Frame B Assembled – A Small Victory

With the confidence gained from the second corner test, I finally moved on to assembling frame B.

The first step was dry-fitting all the pine strips and plywood knees. I screwed each pine piece to the MDF board in its correct position using two screws, then placed the plywood corners over each joint and screwed those in as well. Once everything was aligned and fixed in place, I disassembled it all and prepared the materials for glue-up.

Dry-fitting Frame B

I mentally rehearsed the steps—I knew I had to work quickly and neatly before the epoxy began curing. I sanded and cleaned all the mating surfaces, mixed a batch of unthickened epoxy (4 pumps), and applied it to both the wood and plywood components. Then, I thickened the rest to a peanut butter consistency—maybe even a little more than last time—to prevent drips on the vertical joints.

Epoxy applied to mating surfaces

I applied the thickened epoxy to the pine pieces and screwed them back onto the board. This took a while, and by the time I finished, the epoxy had begun to cure—it was getting warm and solid in the container. Next time, I’ll apply epoxy to all the pine strips first and only then screw them down. Spread thin, the epoxy won’t cure as quickly.

Thickened epoxy on the wood

I mixed a small extra batch to finish up, then moved on to fixing the plywood knees. A trick that worked well was leaving the screws partially in place and using them as handles to position the knees. The protruding tips helped me align them with the pilot holes. I tightened each screw just enough to see the thickened epoxy squeeze out—but not too much, to avoid starving the joint.

Everything glued and screwed together

The full process took about three hours, but I’m sure I’ll get faster. That said, some upcoming frames are more complex. After leaving everything to cure overnight, I returned the next day and removed the frame from the board. Seeing it upright for the first time was a real milestone.

Frame B goes vertical!

Next came the opposite side. I sanded off the excess epoxy to get a smooth surface again. That part was unexpectedly emotional—I used a power sander that belonged to my father-in-law, who passed away a few years ago. He was always helping me with DIY projects around the house and would’ve loved following this build. He didn’t get to see it, but in some way, I felt he was part of it.

Sanding excess glue

Once the surface was ready, I dry-fitted the remaining plywood knees. I drilled new pilot holes with slightly offset measurements—about 0.5 cm difference—so the screws from each side wouldn’t intersect. I didn’t get to glue everything yet, but that part’s routine by now. I’ll wrap that up soon and officially finish frame B.

Dry-fitting the remaining knees

This is a major milestone. It’s humbling to think how much had to happen just to reach this point: buying the plans, sourcing plywood and timber, finding a build location, learning all the required techniques… and that’s just for the simplest frame. But I’ve done enough long-distance running and ultra trail events to know how to manage something this daunting: you never focus on how far you still have to go. Just identify the next step or milestone, and move relentlessly toward it. Step by step, milestone by milestone. That mindset has carried me through races, and it will carry me through this build.

Frame B - almost done!

Right now, I’ll take the time to celebrate this small victory—my first completed frame—and start thinking about the next one: frame C. I don’t care that I’m still years away from launch day.