Cheap curved track?

rook

rook

Veteran
Home made roller blade wheel dolly.
Straight PVC track.

All should be good right?

Now all I can think about is shots with curved track.

Anyone got an idea for making cheap curved track?

thanks.
-rook
 
Curved track is next to impossible without a good tube bender (about $300 bucks on the cheap end). But you also don't need to spend a fortune on "Cinema" track either. Check industrial supply houses. They have curved track for hanging doors, product transfer, and all sorts of stuff. Also, keep in mind that your wheel assembly has to be able to rotate!

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com
 
been looking for this for a while and everything is a product for purchase and it's not cheap

the only thing that i did find was a guy who bent pvc using heat
 
no way out...

no way out...

Thanks guys.

I'm starting to realize that the most cost effective thing to do is rent the track.

Renting sucks.

Thanks again,
-rook
 
Renting is a hassle, but it's nice to have solid equipment that will impress the clients.

As for curved track, I think another problem is the inside track has to be a tighter turn than the outside track.


-j
 
I have a travel dolly system that I built for straight and curved track. Everything breaks down to 3 ft (straight) and 4 ft (curved) sections. I bend my curved track as needed (shallow or deep) based on the subject matter using the "bow" principle. My end caps are attached by small ropes that I cinch-up as necessary and clamp at the desired length. This removes the need for multiple types of custom curved track parts. The curved PVC is 3/4" which flexes well, while my straight track is 1.25 " for strength over long runs.

The skateboard wheel assembly can pivot and lock as needed. The whole package breaks down and goes into a hockey bag. Total cost of track and dolly parts was about $70. Total build time was about 7 hours.
 
I hear what you're saying.

Very smart.

I'd love to check out a photo of the set up if you have one.

Has it been a hastle to get matching curves?

-rook
 
If you tie a cord from one end of a piece of track to the other, then pull it tight, the track will bend...just like a bow from a bow & arrow.

Adjusting the tension of the cord will change the arc of the bend.

Dan
 
Damn, KingVidiot, that's a sweet idea. Thanks, and allow me to throw in one more request for pictures.
 
Hey guys,
What do you think about garden hose as a curved track solution? Now before I get laughed out of here, I was looking at Flex-track and was thinking of a DIY alternative. Seems like it might be a little small/thin but it might be rigid enough to work on a DIY dolly that's wheels were designed to ride on something smaller than PVC like the Flex-track. I'd like to see what you guys think.

-Ryan
 
HybridCreations said:
Hey guys,
What do you think about garden hose as a curved track solution? Now before I get laughed out of here, I was looking at Flex-track and was thinking of a DIY alternative. Seems like it might be a little small/thin but it might be rigid enough to work on a DIY dolly that's wheels were designed to ride on something smaller than PVC like the Flex-track. I'd like to see what you guys think.

-Ryan
Click to expand...

Been there. Tried every alternative I could find for this. Couldn't get anything to work. Save yourself a big headache! Run away!

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com
 
KingVidiot said:
I have a travel dolly system that I built for straight and curved track. Everything breaks down to 3 ft (straight) and 4 ft (curved) sections. I bend my curved track as needed (shallow or deep) based on the subject matter using the "bow" principle. My end caps are attached by small ropes that I cinch-up as necessary and clamp at the desired length. This removes the need for multiple types of custom curved track parts. The curved PVC is 3/4" which flexes well, while my straight track is 1.25 " for strength over long runs.

The skateboard wheel assembly can pivot and lock as needed. The whole package breaks down and goes into a hockey bag. Total cost of track and dolly parts was about $70. Total build time was about 7 hours.
Click to expand...

Just saw this post.. yeah, that's the same thing I do. I run some nylon cord (or something that doesn't stretch significantly) through PVC and tie it off. I made about 2 dozen simple pine ties(?) - imagine rail road track ties - that I use as well to keep the two lengths of curved track aligned and in place (once it's curved, it wants to move all over the place moreso than straight pvc).
 
danslak said:
Been there. Tried every alternative I could find for this. Couldn't get anything to work. Save yourself a big headache! Run away!

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com
Click to expand...

If you get something w/ the right texture on the plastic AND you make some spreaders like shown in the Flextrack link (I made pine ties - my last post) it might work. the main problem is just keeping things even - fixed w/ some spreaders (haven't tried it, but that's the only hurdle I can imagine).
 
GenJerDan said:
If you tie a cord from one end of a piece of track to the other, then pull it tight, the track will bend...just like a bow from a bow & arrow.

Adjusting the tension of the cord will change the arc of the bend.

Dan
Click to expand...

FOr a single curve that may work, but I;d like to see it applied to create a 360.

my money is on renting it from a rental house, simply because it's so rare that I need that, and it's not very costly to rent, under 100 bucks.
 
With some long internal pegs, you could connect two (actually 4) semi-circles to create a circular concentric track. That way it would still be mobile and break down easily.

Just think of all the cool stuff you used to make with boring, but flexible, straight Hot Wheels tracks.
 
Why don't you attach chain, wire, or rope to each end of the PVC, creating a "bow," you know, like a bow and arrow. That seems to be the easiest way I can think of. After dabbling with it ,you could even mark the rope in different places, indicating what amount of "curve" you would need for the shot.
 
Dan, I was thinking of reinforced hydraulic hose, or a high quality air hose. With the air hose I would potentially pressurize it in place for rigidity. Did you try either..or am I barking up a the wrong tree here?
 
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