Sorry, it’s time for me to bail on the forum.
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Agree, here. Just buy a second hand bike of the style you want and use those componenets. Your first frame is not going to be a keeper. I cut my first frame up but then I didn’t do any alignment of checking I just used it as practice for cutting mitres and brazing lugs/fittings in a somewhat frame shaped object.
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I’m still pretty wet behind the ears and built three frames since my class. I just have some simple files and a hacksaw. All are lugged and track straight. Nothing crazy just socketed dropouts and middle of the field wall thickness tubing. Im a curmudgeon so thru axles, flat mounts or even post mount strike no interest in me.
I’ve acquired some more tools(TIG, Bailey miter tool, two different fixtures, disc fixtures) but still don’t see Tig welding a frame in the near future. I just wish someone made a MTB lugset with some slightly more updated geo.
As for parts I use what I have. I picked up a bike for it’s group set for one build. If you want the latest and greatest then be prepared for a wicked learning curve. Lugs offer some room for error if your miters aren’t spot on and the same for socketed dropouts or horizontal dropouts.
Just my newb.02.
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This is a fun topic, it’s something that I think about a lot as a hobby builder. I’ve only made a few bikes, but generally use pretty mid grade parts, usual a mix of new and used stuff. I try to pick pick parts that are going to perform well, be durable and affordable to maintain. For mountain bikes, disc brakes and thru axles work well and are easy to build with. 44mm head tubes allow for plenty of fork options.
My most recent build was a gravel bike with advent x and bb7 road calipers, a take off wheelset that friend gave me, cranks that another friend gave me, and a surly fork that another friend gave me. The bike weighs 26.4 lbs, it could certainly lose weight with different components but I feel the build is sufficient for the riding that I do. I shop on eBay, fb marketplace, and pinkbike buy sell. Items that wear fast I buy new, things that last a long time I’ll consider used options for.
Here’s a list of pieces that I’ve found to be pretty good value
I’m a fan of 10 speed drivetrains
Sram gx2.1
Advent X
(I like these because they’re clutch type and cheap to replace in the event of crash damage)
Shimano BR-420 4 piston caliper with whatever lever is available
Sram NX Eagle cranks
Sram PC1071 chain
Hubs with a variety of axle options for flexibility in dropout/fork configuration tend to have some amount of future proofing. I’ve been able to find good deals on used hubs and I enjoy building wheels for my projects
Profile Elite MTB
Hope Pro 2/pro 4
Chris King hubs
Stan’s arch rims are pretty light and durable for me, though this is dependent on riding style, terrain, weight, bike setup.
I dropped a couple pounds in wheel/tire weight on my single speed and it made the bike feel way better. I think building a nice wheelset is a great upgrade, but it’s also good that there are lots of cheap take off wheels available to get you up and running. Once the bikes rolling you can always upgrade stuff later, do whatever works best for your budget and riding style.
Hope this helps some!
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I think it depends on the bike. That sounds like a really great budget drivetrain for a mountain bike for sure. Probably would also work fine with tiagra levers on a gravel bike, though tiagra stuff seems to be 2x front which may be weird on a 1x bike and $50+ more than advent x levers. I am not super well researched in what the current bargain equipment is though.
Fortunately there seems to be a surplus of all this stuff right now so pricing is getting pretty good for making some bikes!
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My first build was with a mix of a salvaged BB, seat tube and dropouts from a scrap frame, and mild steel tubing bought on eBay. Cable ties for frame routing and rivnuts for bottle bosses! The advantage for me was ease of sourcing and low cost - I wasn’t even sure that I’d be able to do it and I knew the first frame I built would be crap so wasn’t worth spending a lot of money on. In hindsight, the thicker gauge tubes were also more forgiving to a novice TIG welder.
The finished frame got built up with a mix of new and used parts. I went with a used Alfine hub gear picked up on eBay so didn’t need to worry too much about dropout alignment. ISO tabs were easy to align using an old caliper and rotor. I didn’t bother painting the frame. The finished bike, while a bit heavy and dull, has been ridden several hundred miles and taught me a lot about the framebuilding process. Here it is at the end of the West Kernow Way 140 mile cycle route last autumn.
If I were to do it again, I’d probably buy cheap 4130 tubing (+ plenty of extra for practice) now that I know where to source it, and DIY some flat dropouts from 5mm plate. If you go with thru axle and are worried about alignment, consider adjustable dropouts so you can at least fix any minor horizontal misalignment issues afterwards.
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St Michael’s Mount 
we just don’t have random historic stuff like that around every corner here 
What sort of wall thickness did you go with on the mild steel tubing?
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It’s a fascinating place for sure. I haven’t been over to the mount since I was a kid in spite of living only 20 minutes away.
The wall thickness was 1mm on the rear stays and 1.5mm on the DT and TT IIRC, so moderately heavy. They were the thinnest tubes I could get on eBay at the time.
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