Originally Posted by
Trakhak
FYI, lugged construction was originally introduced as a cheap workaround, to cut down on the costs of accurate mitering of tubes and of training of skilled workers.
The strength of a lugged frame does not come from the lugs, it comes from the mitering. Lugs are simply a sleeve to hold the tubes in place.
I have not heard that lugged construction was a cheap workaround. It is true that some frames were poorly mitered and the poor work was then hidden by the lugs, but the triangle main frame gets its strength from each tube connecting with the other.