'We are open every day till the world is saved', replied Nick as we all tucked into our Beamz buns. (Sarah's own vegan hot no-cross buns that would feature a lot over the coming week)
It's Easter Saturday, and I've already made a couple of visits over the holiday, but this week I want to be there as much as I can to watch and hopefully help with the construction of Sylvi.
If you have read posts about her before, you will know that Sylvi is, or will be a wooden bike. However, she doesn't quite exist yet. In fact, right now, she exists slightly less than she did last posting.
After a review of the design and some careful calculations, Nick decided that I could have my preferred shape. So new plans were drawn. And new computer models were made. Unfortunately, this means that none of the pieces I have previously discussed would be used for my bike as they wouldn't fit this new design.
So we were starting again. And this week was the week we were going to do just that. I was very excited.
We decided that it wasn't fair on the neighbours to run the noisiest of all the machines on an Easter Sunday, so instead, we set off with some donated willow that Nick had recently received from Bristol. It had been sat outside for about a fortnight and was already preparing to repopulate the world it now found itself in. This is what makes Willow such a fantastic resource for making bikes. It's readily available, relatively easy to grow, and perfect for coppicing.
We, of course, had other plans for it. So out came something that closely resembles a stick insect. This is actually a steamer designed to heat the wood as efficiently as possible to easily remove the bark.
As with many of the tools designed by Nick, it has been made from recycled materials, even down to the paint stripper kettle, the driver of the process. There is minimal water loss as the condensed water is recaptured and reused. The beams only needed about 25 mins in the steamer and were quickly replaced with more.
With its personal sauna completed, the bark could be removed and, with care, would come off in one piece. Here's one I prepared earlier. The bark is not wasted either. Sarah uses this to make fantastic weaved baskets and runs workshops to enable others to have a try too.
Once stripped, the beam is then drilled through the middle. This is not as easy as it sounds, as the wood is never dead straight. So regular adjustments had to be made throughout the process.
Stripping (bark), chatting, coffee, and buns were perfect for a bank holiday Sunday.
Monday started early, and today we were going to thin the main tubes to be used for Sylvi., The process has been redesigned since the last time I posted, making it even more efficient. You can see from the video that the wood is mechanically turned so that the router blade follows the contours of the outer surface. This gives the tube a set thickness. It is hard to see this from the top as each end is left thicker to ensure better joints later in the process.
There was something quite magical about holding these hollowed tubes; knowing they would soon be transporting me around was very exciting.
The next job was to make the top of the seat tube circular to enable it to receive the mechanism needed to hold the seat post. This required some gentle persuasion as the tube was only held on the lathe by a sizeable wooden bung. However, the shave used to make the mudguards was the perfect tool for the job, and the sound made by the gentle cutting sounded like a lullaby.
Sylvi's tubes were fitted into a purpose build jig that would hold her in position till she was completed.
The chain stays were the next component to be tackled. They first needed to be attached to the bottom bracket. The drill bit was, again, a specialist tool designed and built by Nick. The drill is held on a track to ensure it takes the right path and fits snuggly into the holes drilled the same way.
A cut was needed at the other end of the stays for the metal dropouts that would hold the back wheel in place. This is currently done with a circular saw, but a new process is in the design phase, ready for the next bike to be made. The new process will enable volunteers to complete this job. At the moment, it is a job just for Nick.
With the bottom bracket attached to the chain stays, the next job would be to create a seat for it at the bottom of the main posts. Again, Nick had the perfectly designed process to bring them together, ready to make a perfect joint.
In a way, it's a shame that this craftsmanship will be covered with hemp once complete. It is so beautiful.
Silvi was slowly appearing before my very eyes.
We had reached the final day of my holiday, so today, we would tackle the head tube. This starts life as a large beech dowel. Once cut to length, it is hollowed on the lathe and then shaped internally with a 45-degree chamfer to accept the head tube bearings. As with every process, the workshop is kept as dust free as possible using a vacuum. This not only keeps the area clean but also keeps the cutting bits cool.
Nick did the first side, then guided me to do the second. I couldn't believe it when the bearing fitted perfectly.
The last job of the day was to cut the down tube to the correct diameter to accept the head tube. This was guided in place using the jig that Sylvi was residing on. With the final cut complete and the head tube held in position, Sylvi's form could be clearly seen.
The Easter holidays were now over, and I had to say goodbye to Nick, Sarah and Sylvi. Volunteering with Beamz was a brilliant way to spend my break, especially when working on my own bike.
Thank you to Nick and Sarah for your infinite patience and for giving up your time, energy and Beamz buns for the whole week.
I look forward to seeing the next stage of Sylvi's production, even if it is from a work-enforced distance.
