building a camera case

[phil sweeney]

I want to build a carrying case for my 7 x 17 korona. I am not a wood worker and have a very simple plan. Thin plywood air-nailed using triangular strips inside for strength. Common hinges, latches, and foam. I would like to find corner hardware and angle trim. I have seen corner hardware on many types of cases but have no idea where to find it! Matching angle trim would be nice, but not necessary.

[Frank Petronio]

Lee Valley sells nice hardware, although it is not cheap. I found blocks of high density (not crumbling) foam for kayaks at the local canoe/kayak shop - it's probably the best for cmaera cradles, etc.

A little glue plus air nails will double the strength of nails alone. Get really good Baltic Birch plywood from a lumber specialists, not Home Depot. You could go thinner and lighter with the better plywood. Also hobby shops sell "aircraft" plywood for thin (1/8th) sheets for dividers and such. You can wrap the dividers with medium weight foam (from a craft supply.)

Microtools also sells foam.

I converted an Igloo cooler and epoxied foam and plywood to the interior. Might save a lot of hard work and keep your camera cool and incognito too!

[John D Gerndt]

Phil,

If your mean the kind of bumper hardware I have seen in smaller form (brass) in ACO hardware stores and of course the net will locate anything if you search hard enough, but really I'd skip the hardware.

I too am an avid woodworker and ULF photographer. I have found that padding works better than armor when it comes to protecting cameras and it is a whole lot lighter. Styrofoam coolers are great. Line/laminate them with cloth or plastic to keep the little bits together and you are golden. This is for transport only. I store my cameras in natural cloth only as many, many plastics outgas which can't be good. In low risk transport situations (my own car) they are inside a backpack wrapped in a blanket. Smaller cameras (medium format) go into soft-sided coolers.

I have built wooden cases for other photographers and have tried them for myself and am convinced that they are not practical. If you are not convinced and wish to build one, I recommend you use angle-aluminum (found in many local hardware stores and building material stores) for reinforcement. I use that in my camera construction now.

Cheers, .

[Bruce Barlow]

Other woodworking catalogs, like Woodcraft and Rockler carry the corner hardware, hinges, handles, etc. that you're looking for. They all have web sites, but the catalogs may be easier to use for comparisons and browsing. Nothing against Lee Valley, though; they're excellent.

I agree with the Baltic Birch plyood idea. I haven't looked at Home Depot, so I can't comment except to say that for the value of the camera, it's worth paying a little more to make sure you have the best, strongest materials for a case.

Good luck! I started doing small projects like yours. Now I make furniture and cabinets in a custom-designed workshop building with all the big, dangerous toys. It can be as addictive as photography!

[sanking]

Phil,

Let me suggest an alternative approach. Just buy yourself a medium size piece of luggage with rollers, the kind you see many people pulling through airports. One that has an overall length of about 26-27" will work fine for carrying your Korona. For protection on the bottom and top cut out two pieces of masonite (use the kind that has holes to save on weight), one that fits the bottom of the luggage, and another that can be slipped into the zip around net that is typically. Glue a piece of black felt to the piece that goes on the bottom. To use, put your camera, together with things such as lenses (in cushioned pouches), meter, dark cloth, etc. on the bottom, put a piece of thin high density foam over the camera, and the film holders on top of that. Depending on type of bag you should be able to fit our Korona and two or three holders inside the bag, and another couple of holders in the long outside zip compartment.

This makes a better carrying case than a plywood case, in my opinion, and involves virtually no work on your part.

[ronald moravec]

nails are really a bad woodworking practice. Screws and wood glue are much better except for a few applications.

[Carl Weese]

A 7x17 Korona happens to fit perfectly in the kind of hard case designed to carry a 4x5 monorail camera. Just remove the two partitions that catch the rail. You can pay a lot for a high-tech model from LightWare, etc, or find an old aluminum-clad wood box for practically nothing. Camera with mounted lens, holders, focus hood, and a couple extra lenses fit easily.---Carl

[Ralph Barker]

Ah, the old view-camera case conundrum. Do I go practical? Tactical? Or, do I want a case with a style befitting that of the camera itself?

For sheer practicality, the luggage or cooler suggestions are probably the easiest to implement. Either can provide good physical protection, and are available with wheels. The lid closures on most coolers, however, tend to be sub-standard, and might need to be supplemented. A bit of nylon strapping and quick-release closures, such as that used on back packs, can do the trick. Places like REI (Recreational Equipment Inc.) sell the parts and strapping material in several sizes.

For a more "tactical" approach, the commercial cases from Pelikan and others provide even more protection, and can be tightly padded such that the camera can survive airline baggage handlers. An alternative to these cases would be military electronic equipment cases that can be found at military surplus stores. These latter cases usually have superior latching arrangements, are usually air-tight (often with pressure-equalization valves), and are usually tough enough to parachute out of airplanes.

