7x11 Camera Build

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Ron, thanks for your questions. I’m not a wood working pro (obviously), but I did some research on joinery techniques before starting this build. Based on my research, I concluded modern wood glues make a lot of fancy joinery methods unnecessary for functional, in contrast to esthetic, purposes. Others, with more experience, may disagree.

For the base panel, the long, same grain joints should be fine with just wood glue—no need for biscuit joints. The sides of the base are glued to the butt ends of the panel pieces—no dove tails, as you noted. Again, my research indicated the glue would be sufficient. I thought for a long time that I might need to put brass screws into these side pieces—and I may yet—but for now I am trusting the glue. I think it’s also important that the base sides are not high stress joints—they are not carrying any weight, they are just guides for the rear rails, and they fill in the gap when the camera is closed and provide some cross grain stability to prevent warping of the base panel. These side pieces function similarly to the bread board ends you mention (but w/o dovetails).

The wood glue forms a very good bond. After gluing one of the rear rails together—1/4 thick mahogany and 1/4 basswood—I discovered the mahogany was 1/16 too wide, and I wanted to chisel the two pieces apart to trim the mahogany to 1”. I couldn’t do it. Tried three different spots. So I decided the glue lives up to its advertising.

The rear frame corner joints are another matter. This is a joint where you often see finger joints. However, in examining both my King cameras and my Kodak 2D, one uses finger joints and one has a simple butt joint. Given the strength of the modern glue, I decided to use the butt joint and to add strength by gluing in 1/4 corner supports on the inside of each corner. Again, I thought long and hard about using brass screws on the outside of these corners, and I may yet. The rear frame is also supported, or will be, by the rear bellows frame once it is screwed in. I also considered the only time the rear frame is weight-bearing is when it will be carried by the handle I intend to install on top; it won’t have to bear any weight while in use.

More support for the rear frame corners is something I am also thinking about for the hardware design—some cameras, like the 2D, have wrap around corner hardware while others, like the King, do not.

Thank you Michael for sharing your considerations on these matters. Anyway, if the butt joints don't seem strong enough in the future, you could always put in some dowels to reinforce the joints. Hope you find a suitable solution for the bellows. I'm just making some for a little half plate British camera - although I did a lot of work on camera's, this is the first time for me to make bellows....

[Michael Roberts]

Thanks, Ron.

Please let me know how your work on your bellows goes. I only have experience making a rectangular paper bellows. I would love to learn to make tapered bellows but have been discouraged by the lack of available materials. Purchasing bellows is the most expensive part of DIY camera building. I have a 12x20 camera that I have modified--I spent less than $100 on materials but $400+ on buying the bellows, so I'd love to be able to make my own bellows.

[Michael Roberts]

I added hardware to the camera base and rails, including the L-shaped steel threaded studs for the rail locks and wooden base supports for the rear frame brackets

I screwed down one of the keeper rails, and I routed out the inside of the front rail so the front standard can nestle inside—gaining ½” of desperately needed depth for the camera to fold closed.

I'm not sure what I will end up doing to cover up the base plate for the L-shaped threaded screws. I drilled a hole in each base in case I decide to put a round head brass screw in to hold it down (each one is epoxied in place) or I may cover it with a piece of the 1/32 mahogany veneer. In any event, I will wait until I have the brass strips and knurled knobs in place to see how much of the steel base is left exposed. I will also fill in the gaps around the routed holes with wood glue that will dry down similar in color to the mahogany.

[Michael Roberts]

Added black adhesive felt to the film holder “runners” inside the spring back.

[Michael Roberts]

Front standard pieces ready for assembly. Rear brackets with 1” threaded studs epoxied in place and holes drilled for rivet attachments to rear rails. I also cut a black leather handle.

[Michael Roberts]

1” threaded studs epoxied on sides of the lens board frame.

[Michael Roberts]

Brass hardware pieces, cut and shaped. I bought a ten foot roll of ½” wide .032 brass feeler gauge from McMaster-Carr and a second roll of 1/2" wide .025. I used tin snips and a small file to shape the pieces. I also used small craft pliers to shape the handle brackets. I will use the .025 for the long strips that will be screwed to the rails for the locks to clamp down on, and the slightly thicker .032 pieces will be used for the clips to hold the spring back and for the gg springs, handle brackets, etc.

The .032 brass stock seems a little thin—thinner than the hardware on my King camera—so I tried to epoxy two thicknesses together, as another forum member suggested, and tape them until the epoxy cured. This was a disaster—the epoxy is far too slippery and gets all over the metal surfaces, then, after curing, when the metal is bent the two epoxied pieces quickly separated. I had to use paint remover and 800 grit sandpaper to take off the dried epoxy.

I also tried contact cement. Finally, I just gave up. I decided the only parts that really need the extra strength are the gg springs, and for these I will just use an extra brass layer as a “leaf,” with no adhesive.

[Michael Roberts]

Camera base with hardware attached:

[Tin Can]

Good work.

Very interested in how your brass strips work for the spring back.

[Michael Roberts]

I decided I wasn’t happy with my first attempt to attach the front bellows frame to the too-large front bellows opening. I cut the bellows off the frame, then tried gluing it a second time, didn’t like that any better, pulled it off and, finally, decided to try making lemonade from lemons by cutting a 3” wide strip of blackout material, painting it flat black on both sides and then gluing (contact cement) it to the front of the bellows to make a sort of hybrid pleated/bag bellows like the old Ebony Camera bellows.

I’ve had trouble for years with lack of movements when using my 159mm Wollensak lens. Perhaps this bit of rib-less cloth at the front will enable a little more movement. In any event, it gives me more flexibility in attaching my lens board frame to my pleated bellows.