Old School Chopper Frame Fabrication - Knucklebuster

Figure 7
The tube in Figure 7 above is used for a variety of purposes in our garage so I painted the ends metallic green so I could find
it mixed in with all other other tubes laying around and to make sure one of the occasional 'helpers' didn't chop it up.
Before you tack anything together take a gander at the neck and frame from every conceivable angle. It is amazing how
perceptive and accurate the human eye is. This is your last chance to change the rake and the long alignment tube will give
you some idea about the final proportions of the finished bike.
On this particular project I took a 'two-beer' break to conjugate and contemplate the shape of the frame and at the last minute
decided to rake the neck out another three degrees to a thirty eight degree angle even though we had already bought the front
forks to fit a 35 degree frame.
This is just part of building choppers. Nothing should be chiseled in concrete and you should look upon the entire process of
putting a bike together as a creative expression and not get stuck into the technicalities.
I have spent almost my entire life dealing with precision drawings, machining, and fabrication but there comes a time when
you have to leave the math behind and follow your instincts and this is that indefinable 'something' that separates humans
from computers and provides the distinction between mass-produced bikes and custom built choppers.
Once you're completely satisfied that the neck-piece is perfectly aligned go ahead and tack it up using a bunch of very small
tacks around the perimeter of the connection alternating from one side to the other to minimize distortion. When you're done
you should have a frame that's almost ready to be detailed.