The man that never made a mistake, never made anything.

In situations like these there's really only one thing to do. Drink rum. Very reletable.

very honorable of you to show your mistake Paul, you could have just carried on with the other frame and we would have never known.👍👏

We all make mistakes. Even if you didn't have the spare frame, I am confident you would crank up the lathe and find a way to carve out a replacement, man. Much respect to you, Paul...(and Mitch too!)

It's not making a mistake that counts, it's how you recover from it. Of course you recovered with style and skill.

You are class and grace under fire, Paul-Well done ✅👍

Awesome. Loved the bracket modification especially. Mistakes be damned. :)

''Bugger'' springs to mind🙁 Great content Paul & love that you don't hide anything from your viewers.

Thank you for showing the mistake and how you dealt with it. I’ve learned more than just engineering skill from you today.

Paul when you turned that bottom triple clamp over and staring to drill I knew instantly what you were doing. Absolutely brilliant!

only the one who does nothing breaks nothing. good luck for the rest of the work and thank you for all these beautiful videos. Sorry for my poor english, i'm just a little frenchy 🤗

I think we all felt that crappy feeling in the stomach and mind when you have damaged something of need and importance. You try and soldier on like everythings ok, but deep down it's eating you knowing what you just did. Lucky that you have the spare frame Paul. Love this channel as its my Sunday morning breakfast sit down here in Melbourne.

"let me just grab this spare frame from the corner..." You're probably the only person on the planet who could have done that. Great video and great lesson!

I love how you still have faith in the guy who stole your wrenches, by leaving the knife there you were believing in the inherent goodness of people. That's awesome mate!

After all the struggles with various bike's lower headrace bearings your removal method is so simple that it makes me feel just a little bit " why didn't I ever think of that". I'll not forget that in a hurry.

One thing I learned working on projects and or building things, mistakes are going to happen. Unfortunate when they cause severe damage to an important piece, but as you say, life goes on and we learn from it.

Paul, I am LOVING this series. I have a TR25W and a BSA 250 I tinker with, and seeing all you're doing here sure is inspiring and encouraging me to do some restoration/customization. Its great to watch you work, build the tools you need, etc. Your series does an excellent job of de-mystifying "what it takes" to get the job done. Thanks very much. Cheers - Jim

Commiserations Paul we've all been there re the frame in some way or other, great tip bout the bottom race removal. cheers. Al.

I've been there and done that same thing, it sucks. But there's always welding to fix it. Good work though Paul.

I have to hand it to you... you have the patience of a saint. I had a similar experience using a friend's press when rebuilding my antique lathe's back gear. It was cast iron and shattered to pieces. The good thing is I got to learn how to make gears. I'm sorry you had this happen.

I have to admire a hero who airs his errs in public - i'm sure you could mend it if you had a mind to - Stay safe

If that's the worst mistake you make ... you will be grand ... No ones hurt ... it's not a bad day.

Paul you where very calm, personally I would have thrown one of the new/old wrenches a long way! ✌️

Takes a very honest person to show their errors. Hat tipped in your direction Paul.

My heart sank for you. Thank you for sharing this. New sub!

It took me a lotta years to realize that the key to doing a good spray paint job is having a way to hold the parts. For small parts I make a frame of scrap wood, like a picture frame and string the parts up in the frame with stainless safety wire. Having parts sitting on a surface doesn’t work. They get blown off or the paint bridges to the table.

I'm looking forward to seeing the repair video 😁

One who does nog try, does not make a mistake. Respect to you, Paul. I foresee an episode where you mend the frame for a next project.

Bravo Paul, mi piace come lavori! ✌️😊

Just discovered your site. Really marvelous what you can do in the way of renovating 60 year old technology. Makes me so disappointed that I did woodwork at school instead of metalwork.......Tony Mackay in Ontario.

That bearing race removal trick is genius. Wish I had thought of that thirty years ago. We all make mistakes in life. That's what makes us Human. Live and learn. That is the fun part. So, now what. Make a new one? You can do it. I know you can. Even with a little help from your KZfaq friends. 😁 I know a guy that can make a new casting.

Don't be too hard on yourself Paul. Even the master can make mistakes.

Paul I'm surprised that you didn't just fix that frame and go on. I know you can make it like new. Great stuff. Kudos for showing mistakes.

