanks again for your opinions.

This one shows the condition of the rear fender.

This one shows the condition of the front fender.

So this one shows both the tank plate that came with the bike and the wood that I plan to glue together, cut and shape into the new tank for the bike.

This one shows the new Whitewalls I bought because the current tiers are shot and I needed something temporarly.

 

[jcsmith]

Re: Woody Build

Ok so I put the whitewalls on and inflated them. When I sat on the bike, and rolled down the drive way, the back tire still seemed to go flat. Does any one know what would cause this? I filled the tube with air and it has seemed to hold, so I do not understand how the tier could still be flat. I also inflated it until it felt hard, but I did not want to over-inflate it either.

 

[rico]

Re: Woody Build

did you check the tube for likage ? if you have check the valve too ! it could be loose

 

[jcsmith]

Re: Woody Build

Thanks, I will take a look at it.

 

[deorman]

Re: Woody Build

Sometimes low pressure tires tend to bulge and feel soft with adult weight on them, usually not big ones though. Got a pressure gauge?

 

[jcsmith]

Re: Woody Build

Ok so I finally received the Master link, and guess what? It did not fit. I guess it was the right size for the teeth, but not the correct pin size to fit the chain. I ended up needing to take it to the bkie shop and get a new chain, actually 2 of them. (The old one was pritty bad looking.) It took a chain a a quarter to reach from sprocket to crank. They also let me know that there was not enough tire presser. I guess it is time to get a gage.

 

[Walker]

Re: Woody Build

That frame has some nice details in the fork crown and where the seat stays meet. looking forward to the new tank!

 

[jcsmith]

Re: Woody Build

So finally some forward progress. I found someone to cut some of the wood for me because it required a bandsaw. Tomorrow I should be able to begin gluing the pieces together so that I can begin cutting and shaping the tank.

 

[jcsmith]

Re: Woody Build

So I was finally able to begin gluing the wood blocks together to create the length I needed to cut out the tank. I hope to have more time this weekend to work on it some more. I will try to post some pictures up this weekend.

 

[g-ratter]

Re: Woody Build

I think a matching wood veneer glued onto the chain guard would look great.

 

[jcsmith]

Re: Woody Build

I agree, but my wife is giving me a hard time about it. I think it would make it look more like a "Woody" though. I think I am going to do it anyway.

 

[jcsmith]

Re: Woody Build Update 3/14

Hello All,

Well i know it's been a while since I posted an update. I guess that's what happens when you start a bathroom remodeling project as well. :lol: I have made some progress and wanted to share it. I began to glue some of the wood pieces together and then had a setback. While using an electric plainer to prepare to glue the third piece to the first two, the plainer kicked back and took a chunk out of the wood and made it unusable. I came up with a better idea for making the tank. I had a large piece of good wood and I decided to use the tank plate to trace the shape three times and then glue them together and shape it from there. I think this will work out better in the end. Once it is shaped, I will cut a channel into each side and place a strip of the other color wood. so here are the pics. let me know what all of you think.

Template and wood

Cutting the shapes out

The three pieces cut out and placed next to each-other

The dry fitting

The three pieces glued together

Dry fitting once glued

So I still have a lot of sanding and shaping to do. I guess it's time to get back to work! :wink:

 

[bomberman]

Re: Woody Build

You gotta go for a chainguard too, it'll look so cool 8)

 

[jcsmith]

Re: Woody Build

I did not put the picture up, but I did cut one out. The bottom of it is cracked though so not sure if it will survive any modifications. I also figured out that it would be hard to put it on the front of the existing Chain guard because it makes it too thick. I think the only way it will work, would be to use a router to carve the back of it out and use it instead of the chrome one. we will see what happens. What do you think of it so far?

 

[jcsmith]

Woody Build Update 5/17

So I know it has been quite a while since I posted any progress. I have been moving slow, because I have been trying to gather parts, and woodworking can be a little tricky when you do not have the tools you need. :wink:

Anyway, I have made some progress. I finished the basic construction of the wood tank. I still want to inlay the different color of wood into the tank. To do so, I need to borrow a router so I can cut a nice square channel into either side of the tank. I have also been playing with the idea of attempting to redo the tank. The first one, I tried cutting out the shape 3 time and gluing them side by side. I am thinking of trying to redo it by gluing four pieces, one on top of the other and then cutting it to fit the profile. The advantage to this is that it eliminates the need to inlay the other wood color, since one of the layers will just be the other color.

I bought a couple of parts. I got a schwinn rack for the back, from UncleStretch. For it to fit though, I need to create some sort of extensions for the rear mounts, since they do not reach the rear axle. To do this, I am thinking of using 2 costerbrake side plates on either side of the rear wheel turned backwards. This should give me a place to mount the rack to. I also just bought a Monark front Springer. So things are slowly coming along. I will try to post pictures when I get the parts.

Let me know what all of you think? Thank you.

 

[Galtbacken]

Re: Woody Build

It looks good! I think it would be worth the extra effort of making a wooden chainguard. That would both look nice with the tank, and make the bike stand out more. You seem to have a big piece of woodboard left, so go for it!