Wood suppliers?

[Drew Bedo]

Try looking premium woods for fine woodworking at:


Woodcrafter
http://www.woodcrafters.us/

Rockler
www.rockler.com

Another place to look might be "antique" (junke) furnature. I have seen tables in thrift stores thjat are unsalvageable as furnature but have large amounts of hardwood that could be used for a project.

[Richard Wasserman]

I used to have a cabinet shop specializing in kitchens and bought most of my lumber from Paxton Lumber: http://www.paxtonwood.com/

They are wholesale only

[c.d.ewen]

I applaud altruism. Here's my local place, in White Plains, NY: M. L. Condon Lumber. Highly recommended. I love to stop in and fondle their exotics. There's no mention, on their website, of shipping. Maybe I need to stop by soon and ask.

Couldn't resist a quick visit. Yes, they ship, but I didn't ask about minimums. Retail's OK. No credit cards, though.

Charley

[Graybeard]

I heard church pews

Bar tops from saloons closed due to Prohibition.

[John Jarosz]

Oh come on. Everyone knows it's from dashboards from alien spacecraft that crashed in area 51.

Seriously, while Woodcraft and Rocklers have very nice high quality wood, they are usually hideously expensive compared to wood suppliers. Kettle Moraine Hardwood is also a good source just south of Milwaukee.

John

[E. von Hoegh]

Bar tops from saloons closed due to Prohibition.

I keep hearing this. Prohibition lasted from 1920 to 1933 IIRC. What did Deardorff do after 1933, when the huge majority of their cameras were made and sold? I think this is another urban legend, which is not to say they never recycled a bartop.

[imagedowser]

Again the advantage to places like Condons Lumber and others like it is they have what you "think" you want.... 90% of what they sell is kiln dried and both weaker and color degraded by he process. Seasoned air dried wood preferably "winter cut" in late or mid January when preshrunk due to natural drying of winter winds, is the very best color, most stable and lightest due to lack of sap and other minerals etc found in woods cut "off" season. This is why fine instrument makers "loft" (store) their materials in the highest point of there atelier (shop) for long periods of time .I use nothing less than 10 years old and have in my "stash", woods that I can certify as old as 125 years. None of this compulsive idiocy is necessary for camera construction, but if you wonder why Ebony cameras are so expensive, all their woods are 20+ years old. If you have questions PM me any time or send me t your phone number to talk. Be Well, bill

[Drew Wiley]

Never underestimate the importance of proper curing. This is one of several things which
separates the men from the boys in terms of camera quality. And I was under the impression that pattern-grade mahogany is virtually nonexistent except in old stockpiles.
Get the wrong thing and you end up with warpage and splits. Kiln dried cherry might be a
little more forgiving if it's fairly homogenous without figure. But if you want something
quickie an engineered composite would fare much better. I guess it depends on whether
you consider a camera a piece of fine furniture to look at or just an instrument to be used.
But nobody needs an uneven film plane or light leak due to a twist in the back.

[Steve Smith]

All of the pieces of wood I have used for cameras so far has been the sides and backs of drawers made of oak. They have been held flat and straight for many years in their original form and I don't think they are going to warp or split now if they haven't already.

I think old furniture is a very good source of cheap, good quality wood.

But if you want something quickie an engineered composite would fare much better. I guess it depends on whether
you consider a camera a piece of fine furniture to look at or just an instrument to be used.

I agree. If I was making a purely functional camera, I would probably make all of the parts from Delrin, PVC or Nylon - but I want it to look nice as well!


Steve.

[Henry Ambrose]

I have a small stock of mahogany, apple and walnut that would be very suitable for camera making. I cut the apple and walnut in 1983. The mahogany is left overs from solid body guitar building that are just a bit too short, but plenty of length to make a camera. I've had it since around the same time period.
All are dry and stored indoors continuously since the early 80s. I also have some other species not quite that old but nice and dry and ready to use - cherry, sycamore, white oak and silver maple. If anyone wants to build a camera let me know and I can put together a package of wood.