And here I was going to nominate you for the Yamaha SR 500 swingarm pivot bolt removal club. Not exactly sure what to do since it was semi-selfimposed. What a kick in the nads that was. For anyone curious, the SR has a bolt that passes through a free floating sleeve that is notorious for seizing and is effectively sealed against penetrating oils. Absolute nightmare.

You’re an inspiration Paul!

That ransom note on your post box must’ve been quite interesting for the neighbours! “Bring back my wrenches or your knife gets it” Felt that split frame though. Your levelheaded attitude shines through, as always

As soon as the paint flaked off I knew what had happened. I've had similar things happen to me.

Ai, that did hurt me too... I made similar mistakes with the same sick feeling afterwards. The cure? Get over it as soon as possible. I think you'll repair the broken frame in the future as a bandaid for the remaining nagging feel... Thank you Paul for sharing all your wonderful content, human failures included. All the best, Job

i had a full flat ground ikea chef's knife which i got chipped. i use that to loosen and remove the bearing rings from the bicycle forks. due to the thinness and smoothness of the flat grind i never had any issue with damage to the fork paint. also has a grip, a lever to remove if stuck, and a surface for sensible hammering. one less spot to start corrosion.

i was installing the outer race to some tapered roller bearings in my nickle plated trackmaster racing frame steering head.it was going in and i hit it with a wooden mallet and cracked the steering head about a 2 inch crack.some times the wind dont blow and the grass dont grow(movie LITTLE BIG MAN).....

Well done for keeping your cool on camera, it couldn't have been easy.

I feel your pain, Paul... I have a 59 Ford truck that I decided to restore years ago. I started by dismantling everything blasting and painting the frame and rebuilding each part as needed. When I got to the T98 transmission, (keep in mind that I had rebuilt a few other types by this point) I figured it would be pretty straightforward. On this type of transmission, you have to remove the counter cluster and drop it down in order to remove the input shaft and all the rest. So I started by pressing the counter cluster shaft out. The information I had said to remove it... Did not really say which way although the picture showed the correct way. So I stuck it in the press and long story short one side of the shaft is bigger than the other. I destroyed the case, counter gear cluster, and all the needle bearings in it... Yeah oops... That is why that transmission case sits in my shop as a reminder and my all-stock Ford truck is not all stock. Lesson learned.

Paul great video.warts an all. Q is ther a part down in the outer fork legs.look wher the axel clamps are.ther might b a small bolt goin up in the lower legs. On the 500 triumph ther was a conical seat for the moving stansion to bottom out on.i think.

great video !!!

I once cut a $600 dollar piece of lumber 1 foot short ! You get over it but you don't forget it. Good thing you have the skill to repair it. That will be a therapeutic repair.

When I was a kid a friend of mine broke into the local shop, guess what he left behind? The pocket knife that his mother had his full name engraved on for his birthday.

Paul, "hindsight is a great teacher!" When you operate your hydraulic press, you should employ a "pressure gauge" with a "table of pressures" so that you know right away when you're seeing forces that are above standard "press fits" or interference fits. You can photo copy a page or two on the various pages from the "Machinery Handbook" that will let you know you're beyond the pressure needed to move an interference fit, and give you "pause" to re-investigate your assumptions. "Measure twice - cut once approach". Just passing along a tip. Cheers.

So true your comment that the only people that never make mistakes are those who Never do anything. And it’s ironic that those same people are usually the ones who will point out everyone else’s mistakes.

G'day Paul. You should be able to take the upper fork tubes to a hydraulic engineering service for hard chroming, grinding, & maybe straightening. They might even be able to supply wiper seals, nuts etc. These parts are very similar to hydraulic ram rods. I used such a service when I started restoring my KH250 many years ago. The shop I used had never repaired motorcycle forks before, but were so impressed with the results that the gave me the work for free, & used it as a lesson for future work. Andrew

I felt for you Paul ... There are times when we steam ahead, and for some reason, not recognise when something isn't right. In the past, I would have simply put such an event down to 'own fault', due to lack of awareness. However, there is another school of thought: That the Game of Life demands endeavour, in the face of struggle, pain, and suffering ... and if a project is going too smoothly, one or more of those elements is going to hit you. Hahah! To be honest; as I get older, I am leaning toward the latter :D I particularly like how you had the option of repairing the split, or accept the frame with the messy welding. Either way, the fix isn't available without more work. Haven't we all been there :) Best wishes, and I look forward to further updates.

