The past two weeks went by faster than a sprint finish! Time for a pit stop: plenty of progress has been made, though the ultimate goal — a 3D-printed frame with bamboo tubes — is still on the horizon.
First up: a design sprint where I drew all the lugs. The first print? A flop. But honestly, that failure was the best teacher. It pushed me to try a new approach: milling the tubes so they slot neatly into the lugs. That way, the bamboo’s outer diameter lines up nicely with the 3D-printed parts. Will it be strong enough? We’ll find out soon.
Meanwhile, I’ve been fine-tuning print settings to master PA12CF. I also did some deep dives into alternative materials and ordered a batch of new parts. The highlight so far: successfully printing a rock-solid seat lug. This weekend I’ll make its twin, and my first tests combining it with milled tubes (plus some filling and painting) went surprisingly smooth — a sweet little win!
Looking ahead: a wave of new parts is on the way. Two PSA inserts with BB30 threading are en route, and I’m also getting a bike that I’ll strip for components. The frame will go up for resale, because with all the materials stacking up, I’ll soon have everything I need to build and test a full bike.
