Just been running ideas through my head for a singlespeed cross build. Pretty well decided to build a lugged frame with cross specific stays and track ends.
I’ve also got the means to have the forks and stays half chromed. I’m trying to get something that looks old, but runs modern kit apart from old style exposed cable brake levers.
Anyway I was pondering drilling a hole through a stem as the canti hanger, what’s the thoughts on that.

I would have thouhgt this was a bad idea but i’m no engineer. Why not get one made by the person making your frame with a hole in it? Then you could colour coordinate. Or why not use this solution?

or something like this?

I wouldn’t, personally. You need a nice hanger in the headset really, or mabe a fork crown mounted, bolt on, one?
Easier to use if you have to move the stem too….

Couldn’t you either buy one as they used to be quite common or better still make a matching lugged one. I thought of drilling my stem recently as my steerer was too short on a used frameset but went for new forks in the end

I’d thought of drilling through then using a small barrel adjuster sat on v brake pad pivot washer to allow it to run straight on an angled stem. Prob much better ways tho really 😉

I’d go for making a nice lugged one tho if I were you

I’m building the frame. That above is what I was thinking of. I seem to recall that donkeys years ago stems often had a drilling for centre pulls.
Need to do more home work.