Creative ways of mounting largish lenses on smallish lensboards?

[murrayatuptown]

I was given an 8x10 Rochester King View camera a few years ago and had to hastily put it into storage.

The front nameplate was missing and I mistook it for a Kodak 2D. With that misinformation I assumed a 6" lensboard.

This year I pulled out the camera and someone helped me identify it and an English Compact style, and specifically a Rochester King View. It has no lensboard.

I have acquired so many lenses over the years in anticipation of easily fitting a 6" square board.they also tend to be heavy so I know the front standard will need support. The camera is about 6# with no lensboard.

This has become frustrating as the Rochester front standard has a 4" opening with 4-1/4" lensboard space.

After having a Betax 5 shutter repaired for a 12/4.5 Radar Anastigmat, it will barely fit a 4" board...probably needs to be metal because the hole required is close to 3.5"and the combination is about 4#.

A 12"/5 Aerostigmat in barrel has a barely smaller barrel (no shutter) and is still about 3#.

Are there creative successful solutions to mounting a bulky lens on a 'box' (antithesis of a recessed lensboard) with a 4"/4-1/4 board spaced at the rear to fit the small opening front standard?

I can visualize (roughly) a stepped metal board but don't want to waste time & money having something made before figuring out what really works.

Obviously, the answer is 'yes', but the 'how' would be easier than reinventing a method with many mistakes.

Long leadup to asking what others have done. The obvious is to find a tiny little f/6.3 or so lens from that period...but it's pretty frustrating to have too many lenses already and have to go buy something else.

I have saved lots of random single & achromat elements over the years, but their coverage is unknown...hence the stubborn interest in lenses known to work for this format.
Yeah, I created all my own obstacles.

[Dugan]

If you put a big, heavy lens farther in front of the front standard than usual without a 'crutch', you are asking for unintentional front forward tilt...especially on an older wood camera. I have a Gundlach Radar 12" f/4.5, and use it on a Burke & James Rembrandt portrait camera...it has no tilt on the front standard.

[diversey]

You need a step-up lens board adapter, likes one below.
228539

[xkaes]

What's the width of the opening on the front of the camera without a lensboard attached?

If you have a shutter that is too wide to fit on the front standard of the camera, an adapter like the one shown could be bought or made to get the shutter far enough out front to attach it. I doubt that you would need to have much extension at all -- 1/4"?

Once you get the shutter attached, you should be able to get any wide rear element attached through the back of the camera.

[murrayatuptown]

Thank you all.

Opening in front standard is two-stepped.

4-1/4" then 4", the larger apparently providing light baffling (stated to show my possible comprehension, not presume to educate people with far more knowledge and experience :@).

Murray

[j.e.simmons]

I’ve made step up lens boards with a metal piece at the camera end for handling the weight and wood for the rest.

[Jim Andrada]

I've made adapters like that totally out of wood - actually built a box extender once - I used it on my Agfa - Ansco 5 x 7 which is pretty sturdy as wooden cameras go.