I just use two cups on a flat surface and rest the wheel on them. Then I stack some items up to the axle (inner surface). Then by turning the wheel upside down you can see how big the gap is and try make it equal. 👍 If I were building wheels frequently then this tool would save some time.
RJ you're the best! $60 for a tool(that I seldom need) at my LBS, $30 for a service I could perform myself, $5 to make a tool to enable a DIY job! Priceless!
I made the dishing tool, but was not happy with screwing the 1/4" bolt direct to wood. I lined the outside and inside with a couple of bits of scrap metal. Bits cut from a baked bean can were used - glued on. You could use thick brass, which would reinforce the tool at its weakest point. I then drilled a 1/4" hole through , and used two washers either side of the hole, and with a nut either side. I used my grinder to grind the end of the bolt to a point, so it is easier to see the gap. Didn't even spend 5$. The wood was scrap, the metal came from a can, and I used an old bolt. Works perfectly
Thanks to you ,I was able to make my own from scrap wood and use it when I laced my own rims.I also made my own truing stand , derailleur hanger straightener and bike stand all from videos.
Thanks for this. I took the basic idea and modified it a little to suit material I had laying around the workshop. It works great and cost nothing more than an enjoyable hour of my time.
Great video! This will save me money and time. One thing I would do to make it easier to use. I would make the screw hole the correct size, 1/4" in your case, and I would put a nut, on the bolt, and just use the nut to set the bolt at the set height.
Great idea .. You can make your own alignment tool also for the hub centering i use a wooden yard stick drill a hole in the end to match your skewer thickness exact then place the skewer thru the hole at end of stick lay wheel flat on wood to get hub off ground spin the stick an this will reveal your hub alignment if you have wheels that ain't spinning proper hop in the wheel this will give you a better idea of where the problem lies easy method for gettin roundness back as this part van be a pain in the azz this way works better for me then a park dishing tool far as getting my wheels round as you simple spin the yard stick an it will reveal all at once
That $5.00 DIY dishing tool is great than the $60 cheapest tool you can get. I am going to make one tonight as I still have some 2 x 4's kicking around.
Worth mentioning to use kiln dried lumber! Use wet pressure treated and when you re-use the tool in a year it will be twisted and hard to get it aligned straight.
Upgrade it with another piece of lumber so that it crossing the tool at one end. That it would become like a capital letter T. That way your tool will have always 3 points touching the rim and the screw to locknut.. So 4 points all together. This way, it won't matter how twisted the lumber is, or even whether you drilled the hole straight. Also screw wood screws to the ends of that cross beam, so that heads of screws would left stick out some millimeters.. They help you to guide tool when measuring, that your tool touch the rim with same spot on both side of wheel.. Also you can hang the tool on rim by those screws.. and measure no handed.. By only holding wheel And other hand is free to adjust the measuring bolt.. I did mine this way because I'm not good at precision in building things. And lumber I had was also not straight and good.
Very interesting! Really good that you mentioned alternate tools for the electrical you used in the video. I didn't know there existed these kind of alignment tools. Awesome. I should build one.
Awesome diy tool, and probably better quality than any of cheap alternatives. One thing to improve only: I would ask someone with table saw to straighten the long edges so they are 100% straight and parallel.
Is there a tool to centre a wheel with solid axle nuts in the dropouts on the same distance from the chainstays.So far I've been using rim brakes as an orientation to centre it,but what If rim brakes are badly adjusted.
Awesome video it's so simple it would be silly not to make one, great to see you guys still using imperial sizes reminds me of my youth, damn metric system sucks! thanks for your time RJ..
When i built Cycle wheels i used another trick, it was always a nuisance to keep taking the wheel out of the stand to check the dish, so i measured the distance over the lock nuts, divided by half and wrapped some tape round the hub so one edge of the tape was at half distance, then i could look through the valve hole at a spoke nipple opposite checking the edge of the tape was on the same alignment.
