Homemade Lensboard Adapter...

[Scott --]

Hi, all -

Someone here asked me to make them a lensboard adapter to allow use of Technica-styled boards in his B&J. After a few misstarts and design guffaws, I came up with this:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j185/bliorg/IMG_1784.jpg

This is a curly cherry board, half-lapped joints on the corners, pinned with cherry dowels:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j185/bliorg/IMG_1768.jpg

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j185/bliorg/IMG_1780.jpg

The back is painted "ultra" flat black. I added some of Jon Goodman's Interslice foam to the recess to act as a light seal. The Tech board fits nicely:
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j185/bliorg/IMG_1781.jpg

I'm having too much fun with camera woodworking apparently: I've decided that it's time to build myself a 4x5 wooden field camera. Egad...

Thanks for looking.
Scott

[Nick_3536]

Don't you need something to hold the smaller board inside? Sliders?

[Scott --]

Yeah, Nick - forgot to mention that. The owner of the B&J is milling some stainless sliders to clamp it together...

[Bob Salomon]

Linhof boards have a bottom notch so your adapter won't accept an actual Technika board made since 1956.

[Ole Tjugen]

That adapter will accept Technika boards - they have a notch, not a pin!

If you put a small pin in the bottom center of the adapter, you would make sure that it could only accept Technika boards. :)

[Gene McCluney]

I make adaptors all the time for my various LF cameras, but not as neatly as yours is. One critique, It appears you didn't compensate for the offset hole of the Technika board, so the lens will not be centered for the B&J camera, unless some front rise is used.

[Scott --]

Gene, I asked about that when I was designing it. This is per the request. It'd be a minor thing to make one with a thinner top rail and fatter bottom one. Just another couple setups on the horizontal router table.

[Jan Pedersen]

Scott is making this fine lens board for my B&J and as Ole points out will take Technica lens boards just fine. I make my own boards anyway.
Gene, it is intentional that the B&J would need a little front rise to center, that is a lot easier than to raise the rear if shooting a little low.
Look forward use Scott's fine creation.

[Alan Davenport]

I made a (somewhat) similar adaptor to use my Technica-mounted lenses on my Calumet monorail. Yours is prettier than mine; nice job...

[David Karp]

Jan,

How did you make the sliders?

[Nick_3536]

Any body ever make a spacer to fit a Technica style board to a B&J press camera? The B&J boards are just a touch bigger. Maybe some shims?

[Jan Pedersen]

David, i have not yet made the hardware but have the materials ready.
Will basically look identical to the hardware already on the B&J front standard except it will be stainless steel with small brass screws (Phillips) with stainless washers.

[David Karp]

Jan,

Do you have a mill, or did you come up with another way to make the slots in the sliders?

[Jan Pedersen]

David,
Unfortunately no mill, just plain old handwork drilling and filing. It takes time but can be done with some patience. Will use the existing B&J slider as a jig.

[David Karp]

Aah, that is the same thing that I was considering -- Drilling a line of holes and filing them somewhat smooth.