How to screw in tripod socket bushing without splitting the wood?

[Steve Goldstein]

Some years ago I built a wooden 5x7 pinhole camera. I got some 1/4-20 brass bushings from McMaster-Carr that are supposed to screw in to an oversize hole. I drilled the proper-sized hole, but when I started to screw in the bushings I got some splitting/chipping of the surface around the hole. That wasn't a big deal, the camera was pretty rough anyway so I didn't worry about it.

Now I've got a very nice but somewhat heavy old wooden camera (thanks Jack!) to which I'd like add another tripod socket bushing, mainly so I can attach a QR plate with two screws rather than one. What's the trick to getting these things into the wood without it looking like a hack job?

[Bill_1856]

Just let it split and tell everyone that it's a Gandolfi.

[Jac@stafford.net]

See this thread, posted just today.
Scroll through it for lots of information on just that topic.

[Ron Stowell]

Counter sink the pilot hole.

[mdarnton]

The McMaster ones are for metal. In another thread I suggested some that are better for wood.
http://www.amazon.com/E-Z-Threaded-I...WF01TWNTG7V27E

[AtlantaTerry]

The McMaster ones are for metal. In another thread I suggested some that are better for wood.
http://www.amazon.com/E-Z-Threaded-I...WF01TWNTG7V27E

I certainly would not use a 1/4-20 on a heavy camera. The larger 3/8 would make more sense.

The other problem with something like that is the only thing holding the tripod to the camera is the bit of wood around the threads.

A metal plate such these I found on eBay makes much more sense to me because several screws hold it to the camera:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Skink-tripod...item45fe086a29

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-EF-400...item1c482d28e5

[David A. Goldfarb]

Several years ago, when I wanted to add secondary tripod sockets to two wooden cameras, 11x14" and 7x17", I asked Barry Young over on APUG (maybe he's here too) if he could make me a couple of brass ones, with flanges that mount from the top surface of the camera bed. The threaded socket is smooth on the outside, so it just requires a regular hole, and then the flange has three small holes for screws, to attach it to the camera bed. I gave him the thickness of each camera bed, so the sockets would be flush on both sides, accounting for a counterbore for the flange. It's a very elegant solution, and he didn't charge much for them. Now each of these cameras has an Arca-Swiss type plate attached at two points, so the camera doesn't twist on the tripod head. If you need Barry's contact, let me know, and I can PM his e-mail.

[Liquid Artist]

Just my $0.02.
I would avoid anything made of stainless steel.
However stainless with Brass inserts seems to work fine.

The. Reason being, Stainless to Stainless threaded surfaces can often pretty much weld themselves together.

As seen in this link.
http://www.estainlesssteel.com/gallingofstainless.html

[John Schneider]

I use the EZ-Lock variety sold by McMaster-Carr (the ones made for metal). I tap the wood with a sharp tap of the right size, c'sink the hole, blow out the dust, and epoxy the insert in place. The steel ones with the black phosphate finish work best because the finish has a good texture for epoxy to bond to. I then insert a lightly-oiled bolt into the insert to exclude the epoxy from the interior of the insert. When cured, unscrew the bolt and touch up the insert interior with a tap.

Brass inserts look nicer but epoxy doesn't stick to brass well. To use these you need to roughen up the surface and I also make a few sawcuts into the exterior threads to give more space for epoxy. The rest of the protocol is the same.

[Jac@stafford.net]

I use the EZ-Lock variety sold by McMaster-Carr (the ones made for metal) ...

If you use Gorilla Glue with the recommended mild application of water, it swells to fill in all space. The only down-side is the very minor cleaning off of the expanded media.
.