where i am now

i'm learning all i can without having the shop and tools i need. mostly that means lots of internet research, browsing framebuilding forums and email lists, drawing, writing, thinking, planning.

design specs thus far:
wide tire clearance, loads of braze-ons, cables routed away from the main triangle for carrying.
cantilever brakes.
vertical dropouts, since this will always be a multi-speed.
maybe a Jenn DePalma paint job.
spoke carrier, bottle opener, front and rear rack mounts, fender mounts, 3 bottle cages, canti bosses.
either bar-end or STI shifters...probably bar-end.
most likely triple chainring.

lugs- www.bigelugs.com, www.henryjames.com, www.richardsachs.com, www.ceeway.com; Columbus? others?
tubing- Reynolds 853, 631; True Temper OX platinum, S3; probably not Columbus, as they seem geared toward light/fast over durable/strong
braze-ons, bridges, etc: Ceeway
dropouts: henry james?
filler metal: leaning toward silver, henry james?

a former builder i work with mentioned that brazing can, and should, be done with a jewelers' torch, so i'll explore that as an alternative to oxy-acetylene.
i'm planning to miter the tubes by hand, with half-round steel files. i'll likely use a computer program to print out the curve and file to the line. a nice combo of new-fangled and old-school elbow grease.
i've been working with emery cloth lately and found it perfectly suited for the kind of shaping and sanding that the lugs will need. it gives a natural, hand-finished look and it gets into all sorts of tight spots.
i think i'll have to build myself a jig. that's going to be the main sticking point that will keep me from starting to braze.
i got some great advice about how to make a frame last a lifetime from the Rivendell site. they are great at what they do.

working on:
tubing/lug selection and purchase
geometry
project budget
homemade jig