Copy Stand for Film Scanning

Summary

Open source copy stand for mirrorless/DSLR scanning film based around an inexpensive 4 way macro focusing rail and perforated steel tubing.

All parts were designed in OpenSCAD for a parametric approach.

For more detail, instructions, and SCAD source code see my GitHub Repo

Build Instructions

(Refer to the Photos for details)

1. Print the Base Bracket, Camera Bracket, and Knob according to the parameters in the README
2. Assemble the base plate by screwing the 2x4 pieces to the underside of the plywood board on the left and right side
3. Drill 4 1/4" holes in the center of the rear of the base board using the Base Bracket as a template
4. Bolt the Base Bracket to the base board using 4x 1-1/2" bolts, 4x lock nuts, and 8x washers (DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN)
5. Insert the perforated steel tube into the Base Bracket
6. Bolt the perforated steel tube to the base bracket using 4x 2" bolts, 4x lock nuts, and 8x washers (DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN)
7. Insert a lock nut into the hexagonal hole on the camera bracket, using a drop of super glue to hold it in place. Allow it to dry before proceeding
8. Attach the Camera Bracket to the macro focusing rail using 2x 3/4" machine screws and 2x washers (DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN)
9. Insert a 1-1/2" bolt head into the knob.
10. Attach the Camera Bracket to the perforated steel tube. Use the pin at the bottom of the Camera Bracket for alignment, and use the Knob bolt to secure the bracket (again... DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN)
11. Sand any rough edges from the wood parts to avoid scratching your negatives

Other Parts List

• 1x36” Perforated Steel Tubing
• 18x18x3/4" Plywood Board (Or larger)
• 2x 18" long 2x4 boards
• 4x 1/4-20x2” bolts (stainless)
• 5x 1/4-20x1-1/2" bolts (stainless)
• 9x 1/4-20 nylon lock nuts (stainless)
• 10x 1/4-20 flat washers (stainless)
• 2x 1/4-20x3/4” button head machine screws (stainless)
• 1x 4-way Macro Focusing Rail (See Notes)

Notes

Focusing Rail

The focusing rail I used is an older Neewer one that is no longer available from Amazon. Its base has 2 tripod screw holes as pictured. This design is sold under multiple brands. Other styles of focusing rail may be used, but you will only be able to use 1 of the mounting holes in the camera bracket, and the bracket may want to tilt. The position of the second hole can be modified by editing following values in cameraBracket.scad:

2CAMERA_HOLE_OFFSET_LEFT, 2CAMERA_HOLE_OFFSET_DOWN

Camera Bracket Bolt Knob

This bolt only needs to be finger tight. I used a hexagonal knob to be purposely difficult to grasp and turn. This is to prevent over-tightening, which can cause the captive nut in the camera bracket to break loose and spin freely. If this happens you will be unable to remove the camera bracket from the stem.

Camera Weight

The base bracket easily holds my 2.2lb (1kg) mirrorless camera in the highest position (I typically use a much lower position to scan 35mm film). If you are using a larger DSLR and/or heavier lens, you may need a larger base bracket. This can be done by increasing the following values in baseBracket.scad:

HEIGHT, BASE_WIDTH, TOP_WIDTH, BASE_HOLE_DISTANCE