Did a headstock bearing job on a F800 BWM the other week. I was pleasantly surprised to find 2 small holes on the bottom yoke for the removal of the bearing race! Just like your solution

Hello Mr. Paul, Do you know an amazing motorcycle builder by the name of Allen Millyard? Your amazing videos and Mr. Allens brought back my love for motorcycles!

There are no failures in life just learning experiences. You learned. At least you had a backup frame

You are so talented I'm 65 and I wish I had an eighth of your talented if I've been doing it there been a lot more than one mistake I know you could have fixed it as talented as you are I would have loved to see how you fix that problem like that because I have problems like that all the time it's so interesting seeing a true Craftsman at work happy Fourth of July from for me to you and yours!!!!

I was half expecting you to mount the broken frame in a jig, build some sort of referencing jig for the piece you broke and then watch you build an improved frame with a bespoke replacement. A back up frame works too. You must be at least half a saint to keep your composure like that.

Paul, I'm so sorry about the frame, I know all too well that sickening feeling in the pit of the stomach when I realize I've made an unrecoverable error. On the chassis I'm currently building, I welded up the rear cradle (swingarm pivot, rear motor mounts) mirrored. That was bad. I redesigned it slightly, re-made the parts, then discovered when test fitting that one of the motor mounts was welded in slightly crooked, and I couldn't get the motor mount bolts in. That was bad too. Almost a dozen machined parts in each ruined assembly. On another topic, it's interesting watching other people work. I've always worked alone, and I'm self-taught. It's fabulous to watch you use *exactly* the same motions on some tools, for instance, the belt sander in this episode. Might as well have been watching myself. It's comforting. Last thought... I have a toolbox drawer full of shop-made tools, and about half of them are unlabeled. I wish I'd have pulled out the vibratory pen or stamp set and just put some kind of clue as to what they are... OH, and always.... thank you (and Mitch) for the video.

Paul, thanks for sharing your mistakes

Your restraint at 24:05 was beyond admirable, or maybe some necessary editing was required to hide what we would all do in such a circumstance. Regardless, and as you said, "Life goes on." and if anyone was capable of fixing things it is you. Thanks for sharing.

Paul has the most pleasant disposition, he's like the Jordan Peterson of fabricators. He handled the press miscalculation with class. I too ruined the bore of a major part when I pressed a shaft out of that case,... not realizing there was a keyway and key still in the shaft. I was NOT so sublime about my mistake. EDIT; to add the word NOT

sh.t happens ... esp. with power tools. The only way not to make mistakes is to do nothing... Thank you for these very informative and practical videos.

Paul, making mistakes is the price we pay for "discovery". God, knows how many I've made. I work on similar and larger machines where manuals are often "sketchy" and recently I rebuilt a Rockford Pullmore clutch. I went so far as to pull up the original patent for the clutch to discern how it was assembled. The machinist who built from the original patent, and included some refinements for captivating the clutch end plates ... that were discovered only through careful examination with magnifying lenses .... Alas, I discovered the "locking mechanism" that I recalled from prior experience with paper cutter clutches built by Stearns more then 60 years ago. I was elated to make that discovery, as the clutch was quickly disassembled without issue. "Past experience" and knowing that some machinists just love to hide things behind "locking mechanisms" that use hardened wedges. What I have come to learn through experience is that, often what appears to be simple, can often be quite complex. I thoroughly enjoy your recently discovered channel. Paul, you emit a "Zen like quality" that is obviously gives you a platform for "amazing skills". Keep creating! Love the channel!

Oops indeed! Nice story at the intro...glad the fella saw sense, we all make dumb mistakes sometimes eh? As to the forks....are you planning on getting them chromed/machined back to original OD after removing the rust? Got that done to some Kawa Z650 forks many moons ago by a specialist here in the UK...wasn't very expensive from memory Keep up the good work lad! (btw I worked at Westpoint Cycles on W10th when I lived in Vancouver for 18 months!...found a Brodie Holeshot frame in the basement that I still have...)

