Smooth Track

[egproductions]

I tried to follow the design that MattC used ot build his track and it worked wonders. It was around $170 after everything which is the figure he gave as well.
Mine doesnt look like much but I couldnt ask more ftom teh way it works.

http://eden.rutgers.edu/~egabor/Transfer%20Folder/Track%20Wheels.jpg
I was going to splurge for more expensive wheels but I can see how it will run much smoother or why it would need to be any smoother.
http://eden.rutgers.edu/~egabor/Transfer%20Folder/Track%20back.jpg
A 2x4 gives enough room to stand on and will fit through doorways nicely
http://eden.rutgers.edu/~egabor/Transfer%20Folder/Track%20holes.jpg
One tip I could give is make sure the holes for the tripod legs are just slightly more spread out the legs so that the tripod gets pulled making it fit more snuggly.
http://eden.rutgers.edu/~egabor/Transfer%20Folder/Track%20side.jpg


Here is some test footage I took. There isnt supposed to be audio. the second shot my lens had some crud on it so the bokeh is a little mest up since the xl2 20x is a macro.
http://eden.rutgers.edu/~egabor/Transfer%20Folder/Track%20Test.wmv

[J.R. Hudson]

Looks great ! Yes ! Insta' Production Value for $170.00 (Exactly what mine cost)

Great job ! (Who cares what it looks like; the dolly itself)

[d4v1dz33]

thats pretttyy sweet, the wheels look like that of a locomotive

[Iskandar]

Yeah, it s too big and heavy for my tastes but looks so sturdy and generous!

Are those in line soft skate wheels?
Dont they cause derailing as they can bite the rail?

[egproductions]

Here is a link to the wheels i used
http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=5350169/search=wheels
they are 82a wheels so it is in the mid range in terms of softness there were 24 of them.
the pvc pipe is a little wide for the wheels so you need to make sure they arecntered or it could fall off if you arent carefull but there is less friction this way.

[rook]

that looks great. and very smooth. great job.

-rook

[brownhood]

[QUOTE=egproductions][LEFT]I tried to follow the design that MattC used ot build his track and it worked wonders. It was around $170 after everything which is the figure he gave as well.

EGp... I'm trying to get ahold of these dolly designs.....

Can you help.... Thanks

[therealslimfigge]

i made a dolly with a similar design. i've noticed that skate wheels at 90 degrees tend to keep the pipes straight... but the inline wheels cause the pipes to go all over the place. i have to realign the pipes every few takes because the slowly creep from their parallel position. even with weights on the ends of the track, tiny differences in position need to be adjusted.

could it be because i'm using abs pipe? has anyone else encountered this problem? i'm riding on 1" or 1.5" (can't remember) pipe... is that too big?

[egproductions]

yes, the inline skate wheel design doesnt hold the pipes as well and requires re-adjustments to make sure your equipment is safe. I am using a 1.25 inch pvc, i am sure a smaller one would hold in place better, however it might casue slightly more friction.

Mattc never gave out the actaul design specs or instructions to my knowlege but it is pretty self explanitory from teh pictures.

equipment list:
1. 2X4 piece of wood that is 3/4" thick (could be MDF)
2. 24 wheels and 48 bearings (the ones in the link above
3. 2 - 90 degree metal rod things (they should be the ones that are taller on one side so that the wheels can be low down enough not to rub against the board.
4. 3 pipes i forgot the exact size but one is smaller for than the others (used as a handle)
5. 2 - 90 degree connectors for the pipes
6. 2 - pices that the pipes screw into on the board itslef (it should be in the piping section
7. 3 packages of closet rod holder (just disgard the u shaped ended ones that come in the package (these will hold the tripod legs in place)
8. 12 - (I believe) 1/4" in width nuts and bolts
9. 24 - washers i forgot the size of these but they need to be big enough to go around teh bolt and small enough not to stop the bearings ont eh wheel from turning
10. 6 bigger nuts and bolts that will go through a 3/4" board
11. 2 - 10 foot PVC Pipe (no bigger than 1.25 inch)

-Everything can be baught at Home depot except the wheels.
-Sorry about not knowing the exact sizes of some of the nuts you will have to figure it out by testing it with the metal pieces and the wheels at the hardware store
- the handle design isnt the best in terms of storage becasue once its put together it cannot be taken apart if you can figure out a hinge system to collapse it, it would save a lot of space and make it a lot more portable in a regular sedan.

Hope this wasnt 2 confusing it can be built within a half a day if your decent at this sort of thing.