Joel Jost Posted July 9, 2007 Share Posted July 9, 2007 Here is a camera dolly I made! VERY smooth!! If you have any Q's please ask! Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Jost Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 more pics... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Jost Posted July 9, 2007 Author Share Posted July 9, 2007 and some more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Carruthers Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 and some more... very nice B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xavier Plaza Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Hi Joel, just one thing... how it works on a smooth surface???, because you have the dolly rail on a carpet (i guess) and my question is how you do to mainting your rails parallels that`s my big question because i don`t see your rails bounded... anyway looks good... i hope it works good... :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Jost Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 Hi Joel, just one thing... how it works on a smooth surface???, because you have the dolly rail on a carpet (i guess) and my question is how you do to mainting your rails parallels that`s my big question because i don`t see your rails bounded... anyway looks good... i hope it works good... :P Thanks, The track automatically stays parallel with each other, as the wheels roll on the track it straightens it out if there not parallel. A lot of people a attach the PVC pipe to wood. We took one shot with in a rocky area and just supported both ends and worked great! It's silky smooth! Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim O'Connor Posted July 12, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted July 12, 2007 Here is a camera dolly I made! VERY smooth!! If you have any Q's please ask! Joel Looks pretty cool. What kind of wheels are they and where did you get them amd how much do they cost? Also what is the thickness of the wood and the diameter of the pipe and how do you connect lengths of pipe? What size sngle iron is that and what did you use for bolts to attach it? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefano Sgambati Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Hey there, that's pretty damn cool! I've built one too which is pretty similar, I'll post pics asap. Just wondering, how do you connect the pipes of the rails? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Collier Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Looks good. Looks like the first dolly I made. The only tip for next time you build one, make the wheels right next to eachother instead of offset. If you get too much weight on the back, it will force the dolly to pull up and turn to the side (I know, cause my first dolly did that and it nearly took out a camera) when they are right next to eachother it takes a lot more backweight to make it overturn, since gravity doesn't really have an effect if they are side by side (its more likely to stay on track) than with the offset, since if enough weight is taken off the front wheels, the back will try and twist, which will push the front even further up and once those front clear, hold onto that camera. Also, push bars are key, your dolly grips will thank you. Looks good though, get some shots on it and let us see the result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Jost Posted July 13, 2007 Author Share Posted July 13, 2007 Looks pretty cool. What kind of wheels are they and where did you get them amd how much do they cost? Also what is the thickness of the wood and the diameter of the pipe and how do you connect lengths of pipe? What size sngle iron is that and what did you use for bolts to attach it? Thanks. Thanks, They are 52mm(16) Poly Urethane skate board wheels. Ebay is the best place to buy them! Here is a link to a ebay stroe that has good prices! : http://search.stores.ebay.com/Slam-N-City-...5011901QQsofpZ0 You will need bearings on both sides of each wheel, so you will need 16 wheels (52mm to 54mm work good) and 32 bearing (abec 7 bearing work the best. Also buy hard wheels (99a)) , you should be able to get the wheels and bearing from Ebay for about 50 dollars!! VERy good deal! The platform was made out of 1/2 inch plywood. I gut it into three pieces of 2 1/2 feet by 4 feet, then screwd all three together, so it's an 1 1/2" thick. The anlge iron is 1 1/2 aluminum. T The bolts were 2''. The PVC pipes diameter is 1 1/4". and buy a few feet of 1'' to make connectors. If you have any more Q's just ask! Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Jost Posted July 13, 2007 Author Share Posted July 13, 2007 Hey there, that's pretty damn cool! I've built one too which is pretty similar, I'll post pics asap. Just wondering, how do you connect the pipes of the rails? Thanks! All you have to do to connect the pipe is buy one size smaller pipe to fit inside the pipe you have. It's that simple! Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel Jost Posted July 13, 2007 Author Share Posted July 13, 2007 Looks good. Looks like the first dolly I made. The only tip for next time you build one, make the wheels right next to eachother instead of offset. If you get too much weight on the back, it will force the dolly to pull up and turn to the side (I know, cause my first dolly did that and it nearly took out a camera) when they are right next to eachother it takes a lot more backweight to make it overturn, since gravity doesn't really have an effect if they are side by side (its more likely to stay on track) than with the offset, since if enough weight is taken off the front wheels, the back will try and twist, which will push the front even further up and once those front clear, hold onto that camera. Also, push bars are key, your dolly grips will thank you. Looks good though, get some shots on it and let us see the result. Thanks, The reason I had the wheels offset was, so when the wheels go over the cracks in the pipe it wont effect it as much. Like I sad, it couldn't be smoother! Yeah, I do plan on putting a push pole on it. Thanks for your advice! Joel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenny N Suleimanagich Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 Nice dolly, side note: In my opinion the most effective wheels to use are larger longboard wheels (80mm) with a softer, lower durometer (70a). