Well, the good news, is that my question is not the same as it was fifteen minutes ago; the bad news, is that the previous one suggests persistent problems in my cognitive functioning. (Those needing a chuckle may have one at my expense; see below.)
In any case, my 1960s or '70s Omega D2 baseboard is slightly bowed, perhaps a mm or so lower at the center than the sides, evident when I lay the edge of a 24" steel ruler across it. My Saunders 14x17 easel remains pretty close to flat, as far as I can tell. The base board is pretty scratched up, and I have thought of refinishing it anyway.
I am not a builder, not a "shop guy" with lots of power tools and basic skills. The baseboard is made of solid wood "planks" glued together, not plywood. Top and bottom have veneer, maybe 1/16th- or 3/32-inch thick. I know there are planing machines that practically sand a board in seconds, even though it's planing; I saw one once at a furniture-making shop. Would getting the top planed this way be a better option than trying to self-even the baseboard with several coats of polyurethane or something (if that would work)? Assuming I can find a place to do it, is it likely to be expensive? Is the accuracy of such machines suitable?
For those needing a chuckle:
After perusing a number of threads on enlarger alignment today, I thought I'd check mine again, one of the cheap ways. No laser, no Peak, etc.; never could justify cost for either nor develop skills for DIY'ing the former. Aware of the baseboard bowing, I used my Microsight magnifier on the easel with the adjustable-blade insert removed, to check to the limits of its coverage outwards from the center, focusing on marks had made on a sheet of glass with a Sharpie years ago for this purpose, with the glass laid on the neg stage. I was distressed to find that the center was significantly out of focus when the sides were sharp. I checked repeatedly, beginning to wonder if my Schneider Componon, CLA'd just last year, could be the cause.
I came downstairs to start a thread with a question about it, then realized something and went to recheck. Sure enough, the center was focusing closer than the sides! Huh?? I returned to writing my question with this confusion, when another thought occurred. Perhaps I had put the side of the glass with the marks on top, and the light refraction through the glass toward the edges was causing the focus-shift. Back in the darkroom, I checked the glass with my 6x glasses. Oh. Duh.
The marks on the glass consisted of dots and the number 2. The dots were at the center and corners, the 2s were out toward the side edges. I had used the center dot and the 2s for focus, since the edge/corner dots were too far out. Examination revealed that the dots were indeed on the glass top side, while the 2s -- yup. On the bottom. I must have marked the glass at two different times. Once corrected, I found the alignment was actually pretty good.
Well, at least I discovered my error, right?
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