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Thread: 8 x 20 Camera Bellows Help!

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Posts
    4

    8 x 20 Camera Bellows Help!

    I have made an 8" x 20" camera. I saw the measurements for the 8 x 20 film holder and made the holder. Then I made the camera around that holder. Now I am in the process of making the bellows. Obviously there is a mathematical formula for the width of the stiffeners. I have visited the DIY Bellows page, and his formula is for a square bellows, which will not work. So I need help. The backstand is 21 1/2" x 10 3/4". The front stand is 7 1/2 square. The length of the bellows is 30". Will appreciate it if someone can help me. Thank you very much. Cliff

    Cliff

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Posts
    1,545

    8 x 20 Camera Bellows Help!

    The way that I would approach this is to take a piece of poster board that would be 64 1/2 inches X 30 inches X the desired length of your bellows. I would then divide the 64 1/2 inch dimension into a division at 21 1/2 inches followed by the next division 10 3/4 inches followed by 21 1/2 inches followed by the last 10 3/4 inch. On the other end (the 30 inch width) I would mark off 4 equal 7 1/2 inch divisions. I would next draw a line from the first 21 1/2 inch mark to the first 7 1/2 inch mark. This would be followed by a line drawn from the 10 3/4 inch mark to the second 7 1/2 inch mark. The next line would be drawn from the second 21 1/2 inch mark to the third 7 1/2 inch mark. The last would be from the 10 3/4 inch mark to the last 7 1/2 inch mark.

    This will give you the diagonals on which to cut your stiffeners. The angles that are indicated on the other site for the corner folds should work for the folds in the corners of the bellows. Good luck.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Dec 2000
    Location
    Southern New England
    Posts
    158

    8 x 20 Camera Bellows Help!

    Hi Cliff, Donald sounds like he has the best method. I took delivery of a new Wisner 8x20 today. The dimensions are slighly different but I could send you the spec's of my bellows along with the size of the frames. Let me know if this helps.

    -Bruce

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Seattle, Washington
    Posts
    3,020

    8 x 20 Camera Bellows Help!

    I am very impressed that you've taken the initiative to build your own holders and camera. In my experience, the camera is the easy part! I hope you sort out your bellows, but if you had to buy a professionally made one it wouldn't be the end of the world, would it? It might well be worth the money to finish off your hard work with a beautiful, functional bellows. Either way, congratulations. I hope you enjoy your camera, and are rewarded with many fine images.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jan 2000
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    128

    8 x 20 Camera Bellows Help!

    http://www.cyberbeach.net/~dbardell/bellows.html

    Here is a link to a page where the guy made his own bellows. I've found it easier to send off the sixes to one of the bellows makers and then just pay them when I've replaced a bellows on one of my older cameras.
    _______________________
    George Losse
    www.georgelosse.com

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