Paul I remember replacing some bantam fork bushings back in the day. Very similar to those. I think you should treat it to some new legs or perhaps turn up some new ones if the steel isn't anything special (bet it isnt)

Ah boy Paul, a bit of a harsh reminder that we're never too old to make mistakes and learn something, the key is you learned something. Looking at the frames I'm wondering why you don't weld/reem/fix the sleeve back and use that frame as it looks in way better condition to the other one? Really wish that modern suspension forks were that easy to remove the bushings, thanks for letting us take a look into your fork. If it were me, instead of sanding/polishing the old stanchions down and just making new, smaller ID bushings, I'd be looking for a place to nickle/chrome coat or some such finish the old stanchions so they really last.

Paul, I feel your pain! If it had been me I would have woven a tapestry of profanity that would still be hanging above my shop. For your viewers like myself it great to see an adult's response to setback. Indeed, your response to your setback was far and away your most important instructional moment in this video. Required viewing for sure.

The story ni the beginning is the most Canadian thing I've ever heard.

Commiserations, those swing arm pins can be very tight, sometimes my 12 ton Chinese hydraulic press has a job to shift them. Glad to see the British Record vice in use. I have those heavyweight forks too on a D14 and a B175 Bantam, probably fitted to the Bantam Cub also, on a Bantam frame that uses the Cub engine. I'm interested to see how you plan to thin the forks down only in the worn area, but you won't get the newly narrower made bushes over the unmachined thicker part? New stanchions or machine them all the way along?

Making unintended errors is part of the game---no matter how carefully we plan for an operation there are the unforseen factors that can alter the result. The good news is that we can fix our errors, spend time that wasn't planned but with skill get back to where we started. Just a learning experience but hard not to beat oneself up about it. If you hadn't shared this with us you would have shouldered the guilt in private. We are in good company!!

Well you are man enough to show us you are human, I usually make 2 or 3 of something because my dyslexia upsets my measuring ability, at least it's a part of the bike you haven't just spent 20 hrs on, suck it up, don't dwell on it, you have a solution, keep moving forward,

Pretty sure the crappy "welding" was the "solution" to loose after market "crash bars" that were a must in the early 60's. Great work and a brilliant temperament I am a hammer thrower!

Anybody messing with getting a lower bearing race off a set of yokes, Paul's method works fine until you get to modern stuff (particularly if alloy bottom yoke) and want to switch to taper rollers. Stick welder works a treat, stick the rod yo the bearing cup and the heat will expand it,, also gives you something to pull on. I did a set today and went nasty 'cause no stick welder. Use a cutting disc into them on an angle grinder. Then smack a chisel in there to knock lumps of the brittle bearing steel. It'll move quicker than you might imagine with the heat and vibration getting it away from any corrosion.

Rather than drilling holes and punching the bearing race off, you can take a piece of steel plate or bar (1/4” thick or so) and cut a hole slightly larger than the OD of the race. Drop it over the race and weld it to the race. Race expands from heat, weld shrinkage sucks the race towards the plate which expands it as well, and the plate provides something to pull on or tap the race off. MIG welding works well because it is fast and causes good weld shrinkage, which pulls the race away from its center. Regarding the DFO blowing out the frame fitting in the press, if we didn’t make stupid mistakes we wouldn’t make any at all. We all do it on occasion. Thanks for the videos.

I have made so many parts that the designer thought that having a hole that is off center of a radius many times. I could not make it the intelligent way because it would violate the print. Different designers have different sensibilities. My rule is to keep edge margins constant around any hole.

the porch pirates stole one of my packages recently, i was expecting a few different packages at the time, it's lucky they got the package full of belt sander belts and not the package that contained a vintage Australian made Waldown tool post grinder for my lathe.

Ruined a spindle in my wife’s car that way. Measured the OD but the seam wasn’t apparent. Bent the spindle and the bearing didn’t move. I’m still learning every day!

Don't worry Paul we all make mistakes, a fabricator with your skills shouldn't be a problem to fix.

You have no idea how encouraging it is to see someone of your skill and expertise make a mistake like this. It’s easy for clumsy amateurs such as me to assume that everything always goes smoothly for everybody else in the world, and our screw-ups are proof we’ll never be able to build anything worthwhile.

I would like to see a repair of that frame👍

I respect those who share the boo boos. Shows the highest level of integrity. Nice job, Paul. PS by the way how do we "buy" you coffees? Do you have an address or PO box we can ship to? What type do you like????

