PVC Bike Repair Stand

Step 3 Assemble Legs & Base Cross Pieces

Before cementing any of the pipes into fittings, pre-assemble them to check the fit first. Go ahead & pre-assemble the 34" leg pieces into the lower braches of the cross-fitting. If necessary, sand any burrs from the pipe ends or the fitting branches, but don't remove so much material that it no longer fits tight. The cement will act as a lubricant for a few seconds while the pipe is being inserted, so a tight fit is alright. And since these are load-bearing parts, a tight fit is preferred. Now extract the 34" legs & cement them one at a time into the cross-fitting. Apply a thin layer of cement to the outside of the pipe end & the inside of the fitting. Then insert it fully & give it a small twist to help distribute the cement. Hold it in place for at least 30 seconds.

You can go ahead & cement the other 34" leg into the other lower branch right away, but be careful not to stress the parts by putting a load on them until the cement has cured for at least 8 hours. While you are waiting for the cement to cure, you can go ahead and assemble the bottom base cross-supports (but don't attache them to the legs yet).

Start with one of the T-fittings & cement (2) of the 15" pipes in the straight-through positions. Use the same cementing method as you did for the 34" legs. Cement the other (2) 15" pipes into the remaining T-fitting in the same fashion. Let both of the assembled base-supports cure for at least 8 hours, being careful not to stress the parts by bending or putting a load on them while they cure.

After the leg assembly & the base-support assemblies have cured, pre-assemble the base-supports onto the legs & stand it upright. You will need to adjust the base-supports on the legs by twisting them back & forth slightly until the assembled stand is perfectly upright & the base does not rock. You will also need to put the end-caps & 90 degree elbows on the ends of the base to prevent rocking (the stand rocks on the T-fittings in the middle until some fittings are placed on the ends). Don't cement any of these pieces yet. Don't put a load on the stand yet.

Continue to adjust the legs so that the stand is perfectly upright. You can use a level to make sure (as long as you are sure you are working on a flat level surface). Once you are satisfied that the stand is perfectly upright & the base is stable with no rocking, you should put alignment marks in the upright portion of the T-fittings & the 34" legs near the T-fittings. You can use a dry-erase marker for the alignment marks, but be careful to not erase them before the pieces are cemented in place. Then disassemble the bottom supports from the legs. One-at-a-time, cement the legs into the bottom supports, taking care to get the alignment marks lined up while inserting the leg fully into the fitting. You should be twisting a bit to help spread the cement, but also make sure the final position is aligned. You have limited time to do this as the cement begins to cure. Using a little extra cement on these 2 joints will help the insertion & positioning go more smoothly & give you more time to do the final alignment. (This is probably the most critical step of the entire assembly. On my first attempt, I didn't get the legs straight so that the stand leaned to one side & rocked. That is why I decided to use the alignment marks.)

So now you have an assembly that stands upright, but be careful not to put a load on it until it is fully cured (at least 8 hours) & the base outrigger has been added (to keep the legs from flexing excessively when loaded).