(oops i got that stupid tank again. Graflex.ORG, not .COM :grin:)

Are there any special tricks or details that I need to know in order to make a wood lens board?

A drawing would help....I have a sketch for several models, with suggested material!
contact me at
bsaunders1@bak.rr.com
Bert

That depends on the tools you have at hand, and which lensboard you wanted to make.

For my own use I make three different lensboards.

A. quick and dirty: use black matte board and an exacto knife. Draw diagonals to find the center then trace the threads of the lens for the hole. I stab with the exacto knife to make the hole (connect the dots) Yes this does work with a Pacemaker cameras, just use one thickness of matte board.

B. Quick. Use Baltic birch plywood. Now I have access to a table saw, and router so making these
are fairly fast. You could get by with a circular saw or a *****(hee hee, make that scroll) saw, but will need the router for the rabets, or a damn good rabbet plane and a fworkbench. good for Anni-speeds but hard for Pacemakers.

C. Graflex quality. This entails making three pieces out of mahogany with small rabbets and grooves. A very good dado head and a table saw is a necessity. Good black laquer is hard to find, and takes time to finish. The others I leave raw as a reminder that I really want a good board someday.

I've never tried to stampe a new lensboard out of sheet metal.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Les on 2002-09-13 19:59 ]</font>

Thanks Bert, Les.

It so happens that I have a table saw, and a router.

I also have a realy nice, antique rabit plane that works like a dream (it needs a little sharpening though). Sounds like a nice rainy afternoon project.

Mark

I talked with old woodworkers. "A well tuned plane will be faster,more enjoyable, and cheaper than a router" they told me. And they were right, my Stanley Bedrock #4, 5 &6 were all cheaper than a router. I fell in love with them.

But what the old timers didn't tell me, was that without a good workbench (workmates don't count) they will be difficult to use.

A well tuned rabbet plane will work well, just have a very sturdy place to anchor the wood or you'll be more frustrated than a press photographer at a Mercury 7 launch with empty holders.

Quote:

On 2002-09-14 21:04, Les wrote: my Stanley Bedrock #4, 5 &6 were all cheaper than a router. I fell in love with them.

Not at todays prices they won't be

Are you thinking of selling those bedrocks?

Seriously. They are right. A good work bench is a must. I throw a couple of #75 sand bags across the bottom legs of my workmut and it pretty much stays in place.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Mark JW on 2002-09-15 15:37 ]</font>

I wrote:
my Stanley Bedrock #4, 5 &6 were all cheaper than a router. I fell in love with them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
You wrote:

Not at todays prices they won't be


I disagree. Each one of those planes cost less than my 3hp Porter-Cable Speedmatic. something I can't say for my Lie Neilsen's.

Neanderthal!


There is something about well crafted tool and machines, be it an old camera, a hand plane, or whatever!


BTW For great hand tool discussions, go here:
http://www.wwforum.com/cgi-bin/forum_main/handtool.cgi