I have a 60s stuck on headbadge covered with one pass of black spray paint, can I remove the thin coat without damaging the badge. I'm thinking about thinner but I'm not sure. Great vid.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Thanks, I just got the pair, men/women, They're in great shape but were painted. I hope you have a vid on rebuilding coaster brake hubs. These are my first real restoration projects. Thanks again for your time.
@@RJTheBikeGuy You are the man, I used a hair dryer on the headbadge for 20 sec. Then slowly sanded it with 600 g. The bikes are Mohawk made in N.Y. thanks a million for the idea.
When using a Wheel Dishing Tool why do you measure on the lock nuts instead of on the cup of the hub? Wouldn't the cup be more accurate in terms of the hub being center with the wheel?
Interesting i notice you have plenty of handy tools and not only for bikes.What do you do when the wood gets worn and the bolt keeps dropping out may be new hole next size
woodworking with RJ... interesting as ever... im gonna try that one...since i`ve learnd on my rear wheel how to actually true a wheel... it might be off to one side.. i can see it on the vbrakes...when engaged they not symetric to each other...i hope its fixable...
hello my friend, just a quick question please. In order to center the rear wheel, where should I put the screw ? at the edge of the hub, the axle, or the freewheel ? I hope you answer me as quickly as possible Thanks.
Coming in very late here, but a wheel can be true but out of center. That said, a dishing tool/centering gauge is rather a luxury item; it is not needed to guage centering. Turning a wheel around in a truing stand or in the bike will also show if a rim is not centered.
Another useful video although I think the screw needs a wing nut or something to make it easy to turn by hand. If you have folding bikes with 20" or even 16" wheels I guess you would use those wheels for the template. Not a lot of folding bike content on your channel by the way unless I've missed it.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Quite a lot of premium folding bike brands and issues specific to folding bikes. Hinge for example. Sometimes the hinges fail and parts are not available easily so a DIY fix is required. Dahon is notorious for bringing out yearly updates and not providing spares for older models. I accept that most issues are the same but I guess it would be nice just to see you buy a rough one and see you improve it.
I would say to anyone who doesn't have the basic tools we saw.... jig saw, cordless drill, miter saw, etc to start acquiring them. One can't be a DIY guy or gal without tools.
3:07 " if you live in a country that uses metric"....LOL so that'd be every country accept the U.S, Liberia and Myanmar. Made me laugh, appreciate your videos mate 🤙
if you use a power screw driver to screw the bolt up and down a lot, the friction will create a heat polishing effect in the wood that will give you good threading and good tension. this isnt a thing i "know" though. its a tip i got from elsewhere.
I think it would take quite a while, if it all. But hey, you could always cut another piece of wood. I bought an 8 foot 2x4 for a couple bucks and only used 26" of it.
Another great video but unfortunately with the lumber shortage this year...that $5 tool now costs $90. Ha, ha...what a strange world we live in presently.
Good idea, but you should use a wider piece of wood. It won´t be stable for a longer time if you leave only such a little bit compared with the length of the tool. If it was 1 inch wider it should be fine, you had to use a longer bolt, that was no problem. The best solution would be to use hardwood or plywood.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Yes, but the Park tool is made of metal. Wood does not provide the kind of stability metal does, especially if humidity changes. The danger is, that the gauge looses its alignment. You may avoid this by leaving a little bit more of material.
Got a question about dishing wheels. When/how to know to correct by spoke adjustment or by adding/removing spacers/washers from either side of a rear wheel?
For more bike repair videos hit the subscribe button ► bit.ly/SubRJTheBikeGuy
Just something I wanna toss in, make sure your board is straight and not bowed at all. The straighter the better.
I just use two cups on a flat surface and rest the wheel on them. Then I stack some items up to the axle (inner surface). Then by turning the wheel upside down you can see how big the gap is and try make it equal. 👍 If I were building wheels frequently then this tool would save some time.
that's brilliant, thanks!
Yes workes perfectly, thank you.
genius
Holy McMoly that worked !!!!!
RJ you're the best! $60 for a tool(that I seldom need) at my LBS, $30 for a service I could perform myself, $5 to make a tool to enable a DIY job! Priceless!
