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