Im going to have a machinist embark on creating a titanium steering column, mostly due to the reduced cost in making one, rather then buying one but my question relates to the length of the column.

Without a template, how would one know the length of the column assuming you have:

Upper/Lower triple
Bearings - so you know the width of the column
Steering lock nuts - so I know the required thread onto the top of the column
Upper Triple Nut - so i know the thread into the column to clamp the fixture together

Is there some kind of gap that needs to be maintained at the bottom of the triple (between the frame and the lower clamp) ?

Cheers