I made the dishing tool, but was not happy with screwing the 1/4" bolt direct to wood. I lined the outside and inside with a couple of bits of scrap metal. Bits cut from a baked bean can were used - glued on. You could use thick brass, which would reinforce the tool at its weakest point.
I then drilled a 1/4" hole through , and used two washers either side of the hole, and with a nut either side.
I used my grinder to grind the end of the bolt to a point, so it is easier to see the gap.
Didn't even spend 5$. The wood was scrap, the metal came from a can, and I used an old bolt.
Works perfectly
Thanks to you ,I was able to make my own from scrap wood and use it when I laced my own rims.I also made my own truing stand , derailleur hanger straightener and bike stand all from videos.
Another helpful and money saving video great work as always. Thanks Andy
Thanks!
Thanks for this. I took the basic idea and modified it a little to suit material I had laying around the workshop. It works great and cost nothing more than an enjoyable hour of my time.
Great video! This will save me money and time. One thing I would do to make it easier to use. I would make the screw hole the correct size, 1/4" in your case, and I would put a nut, on the bolt, and just use the nut to set the bolt at the set height.
Great idea .. You can make your own alignment tool also for the hub centering i use a wooden yard stick drill a hole in the end to match your skewer thickness exact then place the skewer thru the hole at end of stick lay wheel flat on wood to get hub off ground spin the stick an this will reveal your hub alignment if you have wheels that ain't spinning proper hop in the wheel this will give you a better idea of where the problem lies easy method for gettin roundness back as this part van be a pain in the azz this way works better for me then a park dishing tool far as getting my wheels round as you simple spin the yard stick an it will reveal all at once
That $5.00 DIY dishing tool is great than the $60 cheapest tool you can get. I am going to make one tonight as I still have some 2 x 4's kicking around.
Basic dude stuff YT channels:
Bikes- RJ the bike guy
Cars- Scotty Kilmer
Cooking- Adam Ragusea
Keep the list going, all of us could use it!
I like Eric The Car Guy and ChrisFix for cars.
SamuraiGuitarist for guitars.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Eric is good too!
"Project farm"for incredible product tests . THE best .
@@boracay12we’re gonna test that!
Worth mentioning to use kiln dried lumber! Use wet pressure treated and when you re-use the tool in a year it will be twisted and hard to get it aligned straight.
Upgrade it with another piece of lumber so that it crossing the tool at one end. That it would become like a capital letter T. That way your tool will have always 3 points touching the rim and the screw to locknut.. So 4 points all together. This way, it won't matter how twisted the lumber is, or even whether you drilled the hole straight. Also screw wood screws to the ends of that cross beam, so that heads of screws would left stick out some millimeters.. They help you to guide tool when measuring, that your tool touch the rim with same spot on both side of wheel.. Also you can hang the tool on rim by those screws.. and measure no handed.. By only holding wheel And other hand is free to adjust the measuring bolt..
I did mine this way because I'm not good at precision in building things. And lumber I had was also not straight and good.
Thank you, this will be my third handmade tool 3rd. Grettings from Turkey. 😉
Very nice! My bike came out of the manufacturer with a messed up dishing. Now I can fix that!
Greetings from Brazil!
Nice. I think I'll make one. I'll use plywood so there will be less potential for the wood warping.
RJ saves my money. Love you man!
Great idea, especially because this tool is rarely used by most bikers at home.
Very interesting! Really good that you mentioned alternate tools for the electrical you used in the video. I didn't know there existed these kind of alignment tools. Awesome. I should build one.
I just love effective, easy-to-build tools! Why cough up big bucks for a brand name when this tool does the job just as well?
Thanks RJ So Gonna make one of these up - fantastic plan and i love your channel. My go to for repair vids - thanks for them all :)
Awesome diy tool,
and probably better quality than any of cheap alternatives.
One thing to improve only: I would ask someone with table saw to straighten the long edges so they are 100% straight and parallel.
Thanks RJ, just finished making one to your spec, works a treat 👍
You are Great! Merry Christmas.