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim O'Connor Posted July 13, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted July 13, 2007 Thanks, They are 52mm(16) Poly Urethane skate board wheels. Ebay is the best place to buy them! Here is a link to a ebay stroe that has good prices! : http://search.stores.ebay.com/Slam-N-City-...5011901QQsofpZ0 You will need bearings on both sides of each wheel, so you will need 16 wheels (52mm to 54mm work good) and 32 bearing (abec 7 bearing work the best. Also buy hard wheels (99a)) , you should be able to get the wheels and bearing from Ebay for about 50 dollars!! VERy good deal! The platform was made out of 1/2 inch plywood. I gut it into three pieces of 2 1/2 feet by 4 feet, then screwd all three together, so it's an 1 1/2" thick. The anlge iron is 1 1/2 aluminum. T The bolts were 2''. The PVC pipes diameter is 1 1/4". and buy a few feet of 1'' to make connectors. If you have any more Q's just ask! Joel Wow, thanks for all the info.. I was looking at PVC pipe yesterday and the 1 1/2" seemed quite a bit more solid than the 1 1/4" for only a 1/4" difference. The cost isn't that much more in the big picture and not much difference in carrying/transporting. Was there a factor that made you go with the 1 1/4" instead of 1 1/2" ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim O'Connor Posted July 13, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted July 13, 2007 Nice dolly, side note: In my opinion the most effective wheels to use are larger longboard wheels (80mm) with a softer, lower durometer (70a). Interesting. What do other people think? I found this for anybody's reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durometer Material Durometer Scale Hard Hat 75D Ebonite Rubber 100A Hard skateboard wheel 98A Solid truck tires 50D Soft skateboard wheel 75A Automotive tire tread 70A Rubber band 25A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted July 13, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted July 13, 2007 I'm not sure what diameter or gauge is used by normal dollies. It's smaller than 1-1/2", I'm sure of that. If you make appropriate connectors, you can make the cuts in the pipe angled, so there's a gradual transition from one to the other and no sudden step. Using aluminium scaffolding pole, while expensive, does mean you can ride over big gaps on it without trouble. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Buick Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 The wooden frame and casters probably wouldn't take the weight of a grown adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Collier Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 You'd be surprised buick. Keep in mind he has 16 wheels there. even if he loads it to 300lbs, thats still only 18lbs a peice. Not too bad for wheels already designed to support a full grown adult on 8 (they are skate wheels afterall). The wood is also pretty strong. The weak point in the system is the fact that the wheel bolts are at an unsupported angle, not a very strong shape, but neccisary, and like I said, at 18lbs per bolt, it can easily handle that. even the PVC track is able to support the weight. I have built two dollies of that type, and on one, I put two people, a CP-16 fully loaded, a production monitor, and a beefy tripod. We must have been close to 500lbs with everything, and it didn't show any signs of fatigue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Tim O'Connor Posted July 14, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted July 14, 2007 I'm not sure what diameter or gauge is used by normal dollies. It's smaller than 1-1/2", I'm sure of that. If you make appropriate connectors, you can make the cuts in the pipe angled, so there's a gradual transition from one to the other and no sudden step. Using aluminium scaffolding pole, while expensive, does mean you can ride over big gaps on it without trouble. Phil Offsetting the breaks in the pipes instead of offsetting the wheels is a good idea. If you made track with aluminum scaffolding pole and found the normal industry diameter, do you think that it would be possible to put an industry dolly, even a lighter one like a doorway dolly with track wheels, on it on occasions when you might not want to use the homemade dolly? Also, as long as you're considering metal pipe, what would incline you toward aluminum scaffolding pole as opposed to other metal pipe that you could get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Phil Rhodes Posted July 14, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted July 14, 2007 Hi, Normal dolly track is actually an extruded profile - it's not just tube. If you're going to just do tube, you need to be using a slightly larger diameter so as to have sufficient rigidity. Unless you have a source of real dolly track, of course. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Michael Nash Posted July 14, 2007 Premium Member Share Posted July 14, 2007 Normal dolly track is actually an extruded profile - it's not just tube. If you're going to just do tube, you need to be using a slightly larger diameter so as to have sufficient rigidity. There are different kinds of "real" track. There is square track and I-beam track, but the most commonly available type in the US is tubular, 24" on center. One of the problems that occurs with skate wheel dollies is that the wheels flatten a bit when stationary and under load. When you roll, you get a bump in the travel because all the wheels have flattened in exactly the same spot. The quick fix on set is to roll the dolly back and forth a bit between takes, to keep the wheels from flattening so much. Another design work-around I've seen is to use multiple wheels of different diameters (obviously each wheel axle has to be positioned for the diameter wheel being used). This is supposed to mitigate the bumps by distributing the flat spots across different areas when rolled out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onno Perdijk Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 Another design work-around I've seen is to use multiple wheels of different diameters (obviously each wheel axle has to be positioned for the diameter wheel being used). This is supposed to mitigate the bumps by distributing the flat spots across different areas when rolled out. Whoow, that is a very decent solution! I will take that one under considiration on my next developments... Meanwhile: the wheels. Hard wheels (96A): will not flatten this easy. They will "feel" every uneven bit of your tracking. They also make more noise and your platform of the dolly will act as a loudspeaker. When you will drive at high speed with hard wheels they will start vibrating. Softwheels (78A): will flatten easily. The will not make sound and your tracking will be very smooth if you would use 16 or 32 wheels, also with heavy payload on the dolly. The Tracks: Making tracks is not complicated. Manufacture them in such way that the are soundproof gets more complicated. Make tracks in a way that you can joint and extend them is the most important and most difficult thing. Good Luck. Onno Perdijk. Key Grip, Holland www.solidgripsystems.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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