Steel or aluminum? What kind of wheels? brakes? feet? hitch? bottom panel? We want it to be “visually stunning”, but we also need it to be light, and durable, and safe, and reasonable to take out in the rain, and be able to hold tools and materials, and what will happen when we load it with willow standing upright, and shouldn’t the side panels fold down like counter space for tools and tea service….?

With researching and sourcing parts and materials, Geoff has been under pressure — the chassis has to be ready for us to take to Hornby in late May, for our scheduled week with Alastair. The number of design decisions involved in making a ‘first-of-a-kind’ is daunting; and we’ve all had to come to terms with the fact that there are many things we can only guess about, because we have no experience to guide us. Alastair also has a very practical mind, as well as experience with welding and metal fabrication, so he and Geoff have been able to talk through many of the finer points via email threads (which were semi-comprehensible by Sharon and Rebecca).

Geoff did all the cutting and Sharon helped with sanding the aluminum pieces for the frame. Geoff was pleased to get the chance to work with Toby’s Cycle Works for bending the aluminum top bars, and with an aluminum welder (a lady welder!) for the welding.

I think it’s a tribute to Geoff’s precision in cutting that it only took 2 hours to complete all the welding — and a tribute to the welder that the tidiness of the joints was one of the first things that Alastair commented on 😉