Finally made my "next generation" dolly

[matthewd5]

i had played around with a piece of plywood and some right angle steel with rollerblade wheels.

it worked ok but i came up with some plans for what seemed like the next logical step, short of the matthews doorway dolly that i keep drooling over...

it isn't 100% finishes in that i am going to put double the number of weheels on it (2x2 wheels at each corner) and put a piece of wood on the top and then put a small bogen head.

this is a "mini version" it is 12"x12"

i want to work the bugs out and then i'm going to build an identical one except the big one will be 48"x30" and i'll mount a full size tripod on it.

i keep trying to find a column to give me more simplicity and more vertical adjustment range. the only column i can find is a miller and it is like $4,000!

dolly plans http://www.cluelessandlark.org/images/mini-dolly.jpg

dolly picture 1 http://www.cluelessandlark.org/images/mini-dolly1.jpg

dolly picture 2 http://www.cluelessandlark.org/images/mini-dolly2.jpg

matthew

[Shaw]

Hey that looks like a nice little dolly you have there :)

I can't quite see but it looks like you have two wheels per corner so it can be used on track?

[matthewd5]

yes. you put a piece of pvc under each set of wheels.

it will actually have four axels...two axels on each end.

the 4 foot by 30 inch version will have 2 axels at each end and 2 axels in the middle.

matthew

[Guest]

Looks like its coming around nicely. I've been down this road so I can save you a few headaches. If you plan on making your dolly work on both straight and curved track you cant just slap some wheels on angle iron and bolt it to a deck. The wheels will lock up as they travel from the straight track to the curved track. I tried putting each 2X2 set of wheels on a turent and still had the same problem. Look closely at commercially available dollys for the mechanical solution for this problem. If it turns out its too complicated for you to build and you plan never to run from straight track to curved in one single shot then in that case the only thing you have to do is create a 2nd set of mounting points for your angle iron. When it comes time to run on curved track simply unscrew the bolts holding on your angle iron and remount to the second position.

As far as the column is concerned I dont have a particular answer for you but Im sure if you look at hardware outside of the film industry you get what you want for next to nothing. Two square steel inside one another with a base and head plate and a retaining bolt and holes is the first thing that comes to mind right now. Whatever you do make sure its rock solid if you plan on using a jib arm. Good luck.

Brett Erskine
www.CinematographerReels.com

[matthewd5]

for the longer version i'm going to work on something to let the wheels pivot.

i didn't use right angle steel.

there are plates welded to the 1inch square tubing.

with the 12"X12" version curved track wasn't an issue.

matthew

[dakotapod]

Nice work! 8)

[Guest]

As stated earlier pivoting isnt enough to solve the problem. Trust me I already have done this and Im just trying to save you alot of time. Basically as you make the turn the gap between the two sets of wheels in the front changes. Hard mounting them to the deck or simply having them pivot doesnt allow for this change. They need to slide wider or narrower as needed just as they do on commercially made dollys. As far as the whole angle iron thing thats what I used but its the same as what your using (right angle steel), minus the material that its made out of obviously. In fact I forgot to mention that when you step up to your full size dolly you might want to consider turning you right angle track down to form a V shape so your wheels face the track directly. I also used rollerblade wheels (quieter and smoother than skateboard wheels) but one thing you have to watch out for is they can squeak on slick PVC or steel track. Alittle powder or WD40 will fix the problem but the way you have your wheels set up now you dont have the wheels facing the track head on. They are creating a wedge and thus might squeak as you shift your weight when it comes time to ride on the big dolly you are planing to make. Besides that your design looks well made. Steel tubing welded together for a real solid deck fram and a nice handle with plenty of room for the dolly grip to duck out of the shot. Cant wait to see the final and I hope I save you some real headaches. Ones I unfortunately had to go thru myself. On that note dont even try and make the wheels counter steer...I lost some hair (and money) on that one. Good luck.

