Yet another Dolly Thread!

Sounds like you need to add more washers between the inner bearing and the angle iron. The wheels should spin extremely easy and for awhile after you let it go (time frame depends on your bearing rating). Any friction will hinder the performance of your dolly potentially damage the wheels. Since your using the slotted angle iron and what looks to me like the Wal-Mart skateboard wheels, (as I did in my very first sled build years ago), you are going to want bolts that are 1.5 to 2 inches in length.

Rich
 
I am actually using what I believe are generic wheels that I got from a skate shop. They were called "Toxic". And I am using barings called "Bones REDS" (http://www.bonesbearings.com/detail.html?s=BSACBR88).

I DO need more washers. This is something I had figured for a bit now. I didn't realize how tight I could get the wheels on. I kept hearing the barings get wedged into the wheel further and futher and I kept thinking "How far are these things going to GO?!" So I am about to leave in a minute to get those washers.

And thank you for informing me on how the wheels should spin. I wasn't sure if once I got on the dolly, the pressure from above would somehow force the wheels to rotate along the track.


PS: And thanks to EVERYONE helping me out with this. I can't stress enough that I went to film school where they didn't teach any DIY building stuff. I know how to frame a shot, but when it comes to putting something together with a hammer and nails and such... I am ALMOST a lost cause. But I am a quick learner, and this who experience has really helped jumpstart my interest in building other things. This of course is my first project, so I expect much less questions in the future.
 
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Do you have spacers inside the wheels between the bearings? There should be a little piece of "tubing" in there to prevent the bearings from squishing together when you tighten the nut.

(Or is that only a feature of rollerblade wheels, not skate/skateboard wheels?)
 
The wheels I have have spacers inside them already. But its made of the same material as the wheel.

But after a few more trips back and forth to the hardware store buying and replacing washers and bolts until I got the ones that fit... I think I have a WORKING DOLLY!

Here is a little 2min 14sec video clip (12 MBs). The footage is LITERALLY the first shots I've done on the dolly. Now that I've seen it, I can figure out what I can do to improve it. (I should also mention that the tripod I have isn't um... the BEST thing out there. The head slightly wobbles on top, even when fully tightened. Clearly a design flaw - I'll post images of that head soon.)

http://www.dbprod.biz/media/video/Dolly01.mov
 
For your loc tite question...its also called thread lock. you can get it at hobby stores in the RC car section...i use the stuff on my traxxas revo all the time. yes it is removable. you can also get the nylon nuts. and the lock washers. the lock washers have a split in them so each "end" points opposite each other, and when tightened the opposing forces keep it "locked" up.
 
Does anybody know what the corner peice things are called. I searched Lowe's and Home Depot with no luck. I'm just looking in the wrong spot I guess. Any help like what they are called or around where they would be in the store would be great. Thank You.
 
I built something similiar but I drilled my own holes in the "L" bracket because I found the holes were to close to the edge of the "L" rather then the middle bend, therefore they scraped against the edge of the board. But I see now there is a solution of elevating the entire "L" bracket up to achieve the same thing. Good idea.
 
I think you are talking about corner protectors to help from digging into drywall and catching the ankle and stuff. Why not round off the corners of your sled instead? That's something I found out I had to do with mine since I built my curved track to get through doorways and whatnot and it looks kinda cool actually. lol
 
i didn't see this question asked before unless I missed it, but how does everyone hold their PVC together? just wood wedges in between or what? This could make or break the smoothness of the footy so I want to make sure to get it right.
 
After reviewing this thread last night (Saturday) about 6:00pm I decided to scope out the possibilities at Lowe's... By 10:00pm I had a Dolly for $38.00...
Thank you for this post. http://members.cox.net/nc17z/DVXUSER/dollyshotexp.mov

I should note that I shot the Video with my Redrock M2 attached, Tough to focus while moving the dolly... I'll need practice...

dolly.JPG
 
Looks good. Might want to toss a couple sandbags or other weight on the platform so its not so top-heavy when you push it.
 
JasonFox said:
Looks good. Might want to toss a couple sandbags or other weight on the platform so its not so top-heavy when you push it.
Click to expand...

Your right, I've found myself almost tipping my tripod over because of the narrow stance.
 
That's why you sink some depressions in the platform to hold the tripod legs, and run a bungie from the tripod's center post straight down to an eye screwed into the platform.

Holds it all together.
 
You can screw down some caps for pvc pipe to help keep your tripod on the sled in case you don't feel like drilling holes.
 
I'm going to build a dolly, probably next week or so. I'm currently looking for some wheels, and there are 52mm and 65mm wheels. What's best to use?
 
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