The Century 12 foot tripods commonly used with Cirkut and Banquet Cameras seem to me to be ash.
http://www.piercevaubel.com/cam/cata...cproflp737.htm
Kodak was always very detailed in their description of the Crown tripods (cherry), but I haven't found a source so far that gives much detail on the big Century. I've owned a number of them and used one for almost all of my commercial #10 Cirkut photos and it is a both disconcerting and amazing tripod. Folds to about 58 inches, not light, but very reasonable for the capability. It is kind of springy, but settles down and seems to do what people claim for wood. I shot pictures of very large groups of cars with their owners and just large groups of people; you wanted to be able to sharply see every face or you'd loose a potential sale. Usually shooting about 1/8 second with a massive rotating camera.
Not proving anything beyond the use of what I believe was ash, and that a lot of the old makers had this stuff figured out. I think the flexibility of ash was needed, or at least an asset, due to the size and length of the pieces.
Edited to fix silly mistakes from posting too late at night.
Last edited by Mark Crabtree; 22-Apr-2019 at 07:07.
If you buy new the prices are indeed high, but these Linhof HD Pro tripods do become available in VG to EXC condition here or on eBay from time to time. I scored a Linhof HD Pro with geared column in really nice condition a couple of years ago, and then a nice Maxwell head to put on it. This combination is ultra strong, sturdy and stable. Importantly, Linhof still makes replacement feet pads for their tripods.
... JMOwens (Mt. Pleasant, Wisc. USA)
"If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful at all." ...Michelangelo
I recently took a little fall into a creek...a semi-controlled fall where the Ries ended up underwater and I was on all fours in about a foot or two of water with the 11x14, lens and holders on my back in a pack. I can affirm that the legs of the Ries actually moved smoother wet than dry. And yes, the finish has worn off.
Before I got the Ries, I found a Magestic at a yard sale (w/ gearhead) for $25. I had to take the head apart and hammer the worm-gear straight. A very sturdy tripod and head for the 8x10. But the bloody thing has so many knobs that it is difficult/painful to carry it over my shoulder -- always a knob jabbing into my shoulder.
"Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China
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