DIY rail system

A

adammannproductions

Member
hi all

im looking for a DIY rail system that looks pro and will work without things falling apart and such, ive looked on the forums but not found anything that looks viable to make well that i would be happy with, i am really fussy TBH, have been looking at buying but i would rather make something

adam
 
Zaza Slider.......search it here.

so easy a Caveman can do it...and nothing will "fall apart"...but be ready, it's a BIG thread.
 
I've considered this too, and I think to get something really professional, you'd need to have it milled out of aluminium, to stand up to all the abuse it'll likely get. This means, unless you're already a proficient machinist/cnc operator, that you'll have to enlist the services of a local engineering firm/machine shop. This is as far as I've managed to get, because it starts getting very pricey (one off pieces by cnc machinists get ridiculous quotes because they have to spend the time drawing up all the plans to set into the machine...)

One alternative I was playing around with in my head was the idea of casting parts in resin and glass fibre. I've only heard from a model making friend about the success of this, he reckons it to be very strong and a lot lighter than metal, and the casting process is somewhat simple (though he was speaking as a professional model maker, for someone with no experience of the material it could be quite difficult...)

All this was just for a simple mounting plate/arm, I don't think it'd be worth the effort in trying to DIY a matte box for example. A follow focus might be possible if you're very determined, but again, you'll probably get better results from an already in production model from somewhere like indi films.
 
BTW: what are the pro/cons about using different materials for the rods, e.g.: full steel, full aluminium, full carbon. Or eeven I saw some aluminium rods which are empty inside (I dont know the English term for it).
Full steel is heavier then aluminium or carbon but it's cheaper. Would it work ?
 
Look at the thread below about the "Speed Rail Slider". I am planning to put one of these together very soon. The OP has battle tested this setup and you can use varying lengths of rail. The rails he uses is said to be very rigid with no flex to it.
 
yes sry i did mean a rail/rod system, by the looks of it buying one would be the best idea, im all for buy but im am all for DIY but as i want to use it and possibly get work using it, it will need to look PRO to say
 
Heres something I've been using awhile back, I've since made another version incorporating an off the shelf QR plate. I use either aluminum or stainless steel rods with it.

I hope you can find this useful and modify it to make it better for your use.


1269703805.jpg
 
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CiPO said:
BTW: what are the pro/cons about using different materials for the rods, e.g.: full steel, full aluminium, full carbon. Or eeven I saw some aluminium rods which are empty inside (I dont know the English term for it).
Full steel is heavier then aluminium or carbon but it's cheaper. Would it work ?
Click to expand...

For me its weight versus strength against load.
I have used stainless steel when I was using my JVC HDxx cameras with my DIY 35mm Adapter with my DIY mattebox.

However, since using the 7D DSLR, which is sooo light, and no more 35 adapter, only my lightweight DIY mattebox, i shifted to aluminum rods.
 
aluminum tubing

aluminum tubing

Hey Ted,
Where do you purchase aluminum tubing like that for the glass framing? I imagine the home stores don't carry something like that.
 
Thx teddybear .... issue is I've found some 50cm steel rods for about 9€ each while the aluminium are about 15€. Since the DSLR is also very light maybe the steel rods would addup some weight and help to better balance stabilize the whole gear. Of course on a tripod otherwise lighter would be better.
The two 50cm steel rods are really heavy :)

Excellent post/pic ... :) thx
 
CiPO said:
Thx teddybear .... issue is I've found some 50cm steel rods for about 9€ each while the aluminium are about 15€. Since the DSLR is also very light maybe the steel rods would addup some weight and help to better balance stabilize the whole gear. Of course on a tripod otherwise lighter would be better.
The two 50cm steel rods are really heavy :)

Excellent post/pic ... :) thx
Click to expand...
You can always ADD weight if you go with the aluminium. Harder to remove weight if you go with steel.

If those two are the options, and the difference is 12€, I'd go with aluminium myself.
 
I agree with the OP: there seem to be a ton of folks online who have succesfully built their own DIY cranes, steadicams, etc, but something as simple as a rails system seems to be elusive.

There was a thread here a while ago with hundreds of posts, totally devoted to finding a cheap supplier of 20mm rods. Did anything ever come of that? What a frustrating size. Why couldn't they just use shcedule 40 pipe :p
 
Eric Ferguson said:
I agree with the OP: there seem to be a ton of folks online who have succesfully built their own DIY cranes, steadicams, etc, but something as simple as a rails system seems to be elusive.

There was a thread here a while ago with hundreds of posts, totally devoted to finding a cheap supplier of 20mm rods. Did anything ever come of that? What a frustrating size. Why couldn't they just use shcedule 40 pipe :p
Click to expand...
Well, I can't believe the problem is building it, or doing it cheap. Getting a proffessional look seems to be important to some, and that would make it harder I guess.

Personally I'm funding my project myself, so I'd build one out of lego if it would hold up.
 
Is there any reason it has to be two rods?
The idea of this is to be able to easily adjust the position of your MB, right?
Why not build one out of IGUS components?
 
teddybear said:
weight and stability.
Click to expand...
The IGUS supplyer (www.colly.se) I'm talking to says they have 16mm rods and bearings for that.

I'm thinking about using the DIY Rail Mount v2 I got with my D|Focus to attatch them to the camera, (I might have to make the rod slots 1mm bigger in diameter) then find a suitable bearing part to attatch the matte box with.
 
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