Frame building - what style should I make?

So is DFP. be warned.

easy tiger, one nudge from us here in the 2nd city and we turn off the 531 taps for good.

2nd City. Ha! Always makes me laugh.

i wish i was so easily amused.
we'll fight anyone from manchester that disputes it too!

IoM FTW.

I agree with asm and eyebrows.
Be inventive and make sure you have lots of relevant research to back up what your doing. As long as it's evident to the examiners that you've put in lots of hours and worked hard then there is no reason at all as to why you shouldn't get an A.
Correct me if I'm wrong but i'm pretty sure you can do whatever the hell you want and get an A as long as you've jumped through all the hoops and ticked all the boxes.

However, like tommy the brick says it will take a hell of a lot time away from your other subjects.

Even if you do get a crap mark, D is only 2 letters away from A on your keyboard ;)

@andy.w DFP?
@theBrick - i havent decided yet, i know if i cock this up, its my GCSE mark down the drain and time taken away from other subjects, im going to speak to him about it, our class only has 8 people, about 5 of which are taken on very dull easy projects they wont need any help with so i could get time for super vising with brazing, but im not allowed to do it, welding im allowed to do on my own so. . .

Sorethroat - its 2 xD

what about carbon!

Sorethroat - its 2 xD

If your including A itself

IoM FTW.

Douglas, the second city of the British Isles.

@nelson - im not allowed :( apparently there isnt enough knowledge of it . . . (if your thinking wtf, so was i . . .)

Douglas, the second city of the British Isles.

Peel is the only city on the IoM, and thats debatable.

asm - As shitty as it sounds ticking the boxes is all that GCSEs are about, and if you want an easy time getting on to the college courses you want to to then half decent grades are required. I struggled with this approach for years but at the end of the day you just need to accept defeat and play the stupid games until you are at a level where you are marked without a crappy tick sheet.

I'm not saying don't make the frame either I just think it would be a smarter move to do it at a time where it can be made to a higher standard and without the risk of undeservedly fucking up your grades.

If you do decide to go for it then from what I remember from GCSE (and what is defiantly the case at A level) is to emphasis development,. You could come up with the best product ever but if that is your first sketch and you go with it you will get fuck all marks. Make sure you draw loads of crazy shaped frames (it doesn't matter if they would never really work) and slowly develop them in to the finished product.

yes moog, spec is always changing, but its pretty much still centered fully on CW and nothing on the finished product (apart from how it looks) and evaluation, you can pretty much make somethign which looks good, doesnt work at all as long as you do lots of development, analysis of where you screwed up and how to fix it, you could get an A* doing that . . . i think i might wait, theres soo much more to read and learn, il give myself a few years then build one in my gap year then go tour new zealand :)

Would you be allowed to make the frame jig (mostly bolting, welding and cutting which it sounds like you're already capable of) this year and build frames for you as and a levels? Spread the project out over 3 years and you'll probably end up with a much better finished product? Could learn to braze in your spare time then by next year(assuming you're at the same school/college) your teachers will understand your project a lot better and see your skillz and will probably let you braze cos you'll be older and wiser and you'll get to know them well this year with the jig.

Sounds like you're totally keen, just don't risk your maths and physics grades this year if you're serious about engineering. I went from potential engineer to guitar making course to farm laborer to tree surgeon and now working on bikes on the side and wish i'd had the direction it sounds like you've got. The path to randomness i took i can pretty much pinpoint to spending shitloads of time on my a-level dt project and doing crap at my other subjects. Bad a-levels = lots of good uni courses closed to you.
If you can work your nuts off you'll be fine, sounds like your dads workshop is pretty kitted out so could you do the work at home and still get the marks?

And unlucky about not being allowed to play with carbon. Loads of people at my school did carbon about 6/7yrs ago. None of the teachers knew about it but a few students wanted to do it so they just went for it and learnt off their own backs.

if I were you - make a bike rack, it's easier, cheaper, design it to fit your bike (i.e. bicycle with no mount for mudguard etc.) and watch the mark rollin' in.

