my 4x5 project

[Ricardo de Oliveira]

David and Cletus, thanks, I appreciate the kind words.

Hi Tim,
what was your metal of choice and how much do you guess your camera weights?

Ricardo

[Ricardo de Oliveira]

David and Cletus, thanks, I appreciate the kind words.

Hi Tim,
what was your metal of choice and how much do you guess your camera weights?

Ricardo

[pound]

I am of the opinion that the 11x14 is a nice size. It was actually easier to build than the 4x5. Here's my attempt.Attachment 83952

cool camera! why is 11x14 easier to build than 4x5? i may skip the 4x5 and build the 11x14 instead

[pound]

Steve, here are a couple of quick cell phone pics. Nothing special really, its all McMaster Carr.
Attachment 83954Attachment 83955Attachment 83956Attachment 83957

very nicely done. i like that knurl nut. Is that from McMaster Carr too?

[Tim k]

Hi Tim,
what was your metal of choice and how much do you guess your camera weights?

Ricardo

Ricardo, its mostly aluminum, but there is some brass and stainless here and there. It was butt ugly when the aluminum was silver. On a whim I thought I'd try some anodizing. Turns out its not too complicated, and it really cleans up the overall appearance.

I just put it on the scale, and its a bit under 5 lbs. So its a little over a pound less than my tech 4. I never was too concerned about weight, there are a few things I could have done to cut it down, but it never seemed like an issue.

[Tim k]

why is 11x14 easier to build than 4x5? i may skip the 4x5 and build the 11x14 instead

I'm a contractor, so I just related to the size better. Perhaps it was a little more like building a complicated cabinet project. Other than the size, the bellows were a snap. They fold up into practically nothing, due to the taper. On the 4x5 it was just more crowded, everything had to be just right. On the big rig, things could be off a little here and there and not be a big issue.

Yes, the focus knob is McMaster Carr.

[Lachlan 717]

Steve, here are a couple of quick cell phone pics. Nothing special really, its all McMaster Carr.
Attachment 83954Attachment 83955Attachment 83956Attachment 83957

Tim,

Is that gear only driving one rail, or is it on a rod that also has a drive gear on the other rail? Thanks!

[Tim k]

The whole thing is symmetrical, knobs and gears on both sides. There is an axel shaft running threw the baseboard connecting the sides

[Lachlan 717]

The whole thing is symmetrical, knobs and gears on both sides. There is an axel shaft running threw the baseboard connecting the sides

Thanks, Tim.

Last questions (hopefully): Where did you source the axel? Or is it a standard rod that you connected the pinion/gear to? If the latter, did you glue the pinion to the rod, or perhaps heat shrink it?

This piece of equipment is the sticking point for me building a camera. I want to do the same thing, but have not been able to work out how to do this axel/rod. I'm at the point of getting a piece of threaded rod and locking the pinion in place with a couple of locknuts.

Again, thanks for your information with this!

[Tim k]

Lachlan,
I think the axle came from McMaster also. (They have a really good selection of rods and tubes.) If I recall, its 1/8". The problem was the knobs were for 1/4" shafts. But McMaster had a brass tube that slid over the 1/8" axle creating a bushing for the knobs. Both the knobs and gears were attached to the axle with set screws. The set screws on the knobs were no big deal, but the gear set screws, were some little bitty buggars. When I did the 11x14 I had a little bit more wood to work with, so I used a 3/16 axle rod, and gears and knobs worked out better.

If you look real close at the 3rd picture in post 17 you can see the gear setscrew.