Author Topic: A Photography Bench Project  (Read 1514 times)

Seapy

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A Photography Bench Project
« on: January 04, 2019, 23:21:28 »
My next major project is to be a photography bench.

I have been mulling this for a couple of years but the time has come.  I have a piece of Lakeland Rock, not the edible kind...  ::)  Green Slate, polished and 4 feet long by 1 foot wide and about 2.5 inches thick (1200mm x 300mm x 60mm) about 60 Kg - 125Lb?  Very accurate and a nice thing.

I had been considering bracketing it off the main house wall but that's not really practicable, it would never be in the right place for a start.  I have tidied my front room and it has a solid floor, I don't tend to use the front room much so it seems a good place for my bench, there is a North facing window, so fairly even natural lighting.

Today I have been gathering materials for the bench, I already have the structural steel, I went to my local scrap yard looking for a nice stainless steel tube for a column to mount the camera on.  I got some but a hydraulic ram from off a tractor front end loader caught my eye, when I  got home I realised I just HAD to have the ram.  Went back, did the deal and I now have a hydraulic ram to mount the camera on!  :o :o :o  The chrome rod in the ram is 2¼ inches diameter and extends about 28 inches, the rod alone weighs about 16Kg.  It's very solid, there will be zero wobble or resonance, rock solid comes to mind. I am working on an idea to wind the ram up or down by hand.  The camera will be mounted on top of the ram, at one end of the bench, no tripod.

I also acquired four large rubber tyre castors from the scrap yard, which are quite strong (they will need to be!)

No CAD this time, will build it from gut feelings rather than detailed drawings.  I have a sketch on the back of an envelope... and according to that I am slightly short of steel, no worries, will cut the bench to suit the steel.
Robert C. P.
South Cumbria, UK

Birna Rørslett

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Re: A Photography Bench Project
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2019, 23:35:29 »
Appears to be a solid project .... we re grateful for any pictures as the project develops.

Seapy

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Re: A Photography Bench Project
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2019, 00:28:46 »
 ;D

Of course Birna, pics as I go.  I won't be bringing it to Scotland I'm afraid, would need a transporter.
Robert C. P.
South Cumbria, UK