Your Thoughts On DIY Camera Dollys

J

JSanchez2136

Member
So I have started to plan on making a camera track for a production that im gonna work in a couple weeks. Ive done some research and i found some pretty good tutorials online. I just have a couple of different twists for mine. I see online that people just put a tripod and the camera on their track, but Im planning on putting a jib on it as well. I also noticed that people use pvc pipes, but if im planning to use a jib (ProAm 250) i was thinking of using metal pipes.

Im probably gonna go by this design
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcMPhuhqVO4&feature=related

It seems strong enough to hold a good amount of weight. If you guys have any thoughts on this or suggestions ill be happy to hear them. Thank You

Jorge Sanchez
 
I think that PVC pipes for the track will be plenty strong, no need for steel pipes. They will be way too heavy. You just need to make sure that the tracks don't move or slide if you are on uneven terrain. You also should make the dolly platform fairly large so that the weight of the jib doesn't flip the dolly.
 
PVC versus metal track depends entirely on where you'll be shooting. If you are going to be on uneven ground, leveling PVC pipe with that much weight on it is a pain in the ass. If you are going to be inside, or on a very smooth surface, PVC is fine.
 
THats for the suggestions. Also do you guys have any suggestions of reinforcing the dolly? Since the platform is gonna be a lil bigger than most DIY dollies, i thought of maybe using two or maybe three boards of plywood. Also maybe putting something underneath the platfoarm for supporting all the wight thats gonna be on it. Im also gonna use 16 wheels, you guys think i should use a lil more?? Thanks

Jorge Sanchez
 
I was gonna take a similar route to that but I couldnt due to the materials I had. I had one of those tripod dollies http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/329010-REG/Smith_Victor_701210_Universal_Tripod_Dolly_A.html and I was gonna remove the wheels and somehow attach some angle iron with the skateboard wheels and use that as a my dolly. But the tripod dolly was very week and I tried to put a fair amount of weight and it started to bend. So I decided to make a camera dolly with a platform. That way it will be more sturdy.

I also plan to to make it 42" X 42" maybe a little longer or wider for extra room.

Jorge Sanchez
 
I doubt you'll need metal pipes. I use PVC on my homemade dolly and it works just fine. Look at it this way: If the PVC pipe does not work, than you won't have lost a ton of money. As for reinforcing your platform using more than 1 board of plywood is definitely a step in the right direction. You could also find some scrap wood and put some struts across the bottom which might help. Particle board as a platform is also pretty good. It's dense and heavy and I've used it on my own dolly for a number of years and it's worked out quite well. Anything heavy would be good as a platform because it minimizes the bounce.
 
Thanks for the ideas and comments guys. Im gonna make a trip to home deopt today and get some stuff so I can get this dolly started. I ordered my wheels already so they should be here in a couple of days. Ill make sure to post some pics up on my progress.
 
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