Introducing FBBER V2.0 + FBFER V1.0
It's been a long road and I appreciate everyone who's sat in the passengers seat with me. Life is a scale, and it functions best when balanced, but more importantly when loaded within it's limits! Sometimes you have to slow down to speed up. I've personally been "brake-checking" a lot of projects coming out of FARR Frameworks because I believe that the quality of these parts should be second to none. For some of the builders that buy this tooling, it's a matter of putting money in the bank and feeding their families. I take this very seriously and only want to deliver products that I can be proud to put my name on. With that said, I'm finally to a point where FBBER V2.0 (The FARR Bringheli Jig Backend Replacement) and FBFER V1.0 (The FARR Bringheli Jig Front End Replacement) are now available.
The FBBER V2.0 features subtle changes to the design that make it a more refined package. Details like machine-chamfered edges, a laser-engraved chainstay marker, washer-couterbores, a new industrial stainless steel BB-Drop scale, and most importantly an adjustment system that allows for precise fitting on any Bringheli Frame Jig. From FBBER V1.0 I quickly found out that not all Bringheli's are created equal. Each C-channel has varying dimensions in width. Therefore, instead of using shims, like in the previously design, V2.0 uses specialty set screws with wear-resistant brass tips to adjust the width of the FBBER to fit any c-channel dimension from 2.875" - 3.250". This range is quite a bit larger than necessary, but the space will allow users to better see the adjustments they are making.
The FBFER is a completely new animal. I've been through a couple CAD design revisions up to this point, and even made a BETA version that I've used myself for the past 2 years, but this is the first official release. This design comes from learning from FBBER V1.0, listening to current Bringheli users, and of course from my own experiences using the Bringheli jig. Originally, I was thinking the best way to design this piece was to add three new components that control - Independent X, Independent Y, and Independent Ө (angle) respectively. This would allow a system similar to the Anvil or Sputnik Frame Jigs, where the lower HT center point is at X-Y from the BB and rotates around Ө. However, the Bringheli's foundation is not really designed and built to support this method with it's fixed Z-Type base. This means that additional components would need to be added to separate these movements completely. This stacking of components on top of one another would result in stacking tolerances that have a high chance of affecting the HT center-line. A quick survey of Bringheli users revealed that using Dave Anderson's Tutorial is the best way to setup this jig, and that the major headaches lie in the silly Rod + Cone design and the fact that X-direction movement and Angular movement are coupled.
After the scope was decided, one of the main things I wanted to accomplish when designing the FBFER V1.0 was to limit the amount of NEW unique pieces I had to design and manufacture. This lead me to the idea of using the same vertical piece used for the Backend Replacement for both HT supports on the FBBER V1.0. Since I had already designed this part, proved that it works, dialed the tolerances to be paired accurately with extrusions, and could also produce higher quantities it seemed like the best option. It also meant I could use the same stacked component widths to ensure the HT and Rear-Triangle are on the same center-line. Some added benefits beyond this include: Laser-Engraved Angle Indication, the same adjustable mounting system used on the rear replacement piece, and a super rigid main beam with the virtual center-line machine engraved. There are also 3 locations (100mm apart) for pivot point relocation. This allows framebuilders to produce extreme sizes, without increasing the size of the length of the main beam.
I guess the next step would be to design a replacement for the BB + Seat Tube Tower. After that it might be time to go direct to Bringheli and see if he would be interested in adding these as an up charge option for those framebuilders purchasing new jigs from him. Anyways, if you are interested in either of these modification, please send me an e-mail.
-Todd Farr
