Still life/product photography table

cowasaki

cowasaki

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Well after seeing one of these:

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at a jewellery trade fair and then seeing something similar in Garry Edwards studio I have decided to build one. I have bought several meters on 20mm square section mild steel all cut up to the right lengths and will fire up the welder in the next few days to weld them together then off to the powder coaters (with Wheels' and Nat's plates).

Just need the frosted acrylic and clips... Should work out at about £60 instead of £600 :thumbs:

Anybody and decent suppliers of acrylic that they have used?

Once I've built it, if anyone else wants one I will have a word with my mate's brother who sold me the cut metal and see how much he will copy my plans for (he is a decent welder!). I recon that including powder coating and acrylic (and paying for the welding) they should be less than £100.....


ALSO I was going to attach lighting bracket sockets to mine so Manfrotto arms can be attached for the lights.
 
HoppyUK said:
I've got one of these. It's 24in wide, bargain £65. Works very well.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/photo-studio-shooting-dynasun-wos4007/dp/B001AXJJ6C

Or there's this one from Calumet, which is very similar £120.

http://www.calumetphoto.co.uk/item/RM1018/
Click to expand...

:lol:

If I'd seen these I might not have bothered getting the metal cut ! Still the actual metal wound have cost £20 including 2 x 9 foot poles which are going to be my backdrop pole and a pole to make up lighting poles for the ceiling......


Now I could use the square section stuff for the lighting and mount one of the round poles vertically........ :D Hmmmmm Vertical pole......... Wonder what that could be used for ...


Seriously though, its a bit of an experiment and after seeing the one you pointed out it is probably not worth people getting once the cost of welding is added (I am welding my own so no cost). Also the £20 cost for me was negated because I actually swapped an empty gas cylinder for the metal as there was a £20 deposit on it.
 
HoppyUK said:
I've got one of these. It's 24in wide, bargain £65. Works very well.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/photo-studio-shooting-dynasun-wos4007/dp/B001AXJJ6C
Click to expand...

Richard, the shooting table you mentioned (the link shows a 20" version) looks a good solution, and the Plexiglass has to be flexible for the back section to adjust, but can it support a decent weight ~5 kg and do you know if replacement 'plexiglass' sheets are easy to find as I would imagine that the sheet must get scratched / marked from usage?

regards
 
lostsoulal2 said:
Richard, the shooting table you mentioned (the link shows a 20" version) looks a good solution, and the Plexiglass has to be flexible for the back section to adjust, but can it support a decent weight ~5 kg and do you know if replacement 'plexiglass' sheets are easy to find as I would imagine that the sheet must get scratched / marked from usage?

regards
Click to expand...

I wondered if their stated size was a typo. Mine looks identical, and is exactly 600mm across the width of the plastic. Bought it at the Focus show a few years ago but there's no brand name on mine.

Yes the plastic sheeting is flexible (scratches easily), and no, I wouldn't put 5kg on it. That's a heck of a lot of weight! I'd say 2-3kg max. If you need to put serious weight on it, it would be easy enough to slide a sheet of something stronger underneath the top.

I don't know about replacement sheets. They'd pobably cost as much as a whole new table.

This table is good for home use really, being relatively small and light and foldaway, and cheap.
 
HoppyUK said:
I wondered if their stated size was a typo. Mine looks identical, and is exactly 600mm across the width of the plastic. Bought it at the Focus show a few years ago but there's no brand name on mine.

Yes the plastic sheeting is flexible (scratches easily), and no, I wouldn't put 5kg on it. That's a heck of a lot of weight! I'd say 2-3kg max. If you need to put serious weight on it, it would be easy enough to slide a sheet of something stronger underneath the top.

I don't know about replacement sheets. They'd pobably cost as much as a whole new table.

This table is good for home use really, being relatively small and light and foldaway, and cheap.
Click to expand...

Its the same with a lot of products these days, that you cannot get "spares" and you are committed to buying another as the spare part is often dearer than the original cost.......

I have always been puzzled by these adjustable tables as I thought Plexiglas / Aryclic was more a rigid material and thus not readily "bendable". As you say it must be more akin to a thick frosted plastic sheet.

- I saw one of these tables, where the base sheet was preformed in a curve and not adjustable - the sheet must have been about 3-4mm thick and could easily hold a weighty object - but as you mentioned, it would be easy to put a sheet of 'rigid' clear acrylic underneath for greater support of the flexible sheet.

Looks ideal as it can be easily dismantled and put away..............

Thanks
 
surfinrach90 said:
Have bookmarked ready for payday!
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Double check the size if it's important. Mine is 600mm but not from Amazon. Can't remember who I bought it from now, but I've seen these around under different names.

lostsoulal2 said:
Its the same with a lot of products these days, that you cannot get "spares" and you are committed to buying another as the spare part is often dearer than the original cost.......

I have always been puzzled by these adjustable tables as I thought Plexiglas / Aryclic was more a rigid material and thus not readily "bendable". As you say it must be more akin to a thick frosted plastic sheet.

- I saw one of these tables, where the base sheet was preformed in a curve and not adjustable - the sheet must have been about 3-4mm thick and could easily hold a weighty object - but as you mentioned, it would be easy to put a sheet of 'rigid' clear acrylic underneath for greater support of the flexible sheet.

Looks ideal as it can be easily dismantled and put away..............

Thanks
Click to expand...

The top is 2mm thick. It doesn't bend easily but sags in the middle with a heavy weight. Mine is more secure as I've screwed it to the frame, but that means it won't fold away. It hangs in the garage where I hit my head on it ;)

At that price you could maybe consider getting two and doubling up the plastic top? You would need stronger slips for that, or screw it down as I have done. Slipping a glass plate underneath is prolly favourite
 
I have a top of the range Manfrotto table, excellent condition, £50 from ebay :) The seller had taken over a photography business premises, didn't know what it was but wanted it out of the way :D
 
Treesie said:
I have a top of the range Manfrotto table, excellent condition, £50 from ebay :) The seller had taken over a photography business premises, didn't know what it was but wanted it out of the way :D
Click to expand...

That was a bargain Teresa, has the Manfrotto version got a flexible sheet top or is it a rigid piece of acrylic?

Thanks

Roy
 
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