-Brett

[matthewd5]

i guess i haven't built any curved track so i can't fully see what you are talking about.

if i make my own curved track where the two tracks are always exactly the same distance apart don't the wheels just need to pivot an appropriate amount?

i can see if i use some pvc pipe and somehow bend it and the inner and outer tacks differ in distance apart, but if they are exactly the same distance...

i'd love to get access to a "real" dolly to check out the mechanicals in person.

i can build almost anything if i can get a really good picture and/or some hands on access.

at some point i would love to find a clever way of building a large lazy susan so that you can place one or two actors on it and have them revolve instead of the background!

kind of corny but it could be used for a great effect on the right project.

matthew

[charles]

Great dolly Matthew. I would like to add it to the HBS website, with your permission. ;D

[matthewd5]

sure, just send me the link to the hbs site, i've been there in the past but i don't have the link saved.

matthew

[charles]

Thanks. Just click on the house icon under my profile on the left of my post and it'll take you to the site. ;D

[matthewd5]

your page has gotten a lot more info since the last time i saw it.

i'll put together a whole page about my dolly and get some better pictures this weekend.

matthew

[Student]

I have been working on a dolly design with three wheels which solves the curved track problem. And if you want a 4 wheel dolly running onto curved track you will need to put the two front wheels on there own pivot point. So basically the dolly is made up of two sections, the back section with it's set of two wheels and the front section with it's set of two wheels. The two sections are then connected by a pivot point that needs to be very strong - such as a very strong lazy suzan type gizmo. Brett is correct about this - the front and back wheels must be independent of each other in order to follow the track at their respective postions. I'm not very good at explaining these type things but - tear a piece of paper in two. One piece of paper being the front the other being the back of the dolly. On another piece of paper draw two lines representing your dolly track. As you move the pieces of paper over the track lines it becomes obvious how the dolly will to be built with a pivot point. I hope this helps

[taubkin]

Just like cars. What happens is that the wheel that makes the turn through the inner track will roll less and make a sharper turn than the wheel that makes the curve through the outer track. Cars have a differential built, that transfers the rotation from one side to another, and the wheels don't turn the same ammount (to the same side).

Still, it's a hell of a nice dolly, matthew, you should post some footage of it working!

[matthewd5]

well in new england we are expecting snow anytime now :(

not great for outdoor dolly work, but i'm going to be doing a short and hopefully finding a lot of use for this mini dolly and the big one i'll be making next.

i need to take the 12"x12" and test it indoors so i can figure out what i want to change on the 48"x30"

i REALLY want to find something more interesting than putting my bogen 503/525 tripod on it...

the matthews dolly has a slick column that goes up and down plus a seat.

i can certainly handle the seat, i just need to find a hydraulic column to get lower heights.

i mean i could always take a bunch of different apple boxes and have the top apple box with a hi-hat.

i just don't want to feel locked into traditional camera angles/heights with the tripod setup...

matthew

[Guest]

You mentioned using a hydraulic column (ie. pedestal). Do you plan on making it smooth enough to rise and fall during a shot? Im guessing that not going to be any easy task. At the very least it sounds like you want to be able to place the camera at any given height - low or high. I might recommend using a aluminum cheeseplate instead of plywood. That way you can quickly mount a simple column to anywhere on that deck - giving room for you or you and a AC. Also when it comes to a hydraulic column, you can get very similar moves out of a mini jib. It will take you to the floor or bring you a few feet over head at a fraction of the cost and none of the effort of building anything custom. Just some things to keep in mind because that hydraulic column wont be easy to build. Remember that if you want it to go both real low and high then the column will have to be made up of probably 4 or more sections inside of another (just like a tripod leg) to work. Well anyways let us know how it goes.

[matthewd5]

i would much rather a mini-jib.

where can i see examples of these??

i have a skycrane jr. and that sort of action in a dolly sized unit is exactly what i'm trying for.

not sure if just building a 4 ft. version of the skycrane jr. would fit on a dolly?

matthew

[bilgami]

great job on the dolly i wish i had the skills to make one for me.

[matthewd5]

well i have to confess, i never said I made it, i have a friend with a large factory so i merely took advantage of his metal shop, machine shop, welding shop and painting shop :)

there were probably 10 guys who took my drawing and made it happen.

this is the 12"x12" version and after i test it a bit there will be a 4footx30" version.

i just want a way to move the camera up and down smoothly and without having to stop and re-rig.

right now i am looking at my 8 foot skycrane jr. and wishing i had a 4 foot long version.

that mounted on a small tripod would solve my need.

i know i have seen a miller hydraulic pedestal with a cheeseboard to mount the camera but it was awfully expensive.

matthew

[VIC]

hey brox

i really want to see the pictures, but the links are not working...

can anyone send me the correct links..
thanks..

[twocik23]

Your links don't work, I would like to see it too.

[limehouse]

I'd love to see this reposted too :)

[Iskandar]

Picture, pictures!!!

[235 Studios]

Picture, pictures!!!

I second that! Would love to see this dolly. :beer:

[slinks]

i 3rd that :P

[rook]

yep...