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View Poll Results: Primary Wood Option
- Voters
- 33. You may not vote on this poll
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Cherry
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Cedar
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Oak
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Mahogony
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Walnut
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Maple
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Black Palm
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Rosewood
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Purpleheart
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Bubinga
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I checked through the list of woods... but I couldn't find MDF!
Actually I was having fun doing some woodwork yesterday making sheet film holders.
After a bit of research the wood recommended as most workable for not too silly money was sapele.
This is mahogany family, but not your actual mahogany.
I'm based in the UK, so the list of woods available to me is going to be very different, so not much point making too many suggestions. Also, I suspect what I might buy locally as 'oak' and what someone in North America buys as 'oak' might be very different. But... then again we might both be buying some other wood imported from somewhere in Africa.
My sapele arrived a few days ago - but I didn't want to try out my rather poor woodworking skills out making a prototype out of this new wood, so I found an old shelf that a previous owner had put up in my kitchen. I removed it about 15 years ago and stuck it in my rather damp 'hot in the summer / below freezing in the winter' garage. I took it out and found it was still as flat as a slab of granite and in perfect condition. I sliced it up into 20 X 20 mm batons on the band saw. It seemed to saw really nicely - and worked fairly well on the router table, too. Quite hard, you need a slow feed, but I managed lots of really narrow slots with no chipping or splitting. Planing was not quite so easy - the grain tends to tear if you catch it in the wrong direction, but not too badly. I like the fact that after this time if it hasn't warped by now... I don't really expect it to move.
Frustratingly, I don't know what wood it is. It has a fairly straight grain, it's quite dense and is quite light brown when smooth, but the saw dust has a reddish tinge. I'm not much of a wordworker at all and certainly no sort of expert, but I'm guessing iroko, sometimes known as 'poor man's teak' - which would explain why it has kept so well. It is so nice to work with I'm beginning to wonder if I needed to bother with the sapele!
It would make a weatherproof 'tropical camera', too.
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 Originally Posted by steven_e007
Frustratingly, I don't know what wood it is.
Post a picture showing the grain. One of us should be able to work out what it is.
For wood supplies in the UK, try this musical instrument makers supplier: http://www.luthierssupplies.co.uk/
They can cut it to the size you want and even plane/thickness it for you.
Steve.
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Originally Posted by LJH
Actually, I based my plans off of Jon Grepstad's designs for a 4x5 friction focus. I went through several designs to refine exactly what I wanted.
Sincerely,
Matthew
Horseman L45 || Rolleicord VB || Mamiya RB67
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Originally Posted by Steve Smith
Post a picture showing the grain. One of us should be able to work out what it is.
For wood supplies in the UK, try this musical instrument makers supplier: http://www.luthierssupplies.co.uk/
They can cut it to the size you want and even plane/thickness it for you.
Steve.
Hi,
I answered this message a few hours ago, but my reply seems to have... "DISAPPEARED".
Freaky. Looks like APUG is still having a few problems...
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Originally Posted by steven_e007
Hi,
I answered this message a few hours ago, but my reply seems to have... "DISAPPEARED".
Freaky. Looks like APUG is still having a few problems...
Ya, not only did I get your response, I got a response with you quoting yourself. Kinda like meeting yourself in a time warp, eh?
tim in san jose
Where ever you are, there you be.
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Originally Posted by steven_e007
After a bit of research the wood recommended as most workable for not too silly money was sapele. .
I was gonna vote for that but it wasn't on the list... *L*
What the heck is sapele?
tim in san jose where exotic woods are burned for charcoal
Where ever you are, there you be.
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Originally Posted by k_jupiter
What the heck is sapele?
It's what a lot of things which initially look like they might be made from mahogany are actually made from.
In England it's very common to find interior household doors veneered with Sapele.
Steve.
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Originally Posted by Steve Smith
It's what a lot of things which initially look like they might be made from mahogany are actually made from.
In England it's very common to find interior household doors veneered with Sapele.
Steve.
I had a large set of picture frames made in the mid 90's and the section was cut from Sapele, as you say it's quite common here. I'm looking at what wood I need to renovate a whole plate cameran and need something that will match existing parts. I'm not sure that sapele is quite hard enough for the more delicate front standard I need, oak works well but has a marked grain.
Ian
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Ian, what size pieces do you need? I have some old bits of what I think is mahogany from a 1940s loudspeaker cabinet. About 9mm or 3/8" thick.
Steve.
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Haven't planned what I'll do yet Steve. I bought a lens panel knowing (from the photos) it was actually a camera base, I wanted the brass tripod ring - turned out to be the base and complete focus rack for a whole plate camera, with some brass-work.
Ian
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