Is there a tool to centre a wheel with solid axle nuts in the dropouts on the same distance from the chainstays.So far I've been using rim brakes as an orientation to centre it,but what If rim brakes are badly adjusted.
Awesome video it's so simple it would be silly not to make one, great to see you guys still using imperial sizes reminds me of my youth, damn metric system sucks! thanks for your time RJ..
@Yard Sale Dale Yeah I use both mate, imperial when I'm doing something on my own & metric when I'm working with young guns.. 😂
Gracias por el video buen trabajo
Thanks for the video good work
Best regards from Spain
When i built Cycle wheels i used another trick, it was always a nuisance to keep taking the wheel out of the stand to check the dish, so i measured the distance over the lock nuts, divided by half and wrapped some tape round the hub so one edge of the tape was at half distance, then i could look through the valve hole at a spoke nipple opposite checking the edge of the tape was on the same alignment.
Yes! I do the same. It's great for initial dishing and then there's only a 1 or 2 mm adjustment with the gauge..
I'm definitely making this! Thanks a lot, your videos are awesome.
Hey how do you true your wheels? Any tips on how to do that at home or a homemade truing stand?
I have a Park Tool TS-2 professional truing stand. But here is how to do simple truing without a stand: ua-cam.com/video/f1SHmFBihKM/v-deo.html
I've wanted to make one of these for awhile. Thanks!
Very nice... a handy and inexpensive DIY tool...
i love rj the bike guy
Great DIY version of that tool and dirt cheap
I have a 60s stuck on headbadge covered with one pass of black spray paint, can I remove the thin coat without damaging the badge. I'm thinking about thinner but I'm not sure. Great vid.
I don't know. Maybe a heat gun.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Thanks, I just got the pair, men/women, They're in great shape but were painted. I hope you have a vid on rebuilding coaster brake hubs. These are my first real restoration projects. Thanks again for your time.
@@RJTheBikeGuy You are the man, I used a hair dryer on the headbadge for 20 sec. Then slowly sanded it with 600 g. The bikes are Mohawk made in N.Y. thanks a million for the idea.
@@dereksmith3632 Glad it worked!
When using a Wheel Dishing Tool why do you measure on the lock nuts instead of on the cup of the hub? Wouldn't the cup be more accurate in terms of the hub being center with the wheel?
First!
That was cool 👍
Insider trading.
I know RJ The Bike Guy's wife...so...
This is the one and only time I've given that comment a thumbs-up.
dislike
Thank you RJ for this video. I will make one just to have
Thanks! I needed this tutorial 👍🏼
What is the purpose of cutting out the circle from the 2x4 ?
Why not just cut a rectangle saves a lot of time..
Hey RJ can you build wheels? It would be great to see you building some sweet wheels
Interesting i notice you have plenty of handy tools and not only for bikes.What do you do when the wood gets worn and the bolt keeps dropping out may be new hole next size
Or make a new one.
Have you ever shown your face in any of your videos? I've seen the lower half in a couple of them. Reminds me of Wilson from home improvement lol.
God bless this guy.
woodworking with RJ... interesting as ever... im gonna try that one...since i`ve learnd on my rear wheel how to actually true a wheel... it might be off to one side.. i can see it on the vbrakes...when engaged they not symetric to each other...i hope its fixable...
ua-cam.com/video/H9awzivP36w/v-deo.html
Great video. Thanks.
I made one myself. Great idea.
Great tool
Now it's time for dit truing stand
Amazing. Can I use it for a boost wheel??
Thanks for your lessons
Probably.
hello my friend,
just a quick question please. In order to center the rear wheel, where should I put the screw ? at the edge of the hub, the axle, or the freewheel ?
I hope you answer me as quickly as possible
Thanks.
On the locknut the makes contact with the dropout.
Is a dishing tool really necessary? I mean if you true the wheel correctly, it should be in the middle right?
Coming in very late here, but a wheel can be true but out of center. That said, a dishing tool/centering gauge is rather a luxury item; it is not needed to guage centering. Turning a wheel around in a truing stand or in the bike will also show if a rim is not centered.
