Woot! $57 Dolly Complete!

William_Robinette

William_Robinette

Shallow Member
Took a couple days (because of paint) to complete but I am completely happy. It has a nice weight and it's silky smooth. Made to hold just the camera/tripod.

Highlights:
  • $57
  • PVC Track (1.25")
  • 2' x 2' MDF Platform
  • Two $8 Skateboards from Toys R Us (Wheels)

I built it to last for a while, so hopefully it will outlast a few cameras. Some may say that MDF is to weak, but I really find the strength leaves nothing to be desired.

DollyOnTrack.jpg

CameraandDolly.jpg


If any one wants to see more pics (of wheel mounting, etc...) let me know.

And some footage to follow in a couple hours. :thumbsup:
 
MDF is pretty awesome stuff...I would think it would have enough weight behind it to be very stable as well.

I would like to see some more photos of the understand (wheel mounting, etc...).

Also, what did you use to hold the tripod firmly on there?

Thanks! It looks great!
 
..it looks like the 1 1/4" track is a little too ambitious for those wheels. they are riding really high on the track, and have a potential "slipping off and busting your biznazz" hazard.. you might want to go with a least a little smaller 1" track .. but from the looks of it in these pics, id say go for 3/4"

looks good in black though . i like the tripod leg holders.
 
iamloser: I agree about the track. When I swing around the Home Depot again, I will pick some up, but the track now isn't too bad, and is definitely useable.

For the tripod holders, they are 1.75" cast iron pipe flanges. I think they were $5 a pop, making them the second most expensive thing on the whole dolly (next to the wheels).

Here are more pics:

WheelsCloseUp.jpg

WheelMountCloseUp.jpg

BackCloseUp.jpg

Bottom.jpg

Wheel.jpg
 
Very nice - I'm inspired to make one even though I don't need one for my current purposes.
 
It's a Bogan 501 head on Bogan 3221WN sticks. It was ~ $300 from B&H with a free bag. I love it and it works well with my new DVX but it is really heavy.
 
How did you go about Attaching the long metal frames, with the Wheels to the Bottom of the dolly, Did you just screw through the holes into those blocks of wood??:thumbup:
 
Greetings. Long time reader...first time contributor. BennisHaun, how heavy would you say the entire dolly is? I wonder if a heavy material could be used a for heavier camera? Perhaps a thicker wooden platform? Also, my guess is that it is probably pretty quiet, but is it silent? Within reason, of course. I often see DYI's on things that would take a week to put together, but this looks pretty simple. Great job!
 
Is there any reason why MDF was selected? Is it for shock reasons? Do u think plywood can do the job? I have problems getting large MDF over here so I would like to understand the rational. Thanks!
 
@ natdizzle - Yes, I just screwed long screws through the holes in the metal brackets. You need to make sure you have some sort of wood between the flat platform and the metal or the screws are traversing an inch and a half of open space. Plenty for them to move around on you...

@ John Wesley Norton - The thing is really quiet. If you are using an on-cam mic, you may pick up some low freq. rumble, but that is all. It weighs about 15 lbs. (IIRC). I see no reason why you couldn't use heavier wood, although I really don't think you need it. I would have no reservations about putting a 25-30lb betacam/tripod combo that I frequently work with on there.

@ engr - I think plywood would work. MDF for me was cheaper and easier to work with. I didn't want to go through the time and hassle of pre-tapping holes to get screws in, etc so I chose a soft material (MDF).

Thank you for all the other comments. The thing is still silky smooth after being put through a lot outside and in. The only thing I have to worry about is dirt on the PVC pipe that causes little bumps. A damp cloth takes care of that though!
 
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