Camera wood

[mark]

As I am planning to make my next camera, I have been looking at the woods that nice cameras are made from. I know some are made from mahogany, cherry, teak, walnut, and the kit cameras seem to made from poplar. Does anyone else out there have a camera made from something different?

 

[Loose Gravel]

I have used cherry and extruded aluminum in combination (glued with silicone) and sometimes I use cherry and birch plywood. I suppose some of these fine model makers plys would be good also.

 

[gma]

Whichever you select for aesthetic reasons I suggest that you choose a hardwood with tight straight grain such as cherry for stain finish; maple or poplar if you are using an opaque color finish. There are many exotic hardwoods that look fantastic, but some contain oils that make them difficult to glue. Some are so hard that they split easily when drilled. You will want to select hardware to compliment the wood finish. Brass is especially attractive with stained and lacquered hardwood. Stainless steel looks great with a semi-flat black enameled finish. Have fun.

 

[noseoil]

There is a picture of mesquite wood (native to mexico, south america, the southwest united states) used in a 4x5 camera I built in the non-gallery pictures section. It is on the second page of photos now. This is a dense wood which finishes easily, is stable and takes fasteners well.

I would avoid poplar, as it is rather soft and does not hold fasteners as well as some other hard woods. On the plus side, it does finish well and takes a stain to look like many other woods with proper finishing.
Cherry, south american mahogany (not asian or phillipine mahogany), ebony, black walnut, ash, hickory, pecan. There are plenty to choose from, but none of them take pictures very well.

 

[gma]

Noseoil,

That mesquite camera is beautiful. I've seen some fine art furniture made from mesquite, but I hadn't thought of using it for a camera. I don't know how available it is except here in the Southwest. Other than handmade furniture and flooring, in Texas we use mesquite for slow cooking/smoking brisket. Yummmm!

 

[noseoil]

gma,

I know what you mean. Sometimes I want to use the camera for a BBQ myself. tim

 

[mark]

Well damn. This has been a lot of help and a lot more info than I ever expected. I will keep everything in mind and have book marked this page.

Thanks again.

 

[Loose Gravel]

Aircraft aluminum is 6000 series, commonly 6061.

 

[mark]

My father in law has a milling machine in his boat repair shop to fabricate pistons and other engine parts. It is a big thing with all of the parts necessary. I have handled the Canham metal 4x5 and was not too heavy. DOes anyone know what a 5x12 or 4x10 camera might weigh if I was able to figure out how to do it all out of aluminum. This is just a thought. Canham's monorail system does not look complicated at all to build.

 

[Ed Sukach]

Aircraft aluminum is 6000 series, commonly 6061.

I've worked a *LOT* with airframe and "space" bits and pieces, and nearly *ALL* of it was 6061 - note that after machining it sould be heat treated - "T6" is most often specified... to get all the really *nice* properties.

*RARELY* we used "7075" .... miserable stuff to work...

 

[noseoil]

Density

I would be curious about the density of this material, most hardwoods for camera use are about 30-35 pounds per cubic foot. What is the density of this material? tim

 

[noseoil]

About twice the densidy of most hardwoods. Heavy camera, but good under water.

 

[bmac]

And dishwasher safe!

 

[mark]

I will talk to my father-in-law about it. He's in the marine industry. Thanks for the info, even though I have no idea what all of those specs mean.