For style, however, probably nothing beats a well-designed "cabinet-grade" wooden case. As others have suggested, shun the "construction-grade" plywood available at the home-improvement stores, and go for the better plywood from specialty lumber and hobby stores. The individual plys are much thinner, and there are no internal voids as there are with construction-grade plywood. My suggestion here would be to think in terms of a reasonably sturdy wood frame, covered in as thin a "skin" as possible to minimize weight. The traditional brass corner plates are really for the protection of the case, not the contents. Similarly, the skin is more for containment, rather than real protection. As Ronald mentioned, however, nails are not the ideal fastener for this type of item - glued and screwed is the better approach.

Personally, I have this vision of a chopped-and-channeled (remember those '50s hot rods?) steamer-trunk style case, made from fine woods and veneers, complete with the traditional curved, convex lid, and brass hardware. Perhaps even hidden wheels for on-pavement transport, and a hidden extendable handle. The perfect compliment to a wooden camera, and the wooden tripod over the shoulder. Of course, one would have to wear antique clothing when walking around with such a case. ;-)

[John Cook]

You already have excellent suggestions for hardware.

But finding the proper foam may present a problem. There are many kinds, some too soft, too delicate, or with a very short life before chemical decomposition begins. And the selection sold by upholstery shops in medium-size cities is meager.

I have had excellent results from this on-line supplier. The site Help Button gives much useful advice about various types of foam materials.

http://www.foamonline.com/

[Frank Petronio]

Just another two cents. I just bought a Lightware view camera case on eBay for $150. Prior to that I had a Tenba view camera case that cost $200. New prices for these cases are more than double. They are fancier than what you ultimately need, but they do work very well. The soft sides prevent dings on walls and doors - something the hard cases do all too often. The professional Tenba and Lightware cases are lighter, keep the contents cooler, and really are the best solution - you can check them on airlines with a rack of lenses and all your stuff - by the time you mess around, these are probably the best and most economical solution.

But I do fancy seeing a picture of Ralph in his antique clothing ;)

[Ralph Barker]

LOL, Frank. It's possible you already have, but didn't realize it, and might again on some underground site. ;-)

[Salty]

My local Home Depot carries brass hinges, latches and the corner protector caps. I'm pretty sure that Lowes has the same inventory.

[Jim Rice]

My old 4x5 Kodak Master View came with a wooden case. The damned thing weighed a ton.

[mark blackman]

Why not just get a good strap and hang it round your neck, it seems to be the fashion among Americans visiting London.

[Dirk Baeumker]

For a really sturdy, professional approach, try to find a manufacturer of flightcases near your place. Flightcases are the custom built cases used by musicians to protect their equipment while travelling. They are usually built using 10 mm plywood and aluminium corners and edges. These cases are nearly unbreakable, for the cost of weight and - cost. Some of the manufacturers sell the aluminium parts as well, so you could DIY build one and save some precious money for films and travelling.

Regards, Dirk

[otzi]

"Why not just get a good strap and hang it round your neck, it seems to be the fashion among Americans visiting London. --mark blackman"

LOL. To the vision of such walking ahead of you and yours, You can forget about him dear, it's his camera.

[Tim Curry]

I found a very good case on ebay for my 8x10 B&J for $18 plus shipping. It is actually a case made by Fujinon for one of their video lenses. Made out of aluminum-clad thin plywood, has reinforced corners, strong locking latches, good self supporting hinges and weighs just slightly less than the camera. It is pretty much bullet proof, but the whole case and equipment sent me to the back cracker after the first use.

Try to decide if you need a helper if you build a box which will take the camera, lens, meter, film holder and dark cloth. Mine stays in the car now and I work out of it unless I can get someone to help cary it around.

[Bob Fowler]

If I were in the market for a new, custom case, my first call would be to Bob Albano at Case Technology Inc. - (978) 356-6011 (they are at 26 Hayward Street, Ipswich, MA 01938). The company I work for had a custom flight case for an LCD monitor built by them and it's fantastic. While they don't make "cheap" cases, they make damn good cases and it's money well spent. Talk with Bob about your requirements and he'll let you know your options.

[j.e.simmons]

I found a tool box at my local Lowe's for $29US. I removed the inner tool tray and added a bit of foam and it fits my Orbit 8x10 perfectly. It comes with wheels on one end and an extended handle on the other so that it can be pulled along on smooth terrain like rolling luggage. It's even fine for carrying in the back of my pickup.

However, if I were going to be shipping the camera, I'd want something more sturdy. The company that, IIRC, developed road cases for musicans is Anvil. They have a page online that allows you to design a custom case.

http://www.anvilcase.com/

(no affiliation, etc.)