RJ The Bike Guy, it is a great
Another useful video although I think the screw needs a wing nut or something to make it easy to turn by hand. If you have folding bikes with 20" or even 16" wheels I guess you would use those wheels for the template. Not a lot of folding bike content on your channel by the way unless I've missed it.
For the most part, folding bikes seem to be mostly regular bikes (often low end), that fold. So most of the stuff is the same.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Quite a lot of premium folding bike brands and issues specific to folding bikes. Hinge for example. Sometimes the hinges fail and parts are not available easily so a DIY fix is required. Dahon is notorious for bringing out yearly updates and not providing spares for older models. I accept that most issues are the same but I guess it would be nice just to see you buy a rough one and see you improve it.
I would say to anyone who doesn't have the basic tools we saw.... jig saw, cordless drill, miter saw, etc to start acquiring them. One can't be a DIY guy or gal without tools.
3:07 " if you live in a country that uses metric"....LOL so that'd be every country accept the U.S, Liberia and Myanmar. Made me laugh, appreciate your videos mate 🤙
I thought USA was the only one who does not use metric .
..Brilliant!....That's R.J...
Thanks, so great!
Greetings from Perú !!!
Is that a miter saw? Looks like a chop saw?
Good stuff!
if you use a power screw driver to screw the bolt up and down a lot, the friction will create a heat polishing effect in the wood that will give you good threading and good tension.
this isnt a thing i "know" though. its a tip i got from elsewhere.
nice idea. thanks.
Nice bro it's useful
Hello RJ,
Do You use multitools?
Can You recommend some?
best wishes
I have a Crank Brothers multi tool. There are lots of different tools. Find a quality one you like.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Thank You !!!
Thank you sir ,
I want to see your new bike videos
It helps to wax the bolt.
I'm worried that the bolt might loosen up over time so I might glue a nut to the wood with epoxy or something
I think it would take quite a while, if it all. But hey, you could always cut another piece of wood. I bought an 8 foot 2x4 for a couple bucks and only used 26" of it.
@Yard Sale Dale yeah that's a good idea
Have you gone Metric yet RJ??
TKS
Nice!!!
Another great video but unfortunately with the lumber shortage this year...that $5 tool now costs $90. Ha, ha...what a strange world we live in presently.
Niiiiiiice!!!😊
Good idea, but you should use a wider piece of wood. It won´t be stable for a longer time if you leave only such a little bit compared with the length of the tool.
If it was 1 inch wider it should be fine, you had to use a longer bolt, that was no problem. The best solution would be to use hardwood or plywood.
It's as wide or wider than the Park Tool.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Yes, but the Park tool is made of metal. Wood does not provide the kind of stability metal does, especially if humidity changes. The danger is, that the gauge looses its alignment. You may avoid this by leaving a little bit more of material.
Doesn't matter if it changes a little bit. It isn't going to change between measuring from one side to the other.
@@atelierunterderteck7583 It only takes a few seconds to flip from one side to the other. It won't change in that time.
@@RJTheBikeGuy ...ooops, you are right. Sorry, I had a bug in my thinking :-)
Here!
W
awesome...that's a mockery of paying for a high end wheel dishing tool 🤣
👍
Got a question about dishing wheels. When/how to know to correct by spoke adjustment or by adding/removing spacers/washers from either side of a rear wheel?
"I use inches because USA!"
Proceeds to measure dishing in metric.
Just joking around. Thanks for the good video.
RJ, you need a work bench. It'll make your life so much easier
I aways use my thumb on the frame
4th!
More new bikes
3rd
MacGyver would be proud.
I dont have a wood!
Find some scrap wood. Or buy some.
Forget the metric system let's use fifteen sixty fourths
how cheap that saw
As I said, you can use hand tools, or whatever you can borrow. You don't need to use the exact tools I used.
@@RJTheBikeGuy 👍👍😄
This guy talks nothing about the cost of the tools needed to make this one tool.