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Fantastic. I admire your persistence.

Made a lot of progress yesterday.

Added a 1/8x1/2" piece of basswood and covered it with a strip of felt to better guard against light coming in around the rib channel.

Installed the lens board...

This little file saved me after I made a careless mistake. Normally, I put in the top two retaining pins, then place the retaining clips over them, tape the clips into place, and drill pilot holes...

A little more progress yesterday. Got the leather handle brass brackets and the retaining clips filed and drilled. Installed the handle. Also got the bellows mounted on the front frame.

Fine. Send me an email and we'll work it out.

Have you considered the Wollensak 159mm f9.5 lens? It’s tiny and lightweight, if it’s not too wide for you.

BTW, I’ve got an early 1900s 5x7 folder with no bellows that I bought for parts and...

Progress today, installed the brass ground glass clips and the brass lock-down strip on the extension rail. Brass and mahogany look great together!

Progress yesterday, got the lens board frame and the film holder surround covered in adhesive felt. I tape the areas off that I want to protect and lay down a coat of contact cement before applying...

Awesome design and execution of prototype! Please update when you get the new gear!

4x10 is a great format. Changeable lens boards, I understand, but I'm not sure what you mean by sliding a lens into a slot once open. Can you reference a camera that has this design?

In general,...

Yes, I remember the Turner Bellows Company. I was one of their customers also. As well as Western Bellows. I love vintage cameras and equipment. It is a shame how much craftsmanship has been lost in...

A little more progress today. I taped off almost 1" of the inside of the rear camera frame and painted it flat black, then I chopped 1/8" x 1/8" basswood sticks, painted them, and glued them into the...

Little bit of progress yesterday after my root canal....

I mounted the big bellows on the rear frame--contact cement all the way around. Still need to trim the excess fabric.

Glued the spring...

Thanks, Jim. This one is not for me, it’s for a friend. I’m glad you are still enjoying your latest 14x17 creation. It’s a great feeling to dream up a camera and then turn the dream into reality!
...

For comparison, I checked the weights of commercially available 16x20s and found Richard Ritter lists his at 17lbs and Chamonix is 26.6lbs (12.1kg). Canham does not list a 16x20, but does list a...

Looks awesome, Randy! Great job!

Update: I corresponded with Keith at Custom Bellows. He explained they do have a lighter material but it would sag badly with the 45" length. So, trade-offs.

Also, he is putting the tabs in the...

45". Man, I wish I had known there were options. This bellows is going to be nearly a quarter of the weight of the finished camera.

Bellows arrived! Time to get back to work on this project.

Custom Bellows seems to have done a good job--specs seem spot on. Only disappointments are the weight--seems really heavy at 3lb 10oz,...

Thanks, Jim. That's my understanding as well. Sorry if I wasn't clear in my earlier post.

FWIW, I'm back in Utah again this week, doing more field testing on the camera...and dodging the 28" of...

Thanks TB! Yes, there are so many fantastic locations within a relatively close area around Moab. It makes for a fun couple of days moving around as the light changes. As is often the case there, the...

Some photos from my field test of the 5x8 last week. These are just quickie cell phone pics of the slide film (Provia) on my lightbox, taken through the glassine envelopes, so they are not as sharp...

Thanks, MK!

I finally got started on the 4x5RB GG frame today. I chopped and glued the first two layers together. Getting the outside dimensions was easy; the width is the same as the 4x5 film...

Yes, so far it is working well for me. I hadn't thought about lens boards. I'd like to see how it cuts 1/8" plywood. Good idea!

The one I have is this one:...

I got the 4x5 reducing back painted--both the back and film holder surround--with two coats of flat black. Looks much better!

The 4x5RB is coming along. I used scrap mahogany and basswood pieces from earlier projects. That's why the base layer is pieced together.

After completing the minor repairs/improvements, I started working on a 4x5 reducing back.

My Honey gave me a miniature table saw for Valentine's. It works well for small jobs like this reducing...

I took the camera out for a field test a week and a half ago and came home with a short list of minor issues. The #2 1/4" screw holding the right angle stud to the keeper rail pulled loose, so I...

Good question, Steve!

I did not have any problem with the base panel staying flat with the 7x11 or with my 5x8 build. I glued the panels one day, let the glue dry overnight, and began coating with...

Possibly, but I think you will need to make a jig to cut film with just a straight edge in the dark.

I typically load each film separately in a dip and dunk. But no, I don't feel any different in the cut edge versus the originally cut edges. I use a Rotatrim to cut the film, and it seems to do a...

Visiting some old friends...
and field testing a new one.

Two more....

First shows how the front standard now fits nicely within the rail when folded down.

Second shows the camera all finished and ready for its close-up.

With my 7x11 camera, I...

Here are a few pictures to show the final touches. Hopefully, my next post will show this camera in the field in Canyonlands!

First picture shows where I pulled the unnecessary second lock and...

Thanks, Gord! Thanks, John! I very much appreciate your feedback. John, yes, break out the tools and get to work, then post your work and keep the inspiration going!

Today, I applied finish coats to the inside of the rail that I routed out, the spring anchors, the hinge support pieces on the rear of the base, and the rear frame anchors. I also sanded down and...

Thanks Robert! I appreciate your feedback, and I'm happy this information has been helpful. I have benefited enormously from my participation in this forum. People here are great about sharing their...

Hi Steve,
Thanks for your questions! Here goes:

1. Yes, the brass strip is only on one side and yes, it has always been sufficient. There's no reason you couldn't put another on the left side if...

I've still got a few items on my punch list--finish coat the wooden spring anchors, the rear frame bracket anchors as well as the new little pieces I added to the back of the base, and the inside of...

For some reason, I found it hard to stop snapping photos of this (almost) finished camera...so bear with me.