I want to build a lens board for a Calumet 4x5

[J Rollinger]

I have decided to build a lens board for a Calumet 4x5 that i bought at a recent garage sale. My question is, which wood would be the best? I would prefer something that would not warp over time.

Thanks
Jim

[Jim Michael]

There is a lens board making thread going on right now you might want to take a look at. Not sure what dimensions of wood you need but the one I built for my Kodak 2D was fabricated from 1/8" mahogany in two layers glued orthogonally to each other. It hasn't warped in 20 years, so seems like a good way to make them. Some great ideas in that other thread, such as gluing a wood layer to a metal layer.

[J Rollinger]

There is a lens board making thread going on right now you might want to take a look at. Not sure what dimensions of wood you need but the one I built for my Kodak 2D was fabricated from 1/8" mahogany in two layers glued orthogonally to each other. It hasn't warped in 20 years, so seems like a good way to make them. Some great ideas in that other thread, such as gluing a wood layer to a metal layer.

Thank you for your reply Jim! I will search for that thread. Mahogany sounds great. Can i find it at a local Home Depot or a similar home improvement center?


Jim

[Jim Michael]

I think I found mine at a hobby store, but it should be easily found online. The stuff I've seen at HD is 1/4" or more in thickness, so probably wouldn't work.

[mark anderson]

look up and understand the meaning of quater sawn lumber and how to spot it. it will make a huge differance in the stability of any speicies of lumber.

[Roger Thoms]

I recently bought an Calumet CC-400 4x5 off Craigslist. It came with an original aluminum board and two plywood boards that the previous owner had made. He used 1/8 inch plywood that he purchased at a model shop. The plywood boards work quite nicely.

Roger

[Jon Shiu]

If your calumet is like the cc400 (long skinny round rail), rather than the Cambo/Calumet camera, it might be hard to find wood thin enough to fit in the slot. You might try some black acrylic.

Jon

[J Rollinger]

Thank you everyone for all your help!

Jon, I dont know what model it is. I bought it at a garage sale for $20. I actually didnt buy it, she gave it to me for free so i gave her a $20 tip. John, would you know what model it is and how thick the new board should be?

Thanks Jim

[brian mcweeney]

You could buy some Cambo lens boards from KEH or 'bay ... but they'll cost more than what you paid, er tipped for the entire camera. Around $30.

[Jon Shiu]

That's a Cambo made one, which I believe can take a thicker board than the older cc400. Note that you would need to make some small notches in the top to work with the sliding catch.

Jon