Recently purchased an TBA jig, but without any kind of stand. I don’t really see it all that useful to build a table just for this, so would rather mount it on a stand which would allow we me to rotate it as well.
However, pondering my options here and if anyone has good input or experiences. Most framebuilding specific stands seem to go for a wide legged V stand (Cobra, TBA, others) that leans slightly forward. Another option is getting a typical, cheap engine stand and modifying it to hold the jig, but these typically come in H or U shape, with the main column standing straight up.
Anyone has experience with the engine stand idea to tell me if it works well or I’d be better off building a V-style stand from scratch? One of my own concerns is if the weight would be too far back with the upright main beam, as well as if it would be high enough to get enough rotation, but I have enough things to build already that modifying one would be a lot faster.
I can’t speak much to leg format but I will say that I really wish I had considered how much floor space mine takes up. I just pulled it out (slowly extracted it, really) from it’s storage spot last night to start a new frame and it’s very unwieldy.
If I had to to it again I would make the legs collapsible and allow the fixture to rotate fully vertical to minimize footprint. I would probably pursue a collapsible “V” stand with legs made from nested tubes that slide in and out.
It’s a bit different, but I’ve always liked Brad Bingham’s welding stand base. I made a similar base for my frame fixture (Farr BFF) and I’m mostly pleased with it. Great if you don’t have to move it around too much.
I made a 3 legged stand out of 3” square tubing. I cnc’d a pivot plate like Anvil used to sell. I don’t usually use that, I just rotate it in the major plane of the fixture.
The only problem I have with it is that it’s tippy while moving it around, it’s stable otherwise. When typing this out I realized that the center of gravity of my fixture must be close to one edge of the triangle defined by the casters when they are flipped around in a particular direction. I’ll have to look at that.
I put a park stand clamp on the back side I use to fully join the frame. It works great for that, but it’s not so great as a repair stand. Probably because my shop is a mess and there is always something in the way.
I went with a wall mounted solution. It is high enough that I can park my bikes under it when not in use, so not a total loss of space use. It is a VW bench mounted engine stand, bolted to a piece of lumber that is bolted to the studs. I have been happy with it so far. It just means moving the bikes elsewhere when I’m building…
I wonder if an E-bike rated repair stand would also work, as those fold up very nicely. I have no idea however what weight my fixture is, might need to figure that out first.
