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Thread: 14x17 film holder build question

  1. #21

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    Re: 14x17 film holder build question

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul Kinzer View Post
    I'm thinking right now about using sandwiched layers of Baltic birch plywood for the stiles and rails.
    Paul, take this with a grain of salt but I recently ordered some 1/2" Baltic Birch ply (B/BB grade) for a cabinet project, once they unbanded the unit there was 1-2" of twist in each 5'x5' sheet. Even thin rips from that stock were pretty wild. I'd pick the plywood out in person for a project like this if at all possible. Some hobby stores have small sheets of 'aircraft' grade plywood, that stuff seems to be much more stable.
    Last edited by Colin Graham; 2-Dec-2017 at 14:24. Reason: clarification

  2. #22

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    Re: 14x17 film holder build question

    Quote Originally Posted by Randy Moe View Post
    Cambo front standard is pretty good. The lens boards are very common and big enough for many lenses.

    You will make more cameras, use what you have now. Sounds like you do that anyway.
    I think we think alike!

  3. #23

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    Re: 14x17 film holder build question

    Quote Originally Posted by EdWorkman View Post
    IIRC Garolite is available in brown and black. I bought some brown and beat my brains out trying to figure how to make a filmholder.
    The side frames are easy to do, but the end closure and the light trap are tougher.
    Yeah, this will take some thought and sketching. I'm pretty good with spacial thinking, and my son is even better -- almost scary how he instantly sees things, even without a drawing, that I miss with one.

    Somebody on here gave a link to a site that offered brass comb-like thingies from the electronics sector that would work well to keep the felt tight.
    Right; 'fingerstock'. I've been checking into that, but there are so many choices. I'd love to hear from someone who's actually used it in film holders for some tips on what to use and how they did it.

    It all seemed very hard to do in wood, so I drew up patterns for various thicknesses of aluminum to sandwich. It turned out to be a gazillion,
    i.e.; a LOT of inches of waterjet cutting, and thin sheets can be problematic, needing backup. BUT if I had brains left to beat out, I would go back and try to make it a combination of airplane plywood and metals.
    The birch plywood wood is what I have the tools to cut, so that's what I'm going with. It comes in thicknesses of 1/64th (0.4mm) up to at least 3/4, so pretty much any thickness is possible. Once I get to other parts of the camera build, I'm going to need to be able to work with aluminum. Cutting it is easy enough on the bandsaw; drilling and tapping holes is easy, too. But I'll want to put slots into it, too. My son thinks he may take a metals class next year, so I bet I can get him to do it.

    None of the above is meant to discourage you
    regards
    Ed
    Thanks! I'm not discouraged, but I bet I will be at points along the way.

  4. #24

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    Re: 14x17 film holder build question

    Quote Originally Posted by Colin Graham View Post
    Paul, take this with a grain of salt but I recently ordered some 1/2" Baltic Birch ply (B/BB grade) for a cabinet project, once they unbanded the unit there was 1-2" of twist in each 5'x5' sheet. Even thin rips from that stock were pretty wild. I'd pick the plywood out in person for a project like this if at all possible. Some hobby stores have small sheets of 'aircraft' grade plywood, that stuff seems to be much more stable.
    Yep, I've dealt with this in the past. I may be able to get some of what I need at a hobby store, but the ones I've been to around here have very limited choices. They also charge higher prices than if I were to buy it all from the same large dealer. I've also found that, if I'm very specific with sellers about what I'll be using items for, they often make an effort to pick through their offerings. You'd think bows in the wood would a big problem in most projects, but it couldn't hurt to ask ahead. (It might not help, either, I know!)

    When gluing sheets together, Ive found that making the bows face each other has helped overcome them, like this: ().

  5. #25

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    Re: 14x17 film holder build question

    Hobby/craft store aircraft ply is usually displayed in bins, on end, so curves after a time.
    I had a sheet of 1/8 that I put on top of a high cabinet to lie flat , but my wife found it when dusting......

  6. #26
    LF/ULF Carbon Printer Jim Fitzgerald's Avatar
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    Re: 14x17 film holder build question

    Paul, find a lumber yard that specializes in hardwood or go to Woodcraft or Rockler woodworking store. They have good quality baltic birch plywood.

  7. #27

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    Re: 14x17 film holder build question

    Just to be clear, my point was that even ordering a high grade of Baltic Birch is no guarantee that you'll get flat sheets. Plywood is graded by the quality of the veneer, not flatness. Better to pick out sheets in person if you can.

  8. #28

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    Re: 14x17 film holder build question

    I do know of a lumber yard not too far away with Baltic birch, and have most of a good sized sheet of 1/4 inch left in my shop. That is the thinnest they carry. I could special order thinner sheets through them, but would have to pay quite a markup, and would not be guaranteed flatness. I'll look around for somewhere that might have more variety, but finding such a place within driving distance will not be easy. I live in a little town far from anywhere. But knowing about Woodcraft and Rockler gives me something to look for.

    EDIT: I see there are Rockler stores in the Mpls/St Paul area, though they don't show much plywood in stock. I'll check them out next time I'm there.
    Last edited by Paul Kinzer; 2-Dec-2017 at 22:48. Reason: found some stores

  9. #29
    LF/ULF Carbon Printer Jim Fitzgerald's Avatar
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    Re: 14x17 film holder build question

    Paul, look for Woodcraft as well. I know that the Rockler in my area sells good plywood but I'm not sure how thin. I have a planer, jointer and drum sander to get me to just about any thickness.

  10. #30

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    Re: 14x17 film holder build question

    Well, it's been over two years since I last updated this thread. I had life get in the way with another back surgery, and plenty of other issues.

    I have done some work on the project, acquiring three lenses that I hope to use (a 360mm f/5.6 Symmar convertible, and 19-inch and 30-inch Apo-Ronars). The Symmar is in a lovely, quiet, and accurate Compound shutter; and I modified an 3x4 speed Graphic body to make a shutter for the Ronars (seen here).

    I'm posting today because two things have happened: First, I have a bit of cash to spend on stuff other than necessities. I had a very busy summer traveling across Wisconsin to visit libraries with my portable planetarium (I was in high demand because of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing). And, our brilliant son has gotten a full, free ride for the four years he'll be attending college, starting next week. Second, I found a huge lumber company on the other side of the state that will allow me to search through their bins to look for my own plywood in various thickness and sizes. I got an email from them less than an hour ago. That got me looking over my plans, and thank goodness I started this post because I cannot find some of the notes I wrote on paper! Re-reading these pages after all this time has gotten my brain going on this project, and I'm excited to get going on it again.

    The timing is a bit bad, though: school for me starts in less than two weeks (I run a school-age childcare center), which will slow me down. AND I may be starting a new hobby: I just bought a fairly high-end reel to reel (R2R) tape recorder that needs work, and if it ends up that I can do that work, I may start refurbishing those. I worked on over 100 Speed and Crown Graphics over the past 20 years, and got a lot of satisfaction out of it, but no more: Buying them, even in really rough shape, has gotten really expensive; and selling them at a price where I get something for my efforts has pretty much gone away. R2R is actually making a comeback (in a niche kind of way), and there are a ton of machines out there, and lots of help online in figuring out how to get them going again.

    Anyway, I'll post again once I've been to the lumber warehouse (I hope it's not a 'yard'). The email said I was welcome, but to be ready for warp-age, especially on the thinner stuff.

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