I'm making myself some film holders(and I need some dimensions please)

[Daniel Stone]

Hey all,

I've decided to take on a summer project and BUILD myself some 5x8,4x10 and 8x10 holders. Possibly some 8x20 holders down the road, if I decide to go with that format.

so... After finding some information, and trying to measure the holders I already have, I'm still at somewhat of a loss.

anyone happen to have a schematic for holders?

and yes, I know that its "cheaper" to buy used ones, but I'm just getting back into woodworking thanks to a local adult-ed program(I'm 22, but its open to anyone 18 and older), and since I've decided to build an 8x10 and a 5x8/4x10(for 2 cameras total) camera this summer(topic of another thread soon), I'm wanting to start with the holders first.

any recommendations for materials, is basswood a good starting material? Or going with walnut or another "hardwood"(say, maple) a better choice?

I can't imagine its too hard to make these things, and once set up, I'll be making 20 8x10 holders, and 10 each of the 5x8 and 4x10 holders.

I'll just stick with my plastic 4x5 holders, since I still have like 30 of them .

so, you woodworkers out there, if you could lend some help, that would be much appreciated!

thanks

-Dan

[cosmicexplosion]

i would take a wooden one apart

and practice duplicating all the separate bits, cuts joints etc on scap wood of a similar density
till you have a system perfected for each separate action the try it on your real wood.

I am in the process of making my first window, and its a bay window, and it is a very steep learning curve, even though it will be easy once i know how.

hugo from chamonix rekons the holders are harder than cameras.

good luck

[Michael Kadillak]

Aside from the obvious woodworking skills necessary to make the grooves and router openings, one needs to have intimate knowledge with wood grain structure (selecting the optimal wood) and how to offset this structure in assembly to minimize movement.

Wood is a dynamic material and unintentional lateral torque will render a sheet film holder to the kindling pile in no time. Building a camera is one thing. Holders are a horse of a different color. Based upon what those people that know what they are doing in building holders have told me about this process, I quickly determined it was a bridge to far. I own all of the tools I would need to make these products. The experiences I want to gain relate to the photographic processes.

Personally the escalating price of sheet film is the dominant criteria in the LF game. The ability to find reasonably priced already made 5x8 or 8x10 holders precludes going down this road solely on the economics. Get a spiltter back for your 8x10 camera to do 2 4x10's in an 8x10 holder for your panoramic proportions. One thing I know for sure. Molded plastic is a static material and is impervious to moisture.

Given your financial constraints I feel the cost of 8x20 film is going to kick this objective to the curb for the time being.

[Colin Graham]

I've made several sizes of holders. I never could find any plans around on the net, but did find some ANSI standards for riblock placement and T-dimension (surface of holder to film plane) floating around on the net somewhere..might need the wayback machine to find it now. But having the actual back in which the holder will be used will provide all the measurements you need.

Dismantling a holder is excellent advice, really helps to clarify how the parts work together, even the modern plastic ones.

Traditional woodworking tools might be awkward for the tiny slots and rabbets. I use a slitting saw in a mill, 1/32" for the darkslides and septums up to a point, 1/16" is better for septums on the larger holder sizes like 8x20. Garolite XX grade from McMaster Carr is an excellent material for darkslides and septums. Also velvet for baffling and brass shim stock for trap springs are available from the same source. I used Filmoplast tape from Talas Online for the hinges.

I wrote up the last batch I made as a memory aid for future reference, since I make holders so infrequently. I'm not sure if it would be make any sense to anyone else, but it's here if you're interested.

BTW, basswood is likely way too soft- I've used mahogany and cherry but cherry is probably ideal- grain is tight enough to hold detail in the tiny joints and slots.

[William Whitaker]

Colin - Nice DLB's. You are one talented dude.

Dan - Go for it. You'll learn a lot. My only suggestion is to try ONE format first. Otherwise, too many variables, too many set-ups, too many mistakes and too much money.

[Colin Graham]

Thanks Will. Being poor can be highly motivating. :]

[Jack Dahlgren]

I'd go with softwood (spruce, fir) rather than hardwood. It is more dimensionally stable with changes in humidity etc. and can usually be found with clear straight grain.

[RichardRitter]

Have fun. You will be working with very tight tolerances that have to repeated many time over.
Do you own a wood stove? The scrapes and rejects make great kindling. I used to heat may sauna with rejected camera parts.

[Michael Kadillak]

I've made several sizes of holders. I never could find any plans around on the net, but did find some ANSI standards for riblock placement and T-dimension (surface of holder to film plane) floating around on the net somewhere..might need the wayback machine to find it now. But having the actual back in which the holder will be used will provide all the measurements you need.

Dismantling a holder is excellent advice, really helps to clarify how the parts work together, even the modern plastic ones.

Traditional woodworking tools might be awkward for the tiny slots and rabbets. I use a slitting saw in a mill, 1/32" for the darkslides and septums up to a point, 1/16" is better for septums on the larger holder sizes like 8x20. Garolite XX grade from McMaster Carr is an excellent material for darkslides and septums. Also velvet for baffling and brass shim stock for trap springs are available from the same source. I used Filmoplast tape from Talas Online for the hinges.

I wrote up the last batch I made as a memory aid for future reference, since I make holders so infrequently. I'm not sure if it would be make any sense to anyone else, but it's here if you're interested.

BTW, basswood is likely way too soft- I've used mahogany and cherry but cherry is probably ideal- grain is tight enough to hold detail in the tiny joints and slots.

Wow. Great job Colin. You have three things going for you in this regard. You have the skills and tools, the desire and the time to allocate to complete this work. Amortizing this over a number of holders allows you to recover this investment. I agree that cherry or walnut wood is what you need to do this right. Pine or other less dense woods will not work.

If I tried this I would get 30 hours into the process with materials purchased and find that I made a mistake somewhere and would have to start over.

[Michael Kadillak]

I'd go with softwood (spruce, fir) rather than hardwood. It is more dimensionally stable with changes in humidity etc. and can usually be found with clear straight grain.

I would be surprised if spruce or fir can be utilized for this application. IMHO one needs dense wood like cherry or walnut to hold the tolerances required for this application.