Okay - I'll start with the background.
Two things have led to me building an 8x10 camera.
First, several years ago, a friend on my folks gave me an old dinning table. She had been married for 45+ years, and given the table was a wedding present, it was, therefore, 45+ years old. This is important as it is solid Blackwood. 45 years ago, Blackwood was forest-felled, not plantation. Put simply, the timber is magnificent.
The second thing was one of my dogs needed a hip replacement. So, I have 6 weeks of home detention while she recovers.
The project so far:
I am basing the design partly on a Deardorff, partly on a Chamonix, partly on an Ebony and partly guesswork. The bellows are Sinar, as I CBF building my own. Knobs are being supplied from a supplier (don't have the time to teach myself how to use a lathe).
I have finished the front standard. They are based on the Deardorff design (swing).
The base is loosely based on a Chamonix, in that it is going to be partial carbon fibre. However, the CF will be inlaid, rather than the whole base.
The rear standard is loosely based on the Ebony, with the single knob/dual lock principle. I wanted rear rise/fall.
So, the progress. As I mentioned, I have finished the front standard. This is in nickel coated brass, which, while nice, is just too difficult (and expensive) to use for the rest. It will be supplemented with 5mm aluminium, once I learn how to anodise it.
Yesterday, I commenced a mock-up/proof of concept on the rear frame, using pine. (See below).
More to come...