+1

How about one of these!<<

Even better, how about a child's 'balance' bike? They're really 'now' so you will look modern and forward-thinking. Check out the 'puky' and 'likeabike' designs, improve on them it some how - talk to some parents whose kids use them - what do they like/not like? Research is really important in course work, right? For instance, making it have an-easily installable/removable BB/crank for when the kid's ready to move on to pedalling, or something new like making it grow- really grow - with the child so parents don't have to buy new bikes every few years. This will endear you to teachers as they will think you are really addressing your 'market' and what adults worry about like money, safety etc etc. Make it really really nicely finished (enamel or 2 pack? Or polished and clearcoated might be dope) and obviously, obviously, make sure you make a gazillion drawings of the design 'taking shape' in your books, failed models out of card and stuff, research, interviews, photos, all that jazz.

Don't bother trying to make a real bike yet.

Best of luck mate.

As an Alevel CDT teacher stick to something simple. marks are awarded for finish and process, not complexity. if you end up with a mash of cheap mild steel tubing and shitty joints its a fail! compared to your mates turned, sanded and varnished fruit bowl who will get good marks.

remember who is marking this, and what they are used to. dont try and break the mold, not at GCSE.

best of luck.

When i did my gcse i aimed a bit high, a small coffee table with a motorised rotating centre, i ended up with a small coffee table. then i spent too much time on the actual build and hardly any on the write up. The problem was that the marks were in a 60:40 ratio, so the build was only worth 40% of the marks!! check how many marks the actual build is worth before you start. I ended on an A instead of A* because of a rushed write up. sorry to burst the bubble!
or make one of these! just bigger

Go for something with as few wields as possible....

My mate made a horse cart for his gcse, he got an A I think.

Would you be allowed to make the frame jig (mostly bolting, welding and cutting which it sounds like you're already capable of) this year and build frames for you as and a levels? Spread the project out over 3 years and you'll probably end up with a much better finished product? Could learn to braze in your spare time then by next year(assuming you're at the same school/college) your teachers will understand your project a lot better and see your skillz and will probably let you braze cos you'll be older and wiser and you'll get to know them well this year with the jig.

Sounds like you're totally keen, just don't risk your maths and physics grades this year if you're serious about engineering. I went from potential engineer to guitar making course to farm laborer to tree surgeon and now working on bikes on the side and wish i'd had the direction it sounds like you've got. The path to randomness i took i can pretty much pinpoint to spending shitloads of time on my a-level dt project and doing crap at my other subjects. Bad a-levels = lots of good uni courses closed to you.
If you can work your nuts off you'll be fine, sounds like your dads workshop is pretty kitted out so could you do the work at home and still get the marks?
Hey Nice advice from everyone again, edmundro - i wont be taking DT for A level as the college im going to doesnt do it (the school i am at does have a 6th form, but i hate it here, cant wait to get away from shitty private schools. . .) at the moment physics teacher is complete bollocks so im teaching myself, yet still predicted an A*. . . man these tests are easy, cant wait till A-level when i can do something challenging and interesting, also not allowed to make anything at home, everything has to be supervised, ive decided im going to make a desk now :/ i need one, so might as well make one to my spec :) im not going to give up on frame building though. . . im guna keep an eye out for brazing kit on the cheap and in the mean time read a hell of alot, you can never read to much when doing stuff like this :)

What a smashing project! I really envy you, as I'm looking for somewhere with brazing kit at the moment.

I'd say go for a simple utility singlespeed frame (saving on brazeon faff) made of plain-gauge tubing. You should be able to make decent track ends from mild steel plate. If you get it right you'll end up with something broadly comparable to a Surly Steamroller or a Charge Plug without risking any great amount of money. I can attest that riding a frame you've built yourself is a great, great joy.

How about a headbadge?
When I did my GCSE in "Resistant Materials" (which i got an A for) I made some pretty shoddy jewellery, out of copper, but I enamelled it, so have a look at www.headbadges.com which is a woman in the states who makes custom headbadges! (no shit)

Earlier this week I decided that i needed a nice headbadge for my fix (which is currently badgeless) so, armed with a piercing saw and some 0.9mm steel I went about making one, so far so good, but I snapped my last blade last night, i'm on hold for a while now, but they should arrive tomorrow and i'll have it finished sharpish, pics when I finish =)

Good Luck!!!