baseboard material

[John Kasaian]

How large of a base board do you need to go?
What tools do you have to work with?

I like the Butcher Block option.
If your dark room session heads South, you could always slice up some Coleslaw for lunch

[tomwilliams]

i really would like some opinion on here..

solid wood best
butcher block second

but after that, is "particle board" actually better then plywood

High Density fiber board could be a choice - it's like particle board, but more dense, with a hard, smooth, workable surface. You may have heard of MDF - same thing but not as dense. The HDF comes in up to 3/4" thickness, as far as I know. Strictly an indoor product. Edges are vulnerable on pressboard materials, so you might want to trim the edges in solid wood - or laminate them. And do something similar to Doremus' reinforcement scheme.

Re used or spare countertop material, Home Depot contracts fabricating and installation of the custom countertops that they sell, those contractors no doubt have bits and pieces. Same with your local cabinet and kitchen remodeling shops/contractors.

My Automega E-5 is mounted on a laminated countertop piece that I found at ReStore (Habitat for Humanity) - a lucky find. I've never seen a piece quite as suitable as that one at ReStore. Waiting for the item you want to show up at a second hand store can take time.

[rfesk]

MDF seemed fine for me for a relatively lightweight 4x5 Federal enlarger. It was flat. The Formica covered sink cutout of 3/4" plywood that I had on hand was not so flat.
Purchased a 1/2 sheet (4'x4') from Lowes.

[jnantz]

plywood resin coated works every time. so down the road if you do some process where something damp goes under your light, it's not a seep-in and contaminate situation but a wipes clean situation ( unless it's your choice ).

[Pieter]

My baseboard is also a work surface, about 5' x 2-1/2' with the enlarger attached to the wall. I got the tabletop from IKEA but I don't think they sell real butcher block table tops anymore.

[Mal Paso]

I use a Beseler 45M where the structure is steel and the baseboard removable. I drilled hundreds of holes in one baseboard with a steel sheet on top for magnetic paper stops and a plenum on the bottom to pull a vacuum to hold the paper flat.

[monochromeFan]

The standard baseboard for a D2 enlarger (not a D2XL version) is in the area of 18” x 26”-28” and varied somewhat in thickness throughout production. The early baseboards were a hardwood laminate and measured 18” x 26”x ¾” thick. Later production the baseboard was made from a high pressure laminated particle board and measured 18” x 28” x 1” thick. I prefer the later baseboard and even recommend a bigger and heavier baseboard of 22” x 30” x 1½” thickness as the larger size and extra weight really “grounds” the enlarger. Also not that particle board or solid wood (butcher block etc) is superior to plywood or MDF.

This is from Kevin at KHB.

[John Layton]

...and make sure that the contact surface(s) between the bottom of the baseboard and top of the workbench does not allow for any "rocking and rolling." In other words...the heaviest, thickest, multi-laminate base board will be useless if its bottom surface is not either absolutely flat, or at least incorporates dense rubber "feet" to ensure stability of all that rests on top of it.

[Tin Can]

I have several Rubberwood desktops

they stay flat

one is for my 48'' X 24" print copy stand with 3/8" safety glass to match

I have a 48" Starrett straight edge

[Conrad . Marvin]

Good ideas for a sturdy baseboard have been suggested. If you can wall mount your enlarger the enlarger sag can be avoided. I made my baseboard independent from the “column” making line up more convenient on both my Beseler and my 5x7 Kodak. The Kodak has a Saunders V Track easel which is very stable sitting on a V shaped support with adjustable feet. The Beseler has the baseboard independently supported with an adjustable V support. I used the original baseboard as it is very stable and getting the support away from the enlarger was the idea.