3D renders of my future 8x10 camera

[grzybu]

Hi,

I want to build my first LF camera. So far I have made one of cardboard as "proof of concept" (http://www.largeformatphotography.in...orz%F3w-Poland) and now I think it's time to build some more serious one.
It wont' be really 8x10, because I plan to use x-ray film in 18x24cm size and I already have holder for 18x24 on one side 13x18 on the other.
Design is almost 100% based o Jon Grepstad's (http://home.online.no/~gjon/jgcam.htm) book.
My goal is to make it cheap and easy to made.
I plan to use plywood and oak. It should be stable material.
Also my experience with wood is really limited so it have to be a simple.
I do not hurry. It's good because I have to wait for warmer temperature because it's too cold in my garage now.
Just have to buy simple table saw to be able to cut wood straight
So far I've made 3D design with exact dimensions to be sure everything fits.
This is how I hope it will look:

[jp]

You want to build something, but you have to buy a tool to do it. That's how hobbies like woodworking work.

[grzybu]

I have more plans related to woodworking this year so table saw will be quite important. But I plan to buy some really simple and cheap one.

[Steven Tribe]

Suggestions:

Make the front standard as large as the rear standard. Because:

- Square bellows are much easier to make than tapered.
- Square bellows do not droop as much.
- front and rear standards will compress the bellows neatly togther when not in use.
- A larger front standard makes installation of a sinar/copal shutter possible.

Oak is not a usually used wood, except on massive reproduction cameras (greater than 50 kilos). It has an open surface with uneven texture/grain.

[grzybu]

Thanks for the suggestions.
I'll try another design with front standard as large as rear.
What wood do you suggest instead of oak? Will ash be better? It's hard to buy decent, seasoned wood here in Poland.

[Vaughn]

I thought tapered bellows compressed more than straight. I could be mistaken.

Will the back be reversable (do both verticals and horizontals)?

You might want a lip on the end of the GG holder so that you can easily pull it back to slip in the film holder.

[grzybu]

Back will be reversible. Good idea with the lip.

[Steven Tribe]

Yes, tapered bellows will compress to less than totally square bellows as the doubled-up areas are off-set.
But square bellows are easier to control, thus avoiding misfolds in hurried packing!

Slow grown ash is still a bit open. European walnut was used - even before Mahogany sources disappeared. There are plenty of earlier threads on suitable wood. Small "not sort-after antique" furniture is a good source. Just keep away from veneer. Current surface appearance is often misleading about the quality and colour just 0.5mm underneath.

[Brian C. Miller]

grzybu, once upon a time there was a camera company called Bender, and they made a camera kit very much like what you have for your design. People who used the larger kit, the 8x10, noted that the camera could be a little bit wobbly. I recommend that you use two base rails side-by-side, and increase the U-frames holding up the front and especially the rear standards. While that design is fine in metal, it will flex with wood.

[Peter Gomena]

Cherry is good if you can find it.