PVC Track Connector Solution

danm

danm

Active member
I owe this to the lovely people in my university kit room. It would appear an easy and effective way to connect the PVC piping is to buy a smaller length the same thickness as your track and then cut a slit so you can squish it into the track and then it will reform to it's original shape and sit nice and snug. It's also an idea to sand the front and back edges to ease the entry..

Here is a pic;

trackconnector.jpg


Hugs and kisses. Dan
 
Makes sense to me. So if I have 1" pvc, then I would use 3/4" for the short inserts? Ok, I'll try it out. Thanks!

Marlene
 
No - Marlene you'd need to get more 1" and then cut the slit in it so u can squeeze it into your 1". It would then try to recover its original shape and lodge itself nice ans snug in your pipe. This would then creat a male > female connector.

I havent tried this yet. I want to be nice and ready for when my rowe cine dolly arrives :)
 
danm said:
No - Marlene you'd need to get more 1" and then cut the slit in it so u can squeeze it into your 1". It would then try to recover its original shape and lodge itself nice ans snug in your pipe. This would then creat a male > female connector.

I havent tried this yet. I want to be nice and ready for when my rowe cine dolly arrives :)
Click to expand...

Ok...I get it. I read this too early in the morning. Thanks!

But...wouldn't there be a bit of drop down between the two. I mean, they'd fit ok but create a little bump for your wheels to go over.

Marlene
 
I just got 1 1/4" PVC and then 1" PVC for the connector. It wasn't perfectly snug, so I just thickened it up with masking tape at the ends and then around the middle until it fit. I've found that by connecting the two pipes over the middle strip of tape, it pretty much eliminates any bumps in the track. This is a little less hassle than cutting a groove into the PVC.
 
Slap me on the back of the head then let's just forget about what I said above, I was forgetting that you're using a short slit piece to connect two other pieces to so it shouldn't create a bump. I'll just blame it on the coctails this time.

Marlene
 
I used this same method to connect the aluminum track of my "solo dolly". There's a thread with pics in this forum about six months ago.

Works great, with no bumps.
 
It looks very effective. With the joint expanding, it should be nice and tight. I will try it for sure.

Nice tip :thumbsup:
 
And it's not a terrible idea to glue them into one end of the sections so you a set of pipes ready-to-be-strung-together.

And, that way, you don't accidentally push the connectors inside the pipes...or lose them. :)
 
GenJerDan said:
And it's not a terrible idea to glue them into one end of the sections so you a set of pipes ready-to-be-strung-together.


. :)
Click to expand...

For sure - Half dozen "quick lock" pieces... :thumbsup:
 
Dan,

That's such a great idea. Please let us know what happens in the real world tests. Seems like such a great solution.
 
with the PVC.. How do you keep it straight and aligned? Do you brace it or just sandbag the ends? I know how metal straight track works... would this be appropriate design?
 
Justyn said:
with the PVC.. How do you keep it straight and aligned? Do you brace it or just sandbag the ends? I know how metal straight track works... would this be appropriate design?
Click to expand...

what I'm doing with mine is building a type of wooden block with two wholes pressed through for the pipes to be put in. I'm going to put one on each end of the pipes. This should hold them together pretty well.
 
use pipe connectors with a length of pipe as wide as you need to track. Put one on each end. It will hold the track in place nicely. Use the thickest pipe and you can ride the dolly for follow focus. Also use cross planks every few feet to keep it up off the ground and even on uneven surfaces.
 
what i did with my dolly was i bought wooden dowels that fit perfectly into the dolly tracks and on one end i stuck them in leaving about 6 inches showing, then i drilled the dowles into the pvc track and voila` it easily connects and disconnects with out the possibility of loosing the pieces, them coming undone during actually shooting and easy usage.
 
I did the same as Jim. The wooden closet rod is the best connector I have ever come across. Such a tight fit she ain't going nowhere!
Trackconnector.jpg
 
This is my set up. Also, check out this thread at homebuiltstabilizers.com I posted there a wile back with the same info I am posting here, but check out the design idea by Cody Deegan that is there.

I ditched PVC and the wooden dowl connectors that I had and started using top-rail for chain link fencing. Works great. Combined with the idea at the post in the link above, I don't see any chance of bumps. The top-rail doesn't roll and bend like the PVC. It is light and cheap too.

Here is a short test clip of it in action:

http://www.snodart.com/snodpublic/dolly.mov
 

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How do you guys TRANSPORT the dolly and the track?

I made one from Rowe Cine parts, and it's great - but what do I use to haul it around?

I have 5ft sections of track.

Is there any golf-type bag that's large enough to fit the track, splice connectors, and PVC angle fittings I use to interconnect the track at the ends?
 
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