need some tips for building a LF camera

johnnywalker said:

But who is to say the OP doesn't have the real stuff? Take a sample to a good wood working shop, I'm sure they can tell you if you've got the real stuff or not.

Click to expand...

Does it matter? If it looks o.k. and is easy enough to work with, I'm sure it will be fine for a camera even if it is one of the 'imitation' mahoganies.

I have made guitar necks with mahogany look-alikes which have worked out fine. The wooden parts of a camera do not need to be as stable as those of a guitar.


Steve.

I don't know if it matters or not. I personally prefer the look of real mahogany, but the real issue would be the stability of the wood after drying. The look-alike you used would obviously be good enough, but there are so many species sold as Mahogany one could never be sure which one you were getting. The look-alikes are sold mostly on the basis of colour, not physical characteristics.

To the original poster... what did you do in the end? Did you make your camera? Are you in the process of making it?

I recently bought an old 9x12 plate camera, then after I realised that the bellows were shot, I figured I make my own camera that enabled me to make some straight square (actually, rectangular) bellows rather than tapered ones.

I'm starting by copying the rear standard, and I'm amazed at just how 'complex'(?) the back is to accept the plate holders. Fortunately for me, I'm also waiting to receive a Proxxon milling machine! That should make things a little bit easier! I'd like to make a field camera, but it's harder than it first appears - I'm trying to avoid buying a rack and pinion (seem hard to get hold of and expensive here in the UK) but then some sort of friction focus lock increases the bulk. There are so many trade-offs in the build!

Cheers,
David.

A few months have gone by since the last post. I am nearing compltion of a 5" x 7" camera using wood from a table top that was in use just after the Falklands war and has rested in a wood shed since 1984. It has proved to be totally stable and has finished to a beautiful colour. There was not enough material to make the lens boards so I used another timber that had been stored in the same shed for almost as long. Within days it had shrunk after cutting and glueing and the joints had opened. I have cut them back and filled them. Time will tell if they will be of any use. I have no idea what the original wood was, and anyway I cannot get anymore. Maybe we should give up hope and use veneered MDF for all future projects!