DIY Bike work stand

I was clearing out stuff on Sunday and found some scraps of wood. Now I have a bike work stand. I thought I would put my design and some pics here incase anyone might like to do the same or incase anyone has any suggestions for design improvements.

It needs:

• Tenon Saw (Almost any saw will do)
  
• Screwdriver
  
• Drill with a small drill bit to fit the screws and large bit to fit a quick release
  
• 6 x small nails
  
• 1 x old quick release
  
• 2 x 116cm lengths of wood for the diagonals
  
• 2 x 60cm lengths of wood for the base
  
• 3 x 110cm lengths of wood for the top horizontals and support
  
• 2 x steel brackets (optional depending on wood quality and joinery skill!)
  
• 13 x (25 x with optional brackets) approx 1 inch wood screws
  
• 1 x scrap of ply/MDF for the base of the tray.
  
  
  

The base is a 60cm cross fixed with a quick joint and one wood screw, my joint was a bit crappy so i added 2 brackets to keep it stong.

Then I added the cross shaped legs, which were cut to fit at 59 degrees to the base making a cross in the centre with 62 and 118 degree angles. The top of the cross is 1 meter high.

The top horizontals are then added using one wood screw at each contact (These horizontals must not be wider than the distance between your cranks! ) and a third leg adds strength. This third leg makes a 17 degree joint at the top and and 73 at the base. If you want a tray to store tools and parts you can flip the stand over and nail a bit of ply to fill the gap between the two top verticals.

Finally drill the top horizontals for a quick release and add some spaces to fit your forks. You will also need a block of wood to boost the bottom bracket (I used part of an old pallet). Don't fix this down because moving it allows adjustment for different bikes and the weight of the bike holds it in place. The QR isn't great because the wood flexes, I might try mounting a complete axle to improve this. I'm also thinking of fitting some sort of gauge at the back wheel to use as a wheel jig.

Total cost £1.99 for the wood screws, everything else was scavenged (mostly from skips).

Total cost £1.99 for the wood screws, everything else was scavenged (mostly from skips).
Brilliant, quiet British genius at work.

divesintonearestskip

Cheers, it must be the spirit of Obree, i'm reading his new book at the moment...

That's fantastic! Stupid question but does it fold?

Nice one good use of a bit of spare 2x1 is it screwed to the floor?
I saw somthing similar in a bikeworkshop I visited in Berlin picture here

@spenceey it doesn't fold, thats a good idea though, maybe it will eventually.

@zebra It's free standing and isn't attached to the floor.

There are lots of ideas for building them online but they all seemed to involve metal work or plastic and i only had a limited amount of wood so I had to improvise. I like that simple a-frame design^, looks stronger than mine and folds. Maybe i'll get some hinges and make some modifications.

That's really good. Especially with the low cost.

Ages ago I was trying to look for a budget way to build a stand, but unless you've already got half the stuff knocking around all costings ended up being +£30. So it's nice to see one that is achievabley cheap!

I've only lived in London a year so it was all wood I had accidentally found inside 12 months. Start collecting! We have built these in that time too, although I bought paint, compost and liners for these...

Maybe my part of London is full of people who keep throwing out wood.

Beautifully thought out, planned and made.
I also love working with wood.
In addition to anything I find, I also go on ebay
looking for quality hardwood pieces going cheap.
If you took all those permanent joints apart and pva glued them before screwing,
It would really tighten things up.
The base would be better if it was a bit bigger.
Thats my 2 cents and thanks for sharing the plans!

Awesome! I'm going to go and start building one tomorrow. I think it would be easy to put some hinges on and make it collapsible..

Good article http://bikehacks.com/bikehacks/2010/03/8-bombproof-diy-bike-repair-stands.html

Not DIY but Rutland has some stands for cheap at the moment: http://www.rutlandcycling.com/42505/Ultimate-Hardware-Bicycle-Repair-Workstand---Sale.html?utm_source=01-08-13&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=uh_repair_stand

Don't know how good they are, but I thought I'd pass them on.

I made one of these.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyOw2o-53Nk

Now that Bunnings own what's left of Homebase the saw horse is available in the UK and under a tenner. Handy for taking outside in the sunshine.

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