baseboard material

[monochromeFan]

i really would like some opinion on here..

solid wood best
butcher block second

but after that, is "particle board" actually better then plywood

[Duolab123]

Beseler went to a very dense (like particle board) with a laminate cover. I would find some really nice 3/4 " plywood and double it up. Unless you're willing to do some cabinetry, solid wood can warp and move around, of course there's ways to get around that with time and skills :o

[monochromeFan]

well im just thinking an actual baeboard for a D2... it needs it. And it would be more freeing then having it tied into the work table surface.

Things suck at home and i really need to get this project moving along. The D2 really has become the hold up for me, as the door layout in here is so screwed up.

[Jim Jones]

I consider plywood far better than any particle board where maximum strength and stability are important in applications like enlarger baseboards. Enlarger heads are necessarily unbalanced on their columns, and therefore constantly strain the baseboard. Just today I noticed that the column on my DeJUR Versatile Professional 4x5 enlarger leans very slightly forward. I last shimmed under the front edge of the column base to correct this several decades ago. The mating surface between column base and baseboard is fairly small, permitting the base to compress the wood of the baseboard over time. It is easy to add shims to correct this. Also, the DeJUR has adjustments on the head to compensate for this instead of shimming the column base. Just now, for the first time ever, I checked the 23x34x3/4 inch plywood base for warping. It is at least 1/8 inch lower some distance in front of the column base than at the front and back ends of the base. Hmm. I could start flipping the base over at regular intervals to neutralize warping. Better yet, tiptoe further into the 21st century and enjoy my Epson printer.

[Tin Can]

Formica sink cutout

or island

[Doremus Scudder]

Formica sink cutout or island

I second this. Find a piece of laminate countertop, either a big enough scrap or a cutout (think Habitat for Humanity thrift store or some used builders' supply place). Go ahead and get a piece with the lip and curve on the end. Then reinforce it on the bottom with cross pieces made of 3/4 ply or similar for strength with a large rectangular piece on the end where you will mount the enlarger. You have to glue and screw in from the bottom, so make extra sure your screws are short enough they won't poke up the laminate on top and still long enough to do the job. After it's all done, paint the bottom and apply felt strips. Works like a champ!

Best,

Doremus

[Pieter]

I use a butcher block tabletop form IKEA.

[John Layton]

Home Depot usually carries Melamine panels in different sizes...plus you can cut them down and use the "iron-on" Melamine edge banding kit for a neat look.

Plywood is great - but IMHO only if you go with the "good stuff" (like void-free Baltic birch), and can apply some kind of finish...like a sturdy deck paint or marine epoxy. You can also get fancy and glue up two 3/4" sheets to get a super-sturdy (and heavy!) 3" thick sheet.

Edit: and when purchasing any sort of wood these days...especially if its new - do look it over carefully to make sure its flat!

[Fred L]

both my Devere 504 and Leitz Focomat v35 have mdf baseboards, heavy af. doesn't budge at all. white laminate on top.

[Roger Thoms]

I built a new base board a few years ago for and enlarger at Harvey Milk Photo Center. I took two sheets of 1/2” CDX plywood and laminated the together with yellow carpenters glue. If I recall I screwed the two sheets together then removed the screws of the glue had dried. I the edge banded the plywood with hardwood (probably Maple) and then laid up high pressure laminate on each side. Base worked great and looked very nice too. My construction choices were heavily influenced by the materials I had on hand.

Roger

[John Kasaian]

How large of a base board do you need to go?
What tools do you have to work with?

I like the Butcher Block option.
If your dark room session heads South, you could always slice up some Coleslaw for lunch :rolleyes:

[tomwilliams]

i really would like some opinion on here..

solid wood best
butcher block second

but after that, is "particle board" actually better then plywood

High Density fiber board could be a choice - it's like particle board, but more dense, with a hard, smooth, workable surface. You may have heard of MDF - same thing but not as dense. The HDF comes in up to 3/4" thickness, as far as I know. Strictly an indoor product. Edges are vulnerable on pressboard materials, so you might want to trim the edges in solid wood - or laminate them. And do something similar to Doremus' reinforcement scheme.

Re used or spare countertop material, Home Depot contracts fabricating and installation of the custom countertops that they sell, those contractors no doubt have bits and pieces. Same with your local cabinet and kitchen remodeling shops/contractors.

My Automega E-5 is mounted on a laminated countertop piece that I found at ReStore (Habitat for Humanity) - a lucky find. I've never seen a piece quite as suitable as that one at ReStore. Waiting for the item you want to show up at a second hand store can take time.

[rfesk]

MDF seemed fine for me for a relatively lightweight 4x5 Federal enlarger. It was flat. The Formica covered sink cutout of 3/4" plywood that I had on hand was not so flat.
Purchased a 1/2 sheet (4'x4') from Lowes.

[jnantz]

plywood resin coated works every time. so down the road if you do some process where something damp goes under your light, it's not a seep-in and contaminate situation but a wipes clean situation ( unless it's your choice ).

[Pieter]

My baseboard is also a work surface, about 5' x 2-1/2' with the enlarger attached to the wall. I got the tabletop from IKEA but I don't think they sell real butcher block table tops anymore.

249176

[Mal Paso]

I use a Beseler 45M where the structure is steel and the baseboard removable. I drilled hundreds of holes in one baseboard with a steel sheet on top for magnetic paper stops and a plenum on the bottom to pull a vacuum to hold the paper flat.

[monochromeFan]

The standard baseboard for a D2 enlarger (not a D2XL version) is in the area of 18” x 26”-28” and varied somewhat in thickness throughout production. The early baseboards were a hardwood laminate and measured 18” x 26”x ¾” thick. Later production the baseboard was made from a high pressure laminated particle board and measured 18” x 28” x 1” thick. I prefer the later baseboard and even recommend a bigger and heavier baseboard of 22” x 30” x 1½” thickness as the larger size and extra weight really “grounds” the enlarger. Also not that particle board or solid wood (butcher block etc) is superior to plywood or MDF.

This is from Kevin at KHB.

[John Layton]

...and make sure that the contact surface(s) between the bottom of the baseboard and top of the workbench does not allow for any "rocking and rolling." In other words...the heaviest, thickest, multi-laminate base board will be useless if its bottom surface is not either absolutely flat, or at least incorporates dense rubber "feet" to ensure stability of all that rests on top of it.

[Tin Can]

I have several Rubberwood desktops

they stay flat

one is for my 48'' X 24" print copy stand with 3/8" safety glass to match

I have a 48" Starrett straight edge

[Conrad . Marvin]

Good ideas for a sturdy baseboard have been suggested. If you can wall mount your enlarger the enlarger sag can be avoided. I made my baseboard independent from the “column” making line up more convenient on both my Beseler and my 5x7 Kodak. The Kodak has a Saunders V Track easel which is very stable sitting on a V shaped support with adjustable feet. The Beseler has the baseboard independently supported with an adjustable V support. I used the original baseboard as it is very stable and getting the support away from the enlarger was the idea.