Simplest mini dolly ever?

B

basilisk

Carbonite Member
Not having a workshop or bench power tools I built a simple dolly out of wood, using a saw, a hammer and a drill.
The skater concept seemed a bit over-engineered for my taste, so I just used some offcuts, and a few pounds worth of nuts and bolts. The axles are threaded rods, held in place with some fencing staples.

dollyPics.jpg


Does it work? It could be better. At the moment there is no tilt, so a ball and socket tripod head might be an idea. I tested it with my feather-light Panasonic LX3 in movie mode (the 24p mode is a bit quirky). My EX1 is away at the moment, but I imagine the extra weight would help. A smooth surface would be good too!
I will probably construct a plywood camera platform, instead of the cross piece, which will make the whole thing more rigid.

Here is the LX3 footage test


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nice bit of work. It's the end shots and not the look that really matters. Really nice and simple. Also extra weight helps with everything. I chuck sand bags on anything that is moving.
 
J.R. Hudson said:
Excellent results.
Is this thing capable of moving in a straight line or is it forever locked Skater Style ?
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The axles can do any angle you want - that is what the wingnuts are for. I reckon it is easier to set up than a skater, as you just point your two axles towards the centre of rotation, which is fairly easy to judge by eye. Parallel axles for straight dolly shots (see the clip near the end of the coffee mugs)
 
Would this be just wide enough to put onto a ladder (Like the ladder dolly and for gtting the camera off the floor ?)
 
J.R. Hudson said:
Would this be just wide enough to put onto a ladder (Like the ladder dolly and for gtting the camera off the floor ?)
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I see no reason not to make it any size you want within reason. I just had some offcuts that size!

I was thinking of cutting some curved banana shaped flats out of MDF with different radii. Add in some adjustable height trestles to rest them on and you can do a range of heights.
 
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I've watched half while waiting for the .mov to buffer, and all I can say....
Thank you for presenting a cheap DIY with tons of potential.

Well done.
 
How do you like the LX3? Can you dial in picture controls when using the movie mode? I was thinking of picking one of these up! Thanks.
 
Thread came to life again and I missed it - sorry.

Glad to hear that people are inspired to have a go at this. I would definitely recommend a solid bit of plywood or MDF on top, as timber sometimes has a little bit of twist in it, and I think it a bit of ply on top would hold the thing square.

Please post photos and footage!

As regards the LX3 - I am sure that the cheaper models are the same in many respects. I was looking for a camera that came as close as possible in quality to a DSLR, but with much more pocketability. The lens on the LX3 is one of the best, widest apertured, and widest angled available on any compact (from what I read). Higher quality traded off against limited zoom. Also the ability to shoot RAW is unusual in a compact, though I am annoyed with Adobe, as it looks like I will need to upgrade to CS4 to get native RAW in PhotoShop.:crybaby:

The video? An added bonus, but pretty impressive in low light for a camera weighing a few ounces. Full 720p24 - the motionJpeg imports straight into FCP, and it is amazing how much you can push it with Magic Bullet Looks. Not much manual control I am afraid, I haven't tested it much; exposure seems to be fully automatic, and no zoom or focus once you are rolling.
 
How did you compress your test video, seems pretty sharp?
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The full 720p video isn't super sharp (at least in low light), but it's good for scaling to SD. I just used Sorensen 3 codec out of Quicktime Pro, which I find a pretty trusty old school codec.
 
Just a few more details on my construction - I used M8 threaded rod for the axles, which seemed a reasonably close fit for standard skate bearings. Nylon locking nuts which allow good tightness adjustment for the wheels. The camera needed a different pitch of bolt (USC I think) but it was obviously a mini thread on the LX3 - different on a full sized camera. I have ideas for a tilt plate for the camera, rather than a tripod head, but haven't got round to it yet!
 
if you put plywood on the top would there be room to put a tripod you think? maybe a monopod or something??? just trying to get more height...
now more importantly, would you build me one or do a step by step for us by chance?
 
Love the under-engineered approach, only one variable means aiming it is really easy... the more I think about this the more sense it makes.

Do you ever get the feeling that the back wheels are slipping as it turns?
 
I recently had one of these built and it cost me about $75 with wheels/hardware/wood/labor. If anyone else wants one built I know someone who I'm sure would do more for $75...it is a nice solid build. Here is a quick video I shot:



Go here for HD http://www.vimeo.com/7698730
 
smallinov said:
I recently had one of these built and it cost me about $75
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My login for DVXuser failed so I have had to re-register, which is why I missed this.

Hey Smallinov - great to see someone else trying this out - and cool cats!
There seems to be a bit of jitter in your vimeo clip - is that some sort of frame rate conversion going on when you upload it? Does it look smoother in the original footage?

I have made some improvements to mine, changing the cross piece to a plywood platform, which makes it a bit sturdier, but not a lot more complicated.
 
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