Light Tripods: The Weak Link?

[Drew Wiley]

Bob - Ries tripods are made of maple, though at one point they did briefly offer a custom option. They're NOT ash. Ash was traditional used for things like shovel handles due to its strong linear grain; but it doesn't shape well. Nowadays shovel and axe handles are mostly either fiberglass of worthless SE Asian ramin wood, which might superficially resemble ash, but is about as strong as wet ramen noodles. Good domestic hardwood is getting scarce, although certain types of maple and oak are still abundant. Maple is a lot more moisture resistant than ash. And, for better or worse, it's heavier too. Sheer bully mass can be very helpful under a view camera. When I need to go lighter, I switch to carbon fiber. Aluminum? Yeah, I did that too. Good Gitzo stuff. Real nice in the mountains with no gloves on! - kinda personalizes your gear when some frozen skin is left stuck on it.

[mdarnton]

Is not hard maple used in string instruments? Ok, so it’s not the sound board, but wood does vibrate.

Sorry, I thought I'd responded. The tonal wood in pianos, guitars, violins, etc, is the spruce top. You can more or less consider the box wood to just be a filter. Other woods are used as tops for special purposes, but aren't the usual. Of the body woods, Brazillian rosewood and mahogany have more musical aspect than many of the others. There aren't any ash xylophones, as far as I know.

Aren't most tripods these days made from ash or similar? I though maple was more a 1920s thing, because it was available.

[Bob Salomon]

Bob - Ries tripods are made of maple, though at one point they did briefly offer a custom option. They're NOT ash. Ash was traditional used for things like shovel handles due to its strong linear grain; but it doesn't shape well. Nowadays shovel and axe handles are mostly either fiberglass of worthless SE Asian ramin wood, which might superficially resemble ash, but is about as strong as wet ramen noodles. Good domestic hardwood is getting scarce, although certain types of maple and oak are still abundant. Maple is a lot more moisture resistant than ash. And, for better or worse, it's heavier too. Sheer bully mass can be very helpful under a view camera. When I need to go lighter, I switch to carbon fiber. Aluminum? Yeah, I did that too. Good Gitzo stuff. Real nice in the mountains with no gloves on! - kinda personalizes your gear when some frozen skin is left stuck on it.

I thought I said that the Reis web site says that they use tonewoods. I said that Berlebach uses ash wood.

[Bob Salomon]

Also have owned both, wood and not wood. Even though the wood one was a bit heavier, subjectively, much preferred carrying it over my shoulder. Think I once read that Questar recommended the not wood model, but maybe the wood model just wasn't considered by them. Used metal ones can be had for under $300 if you're patient and willing to wait till one comes along. Shipping costs can be exorbitant... On one of the ones I acquired, the seller added in $100 for shipping and handling! But because his "buy-it-now" price was under $200, in the end it was still a great a bargain. Bob's? quote of louping the shutter release cord to prevent vibration was one of the first things that I learned at RIT when taking their LF class.

When Questar bought the tripods Linhof hadn’t made wood ones for decades. The one that they list now is a rebirth of a very old design of the Heavy Duty Pro.
The tripods that they bought for resale from us was the metal Heavy Duty Pro and the very light and compact ProfiPort. Also an aluminum tripod.

[Drew Wiley]

I have seen ash used for old mid-quality survey tripods. When it gets wet, sliding joints can lock up or literally freeze. Ries has figured out how to minimize that risk. Even long after the so-so finish wears off, the maple leg sections generally slide even wet. Meanwhile survey tripods have generally become fiberglass-clad poplar (or clad ramin if imported). Ash without beetle holes is getting scarce anyway, and never was ideal except for simplified profiles like round or oval. Maple is much easier to shape, though as every woodworker knows, easily burn marks if it isn't moving quickly past the shaper or jointer knives. Maple is a vast resource, especially in Siberia. A great deal of it is turned into cabinet plywood.

[Bob Salomon]

I have seen ash used for old mid-quality survey tripods. When it gets wet, sliding joints can lock up or literally freeze. Ries has figured out how to minimize that risk. Even long after the so-so finish wears off, the maple leg sections generally slide even wet. Meanwhile survey tripods have generally become fiberglass-clad poplar (or clad ramin if imported). Ash without beetle holes is getting scarce anyway, and never was ideal except for simplified profiles like round or oval. Maple is much easier to shape, though as every woodworker knows, easily burn marks if it isn't moving quickly past the shaper or jointer knives. Maple is a vast resource, especially in Siberia. A great deal of it is turned into cabinet plywood.

Berlebach uses aged ash that they harvest themselves. Since they are the oldest tripod manufacturer of wood tripods today, 120 years old, they seem to have pretty well perfected how to do it with ash.

[Drew Wiley]

Just like camera and musical instrument makers carefully select woods like mahogany then slow cure it for twenty years or more before machining, ordinary hardwoods like cherry, ash, and maple also need tender loving care if they are destined for a high-quality purpose. But if you're making hammers and need lots and lots of hickory, or making shovels and rakes and need strong ash, them days is over. Just ain't enough of it left. And in fact, no true pattern-grade mahogany still exists unless it's either been hoarded or repurposed. The future is in composite laminates.

[Jac@stafford.net]

I have seen tests of tripod vibrations ranging from Questar placing an 8” scope on various tripods on a concrete pad and having a 300lb + employee jump up and down on the pad and timing how long vibration remained in the scope.

This is great stuff. Celestial observers were a target market for tripod foot pads intended to absorb ground vibration. Any experience with such?

The orange part is the shock absorbent, an almost creepy, still almost firm gelatinous substance.

[Bob Salomon]

This is great stuff. Celestial observers were a market target of tripod leg vibration suppressors like this one disassembled.

Has anyone tried them?

Can’t open that link.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Can’t open that link.

My fault, Bob. Please try again.