Enlarger Baseboard Replacement?

[SMBooth]

go all the way and get a nice piece of polished granite or marble...

[photoevangelist]

That's an incredible offer Randy. We've got concrete walls and are a pain to drill into. I don't know if the school will like that. I'll think about it.

Good one, Shane.

Freestyle says the Omega D5XL baseboard is made with High Density and is laminated on both sides. I'll have to see if I can get this made here for a reasonable cost.

[Jim Jones]

I've used enlargers with what appears to be MDF bases, and some of them have warped. Plywood should be more stable. If light weight is more important than the thickness of the base, consider building up a baseboard of two layers of plywood separated by an appropriate framework. This is the technique which makes an I-beam strong and light when compared to a solid beam. The bottom of some column bases doesn't make full contact with the baseboard. This creates high pressure contact points which compress the baseboard, slightly tilting the column. With such a problem, consider improvising a metal plate to distribute the pressure on the baseboard more evenly. Fiberglassing the baseboard might also work.

[Jim C.]

Tee nuts. Now, there's an idea. I've never heard of those before. The baseplate mounting flange is round. There are three base clamps that hold secure the column in place and one screw that goes in the center. I guess it would be ideal to have 8 tee nuts, four on either side of the baseboard?

The sample image is from the auction site for illustration purposes only. I need to get some screws that match the tee nut size. The screw and tee nuts might be in millimeters. I hope I can find some!

Attachment 117433

I use Tee Nuts ( or T-Nuts) all the time, in fact my Elwood enlarger base that I made uses them to hold the cast iron column.
This is a T-Nut http://www.mcfeelys.com/images/STN-1007.jpg
I have an Omega D2 and all you'll need is 3 of them 8 is over kill and it'll make a it hassle if you ever want to swing the column over
to make huge enlargements. They're very commonly used, so whomever you're using to make the baseboard should know of them.

[John Koehrer]

MDF with Formica facing is fine for the baseboard. I've used two pieces of 3/4" glued together, Formica side out.
If you intend to make larger prints take this chance to go with an oversized board.

[Jody_S]

If you want it to last forever, use marine grade plywood and veneer the edges, then use spar varnish over the whole. MDF is fine if you pay attention to the fasteners (I suggest 1/4" carriage bolts right through the baseboard, with large washers underneath), and make sure it is varnished or otherwise sealed completely on all sides.

You can buy a sheet at Home Depot, the cheap 5/8" stuff , and have 2 identical pieces cut. Just glue them together (press with whatever weights you have at hand until it sets), and you'll have your solid 1-1/4" baseboard. A full sheet should be a little over $20, and they may do the cutting for free.

[photoevangelist]

Thanks for all the help!

Apparently, I'm not too dumb. I went to the big furniture street in Daegu and there was not a single person that had heard of a tee nut. I even showed them a picture of one since my Korean isn't the greatest.

Unfortunately there's nothing like a HomeDepot or Lowes here. I also don't have a workroom or tools to cut the board down myself. The prices were more than I expected for MDF or plywood. After going to a dozen different shops and getting the same outrageous quotes on the plywood, I finally met a guy that does nice wood work. After I explained what I needed, he suggested using some left over acacia wood that he would double up and glue together with two metal shims. It's not going to be much more expensive than the plywood quotes I received, but it'll look 100 times more classy.

[Ginette]

Thanks for all the help!

Apparently, I'm not too dumb. I went to the big furniture street in Daegu and there was not a single person that had heard of a tee nut. I even showed them a picture of one since my Korean isn't the greatest.

Unfortunately there's nothing like a HomeDepot or Lowes here. I also don't have a workroom or tools to cut the board down myself. The prices were more than I expected for MDF or plywood. After going to a dozen different shops and getting the same outrageous quotes on the plywood, I finally met a guy that does nice wood work. After I explained what I needed, he suggested using some left over acacia wood that he would double up and glue together with two metal shims. It's not going to be much more expensive than the plywood quotes I received, but it'll look 100 times more classy.

Yes, go with your local ressources. Wow! Acacia wood will be a lot more beautiful than plywood. Post a picture when it will be done.

[photoevangelist]

Here she is. Acacia wood baseboard x2 + shims. It's a probably a little bit exotic, but it was this or MDF for about the same price.

[Tin Can]

Looks great and you just increased the value of that enlarger many times.

0 X 1000 = 0

Just kidding Lee, it is beautiful!

And as you well know it is rare as anything in Korea.

Here she is. Acacia wood baseboard x2 + shims. It's a probably a little bit exotic, but it was this or MDF for about the same price.