The work overload.....

Anyone that has talked to me in the last weeks has realized one thing....

I am overworked....

Its an amazing feeling to be in demand on such a crazy project, but can be very stressful when it comes down to it.

Sheet metal is one of my most enjoyed metal crafting adventures, but when the expectations and tolerances become very high, thats when it gets fun.

The 1967 DiAcro press brake has made over 4000 hits now since I got it about 3 or so months ago and every hit has been on a crazy project.

I think this is the perfect Ad for Starrett Tape measures.

USA

Take two- Photos by Kane Lynch

I can't thank everyone enough for making the press brake happen with the T-shirt sales and such, trust me when you see what I have been building in a few months you will be stoked too..

The next few months things I have a feeling will slow down and I can jump back on some personal projects, until then the DiAcro will keep on pressing...

Maybe you have seen the new ad for New Belgium Brewery with some MLS love in it?

The DiAcro Press and some of my skip tooth chainring collection on the wall.

I had some time to kill the other day so I made Jen from New Belgium a fun little

flower vase using a mini drill press base and some lab clamps

On Friday night World Champ Downhiller Greg Minnaar stopped by the shop and convinced me to 

come out drinking for the evening,  midway thru the night and 35 beers later ( maybe ), we decided that he would be my world champ mechanic for a trials competition the next morning and I would enter the comp as pro. 

Problem is - I haven't built my sheet metal trials bike yet or own a trials bike

Solution - Greg decided to call every professional trials rider he knew at 1:30 AM from the bar

Outcome - we both we to hungover to make it to the start of the trials comp, but we made it to the end of it to see a friend Aaron rip it up. 

So it was a success

Aaron riding and Greg watching 

Berkeley, CA with San Francisco in the background

I kept score for Aaron 

Back to the fun of building stuff....

There is some madness being created in the shop and its got a deadline closing in for the MAKER Fair

and it involves a pedal car for the figure 8 race....

Stay tuned

Father's day is coming up - Start building!

My dad kicks ass - Mad Fabricator

I decided to build something for my dad...

Couldn't really think of something...

The last 2 years I have built my dad customs bicycles only to them ending up at my house because they all were sized to big (some how my personal size ).. Then I tried a 1965 Fender guitar last year, which he seemed to like!

So I set the bar very high last year in gift giving, this year I can only go down in gift quality -

The Answer:

Because hes getting up there in age, why not build him a robot to help him with his daily tasks.

Just painted it, now I have to finish up his Titanium arm this week because he fell off the shelf and his clay arm broke, bummer.

If you are following the speed bike progress well your looking at some of the tubes...

Mark over at Paragon Machine Works works makes some nice stainless connectors