I am in the (slow) process of building an 8x10 field camera modeled on my 4x5 Ikeda Anba. I've built the back and the frame, and there is still some woodworking, but at this point I'm thinking about sourcing metal parts. I'm using the 4x5 model because there are actually no good plans on the web for field cameras. There is also no good source for parts. I got to thinking that it might be possible for the many people on LFPF interested in camera building to pool their resources and design one (or several) generic cameras using standard parts, and then collectively source those parts.

For example, gear racks are available from China relatively cheaply compared to sourcing such stuff from a specialty suppliers, but might have a minimum order of ten meters. That is a big buy for one person, but ten meters of rack will build less than 10 8x10 cameras, so if we all agreed on a standard rack size and design, bulk purchase would be feasible and keep costs down. The same could be done for knurled knobs and other metal parts. Using this approach we might be able to get entire parts kits for 30 or 40 dollars. If we had a standard design we could also get mass produced bellows, or at least find a common source for bellows materiel. Although everyone has wood available, a standard cutting list would make the use of a variety of different woods possible (for example, I could have mahogany blanks sufficient for an 8x10 cut and shipped from Thailand for probably $20 plus shipping).

I think a lot more people would build cameras if they had a good design and could source materials relatively easily, but what do you think? Is this something anyone else would be interested in getting involved in?