Custom Lug
Lug cutting can be a very rewarding aspect of framebuilding. Last year, I ordered up a set of lugs from a company, but alas, it only included head lugs, and no seatlug was included. The only solution at the time was to cut a seat lug to match the head lugs. I ordered up some Haden blank lugs from Ceeway, made some measurements of the original lugs, and then mapped out the design on the blank lug. I found the easiest way to do it was to pain the blank lug with black magic marker, and then to scribe the design into it with a scriber. Then I slip the lug blank over a scrap piece of tubing and start to cut and file to the correct line. To make the lug a little nicer, i brazed a point onto the top of the lug. The point is nothing more then a triangular piece of scrap tubing that was brass-brazed into place and filed to match. The blank lug was stamped, and so the seat binder area was that cheesy stamped design, so i cut it off. However, that leaves a square hole in the back of the lug. So, I cut a piece of tubing to match the hole left in the back of the lug. Once I braze the lug into a frame, i will braze this square "patch" into place behind the lug and file it smooth. Then, I'll braze on a cast binder bolt apparatus, and it will look much nicer.
Finished product, side view.
When the lug is built into a bike, i will braze on a seat binder bolt. See
the techniques page for details.
If you would like to get in touch with me, please e-mail me at: root@student.uchc.edu
Created September 20, 1998. Last updated March 13, 2003.
visitors since October 2000
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