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Steve Goldstein
11-Jul-2008, 03:09
I know cherry is the "gold standard", but I'm curious what the downside(s) would be of using boxwood, especially for holders. It seems a little more affordable...

Steve Goldstein
11-Jul-2008, 06:03
I can't figure out how to edit my previous post. It should have been BASSWOOD, not boxwood. That'll teach me to post early in the morning.....

Frank R
11-Jul-2008, 06:13
I know cherry is the "gold standard", but I'm curious what the downside(s) would be of using boxwood, especially for holders. It seems a little more affordable...

Actually, mahogany is the gold standard; cherry was traditionally used as a cheap substitute because of its red color.

Walnut is an excellent choice followed by maple.

Basswood is very weak in comparison.

Pete Watkins
11-Jul-2008, 07:44
Franks right. Mahogany was always the British standard and in my opinion nothing looks better that mahogany and hot laquered brass. That said I don't own a working mahogany camera, wish I did though!
Pete.

Ole Tjugen
11-Jul-2008, 07:47
That explains it...

I couldn't understand how anyone could get boxwood cheaper than cherry. If mahogany is the gold standard, boxwood is pure platinum!

Albert Lombardi
11-Jul-2008, 07:59
I'm also thinking of making my own film holders, would oak be a good material to use?
Other than the weight are there other reasons for not using oak?

Colin Graham
11-Jul-2008, 08:12
Maybe quarter-sawn oak would work ok; both red and white oak are relatively unstable. But even quartersawn white oak has about twice the tangential and radial movement as mahogany. Plus the large open-grain structure will make it difficult to hold the fine detail in the super thin slots and edges.

Albert Lombardi
11-Jul-2008, 09:30
Maybe quarter-sawn oak would work ok; both red and white oak are relatively unstable. But even quartersawn white oak has about twice the tangential and radial movement as mahogany. Plus the large open-grain structure will make it difficult to hold the fine detail in the super thin slots and edges.

Thanks for the info, mahogany it is then.

Michael Alpert
11-Jul-2008, 10:40
Boxwood is very heavy and mostly comes in small pieces that need to be laminated together Basswood is soft. Maple is brittle. Oak is open grained and splintery. Spruce and pine are not okay for a number of reasons. The two woods that are used most of the time, mahogany and ebony, seem fine to me.

Glenn Thoreson
11-Jul-2008, 11:21
For film holders, I would use Tulip Poplar. Very tight grain. Easy to work with and since you would be working with very thin sections, less likely to break off. If you look at the old wood film holders, you'll see that they're not normally made of any exotic species. Poplar is inexpensive, too. Basswood is not a good mateial for this. Anyhoo, that's just my opinion.

Ralph Barker
11-Jul-2008, 12:08
I was thinking of using balsa wood - perfect for my pith-poor photos. ;)

For something really different, how about glued-up bamboo?

Milton Tierney
11-Jul-2008, 15:53
As a woodworker I would second your choice for Poplar. It's a very good wood to work, it’s cheap and easy to get. Any wood can be used, but some are better than others. It all depends for what you need made. I would ask to help in a local woodworking store for advice. Me, I like black walnut.