Oh man your face actually made me sick to my stomach, I cant imagine how you felt! Ill tell you what, when the sleeve nut broke free with your custom made wrench, I actually yelled out “yes” loud enough to get a look from the dog. We have all certainly been there, thats a sinking feeling you never forget. Like others have said, thank you for letting us all see it happen, it raises you up that much more in my book. The RCMP Officer that said no way the thief left his knife behind, was he a rookie??? Ive been doing that job for 33 and counting years, and I have seen things like that happen more times than I can remember!

After seeing this video I was highly motivated to go out and make my own mistake. Had to turn down a 28mm steering stem crownrace surface to 27mm. Unknowingly I bumped into the transverse wheel in the last stage and overshot my mark by 0.15mm turning a .05 oversize into .10 undersize. The upside is that I get to make an entirely new one and eliminate all the flaws of the original. The downside is that I'll have to learn all of it as I go.

I'm sure you will fix that frame. To remove the fork nuts I use a Serflex clamp correctly tightened and a strap wrench. I did it several times on Kawasaki triples forks without any damage to the chrome of the nut.

If you have questions check with Dick Smith at the Baron's Speed shop. he's got tons of experience. I feel for your misfortune.

No damage whatsoever - except for the two holes...LOL

Ouch. Hope you can finesse the casting back into some serviceable shape with a collar around the broken area, brazed to the crack and reestablish a good working relationship. Wear in the swingarm bushing is conducive to "speed wobbles". Had a used BSA Golden Flash out for a test drive back in the day and went into a horrible wobble at about 40mph.

As a c15 owner I feel your pain. I hope to see a fix for the swingarm pivot in the next episode. Is there enough material to bore out the pivot and easyflo in a stepped tube?

You might consider adding a 10k psi single stage, self-contained hand pump to your press. Much easier to control and less likely to damage your work as you did. The ram can still be powered and rapidly advanced to the work. You can isolate the hand pump with a hydraulic rated ball valve when not in use. As for the Cub H/W forks, look up specs for pre -1968 500/650 forks. They are basically identical except for the tube lengths.

At least that frame was damaged by the right man. A lot of people would scrap it due to not having the skills or knowledge to fix it. We all cock up. It’s how we deal with it that matters.

I feel your pain over that error. Before you started I was wishing I could have suggest blasting the paint off with walnut shells instead of that nasty invasive grit. You could probably do that without removing the swing arm. A bit of a cheat, but the bushes were in such good shape. Anyway, as the bishop said to the judge, we are where we are…! In my case, I’m reflecting upon the fact that those frames are the same age as I am, not sure which is in the best condition. 🧐😎

We all make boo boo's like that every now and then. When I do it, it takes me a long time to get over it. Make yourself a jig with the good frame, and replace the tube that split open.

You took that better than I would have, is there a blooper reel showing what transpired?

sorry for the frame... but I think you could save it by setting it on the mill using the non split side to locate the center, bore the "tube" part of that casting then braze a tube with the right OD and ID in place. would be just as good as new.

Hey Paul, bummer about the frame damage but live and learn is the order of the day. You could perhaps “cut and shut” the undamaged swing arm section from the less desirable frame into the better frame? As to the fork tubes I would look at getting some hard chromed tubing of that same diameter and make new tubes or if that is too hard then have the original tubes hard chromed and center ground back to size as that way you will never have to worry about corrosion pitting the tubes into the future.

You can send the forks down to race tech to get a DLC coating on those forks and make them more resistant to corrosion

I found a tool for removing crown races the other day. Will send a link if I can locate it.

I'd be interested to see you repair that frame. Shame about the mistake but it was an honest one.

I have a frame if you need it..if memory serves it is very clean. @paul brodie also new bushings and fork tubes probably cost less than your labor and materials, unless you want to do it for the entertainment

Darn! Glad I’ve never made any mistakes (well, in the last 10 seconds- maybe). Too late of course, but taking apart the ‘old’ frame first would have maybe been best? Could you repair the ‘good’ frame? I suppose that is a darn high stressed area. Good to see the mistakes also, I’ve always learned the most from those (but they also make me feel worse).

While not historically correct it seems like hard chroming the fork tubes would be a much better option and there is a local solution from British Hydraulics on Braid street in New Westminster. As far as that frame goes, could you not use the spare frame for "parts" and remove the pivot casting to use on your original?

I know a guy who calls himself "The Fussy Framebuilder", he would remove the cast boss from the cobbled-up frame and braze it into the good frame with the cracked Swingarm pivot boss......... Then the CORRECT frame for the right-year bike is still together!!