We began with lens boards; I've had a look at mine. They are mostly Sinar/Horseman/Inka type or Linhof type, both types with various hole sizes.
The Sinar ones seem pretty consistent in thickness, so measuring one example should suffice. On the other hand, original, badged Linhof boards seem thicker than the much cheaper Chinese ones that I own. The light-trap ridges on the back might vary too, but I haven't checked this. You will have noticed that the position of the hole in Linhof boards can vary.
All of them seem to work.
I haven't measured the odd MPP etc boards that I seem to have accumulated.
If third parties buy your cameras, then it seems very likely that they will be using their own collection of lens boards, over which you will have no control.
My conclusion is that the there are two possible solutions. Firstly, to devise your own standard for lensboards and sell these to prospective users, who might then have to unmount their current lenses and re-mount them in your board. This seems an unlikely thing to happen.
The second and simpler way would be to build in a degree of adjustment so that all variations, (including home-made ones for vintage lenses) could be used. I don't know your design, but often the sliders that fix the board are mounted at a slight angle. You may have a better system in mind. A screw fixing would work, for instance.
One matter that has not been raised is the use of recessed lensboards. The shape of these seems to have no standard at all and some boards will not fit some cameras, or require more force than is comfortable. Your design may eliminate the need for these. That would be a blessing.
We might care to remember the history of LF cameras. For most of their history, they have been made by a cottage industry. See the history of the Gandolfi family as an example. A good deal of information would have been passed from father to son or master to apprentice and never written down at all; there would have been no need. Hence the paucity of archives.
Best of luck, all the same. I'm sure that everyone on this forum will be delighted to see the finished cameras.
The Sinar ones seem pretty consistent in thickness, so measuring one example should suffice. On the other hand, original, badged Linhof boards seem thicker than the much cheaper Chinese ones that I own. The light-trap ridges on the back might vary too, but I haven't checked this. You will have noticed that the position of the hole in Linhof boards can vary.
All of them seem to work.
I haven't measured the odd MPP etc boards that I seem to have accumulated.
If third parties buy your cameras, then it seems very likely that they will be using their own collection of lens boards, over which you will have no control.
My conclusion is that the there are two possible solutions. Firstly, to devise your own standard for lensboards and sell these to prospective users, who might then have to unmount their current lenses and re-mount them in your board. This seems an unlikely thing to happen.
The second and simpler way would be to build in a degree of adjustment so that all variations, (including home-made ones for vintage lenses) could be used. I don't know your design, but often the sliders that fix the board are mounted at a slight angle. You may have a better system in mind. A screw fixing would work, for instance.
One matter that has not been raised is the use of recessed lensboards. The shape of these seems to have no standard at all and some boards will not fit some cameras, or require more force than is comfortable. Your design may eliminate the need for these. That would be a blessing.
We might care to remember the history of LF cameras. For most of their history, they have been made by a cottage industry. See the history of the Gandolfi family as an example. A good deal of information would have been passed from father to son or master to apprentice and never written down at all; there would have been no need. Hence the paucity of archives.
Best of luck, all the same. I'm sure that everyone on this forum will be delighted to see the finished cameras.