In my last post I showed a new project: Building a recumbent trike, and making use of the welder that I picked up on Offerup last year. There’s been a lot of work done, and this post is to summarize that work and show a cool tool tat I was able to make use of.
The trike is inspired by the Lode Runner plans available at AtomicZombie.com and, the Lightfoot Greenspeed trike, and a trike I found online which I cannot find the source for. They are pictured in the gallery below, if you’d like to check them out.
The biggest challenge faced so far has been that the welder doesn’t have enough amperage to get good penetration on anything but the smallest pieces, and so getting even tack welds for the large frame crossmembers was quite difficult! There is a solution to this problem, and I’ll be talking about it in the next post.
One thing that wasn’t a problem was getting the frame pieces square. I purchased a Swanson Speed Square, which I must say has made several aspects of the build much easier already. It even includes the means for using it to mark angles. That’s going to come in very handy! Click the picture to the left to check it out.
Next up, I’ve got to replace the welder. I have been doing some research and have ordered a new welder on Amazon. It’s inexpensive, gets great reviews, and will burn 1/16″ rods all day long on 110v power- and that’s all of my main criteria! I’ll review it in the next post in a week or so.
Check out the pictures below. You can read more about the details at AtomicZombie.com’s Forum.
I cannot find the source for this, but its construction is an inspiration. This early 3D Sketchup shows the basic construction. The seat will be further forward I’ll be using this design for the jack shaft These two pieces of 3/4″ square tubing supported my weight without bending. If two can, four can. Fat Tire bike is donating wheels and parts. Spent less than $20! Completed Wheel Mounts Capping the wheel stays Ugly welds still work Grinding can clean that up! The speed square made alignment of the wheel mounts easy The completed Wheel Stays Tack welded outer loop, clamped inner wheel stays
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