Nicholas A Micros Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Is it possible to build a circular track out of PVC? I wanted to keep the track light and easy to transport. Never herd of such a track, anyone else have?? Thanks p.s first post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reil Munro Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Nick No, I've never seen PVC circular track before, and in all honesty don't want to be using any PVC track..ever! But that's just me. Good Luck with the build Stay Classy...and welcome to the forum Reil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Chris Keth Posted December 18, 2008 Premium Member Share Posted December 18, 2008 Never seen it. My guess is that it's probably pretty tough to bend PVC with a perfect radius and without wrinkles in the inside of the bend. Why don't you try it with a heat gun and a form? It may be easy, it may not be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warwick Hempleman Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Nick, Welcome to the Forum. There's a thread lower in this Forum about circular track, which discusses dimensions and other pertinent information, so you might want to read that first. There have been a few manufacturers of plastic track and circles. A rental house in your area may have some or know where to get a circle. Apart from the technical criteria for making your circle, the problem in the field will be leveling it. Here metal will show itself to ber a much easier, faster, and (in terms of all the material you'll transport) lighter way to go. And as I usually do, I recommend looking into rental prices first before you start the construction project. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Steven Beverly Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Ira built one. Do a search and you should be about to find the thread on one of these categories. If I'm NOT mistaken, it could be under general discussion. You may also just PM him and ask. He used a heat gun, sand and a jig to to slowly curve the track without collapsing the PVC tubing. I don't remember how it came out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Steven Beverly Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Actually, I WAS mistaken, it's right here in this category. Do a search for "curved track" and 5 or 6 will come up including both of Ira's posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas A Micros Posted December 19, 2008 Author Share Posted December 19, 2008 Thanks everyone, extremely helpful. Much better than dvxuser! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Ratner Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 James, you got some memory! WOW! Nick, it's real easy and cheap to do from PVC. And if you're doing video as opposed to film (me), you'll have no problems quickly ironing out any bugs. The main thing is the connections, where you want the dolly to seamlessly ride over them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Hartman Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 These guys make curved PVC track. http://www.longvalleyequip.com/index.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicholas A Micros Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 James, you got some memory! WOW! Nick, it's real easy and cheap to do from PVC. And if you're doing video as opposed to film (me), you'll have no problems quickly ironing out any bugs. The main thing is the connections, where you want the dolly to seamlessly ride over them. These guys make curved PVC track. http://www.longvalleyequip.com/index.php Ratner Originally, we were going to shoot video however there is some talk of going 35 with this short. It is still early in pre-production so we are still figureing everything out. The shot is going to take place on a small one way street in philadelphia, which is far from flat. So I am hopeing we can shim the track to level it but I know that idea is far fetched. JD Thanks for that amazing link. Hopefully the production can put that track into the budget. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warwick Hempleman Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Nick, You can level anything, anywhere. It's a matter of having the material and time (and of course the money) available to do it. Leveling a street for a circle is mostly a time equation. If the street is sloped, you may want to build a platform that the track and the actors are on. This can be gotten from many sources, and you can probably get the crew to assemble it from those places, too. You would need to close the street for quite some time, probably a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Ratner Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 (edited) Nick, what kind of diameter are you talking about? The entire width of the street? Or something less intense? Also, although Warwick is assuming a full circle, I was assuming you just want 180 degrees, because circular track doesn't necessarily mean full circle. Edited December 31, 2008 by Ira Ratner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Steven Beverly Posted December 31, 2008 Share Posted December 31, 2008 The shot is going to take place on a small one way street in philadelphia, which is far from flat. So I am hoping we can shim the track to level it but I know that idea is far fetched. What do you mean " far fetched"? You have to level dolly track, it's not optional. That's what cribbing, grip wedges and a 4 foot level are for at least up to about half a foot or so, above that you can use apple boxes to support the track up to about 2 feet still leveling with grip wedges but above that you have to build supports but you RARELY have to go above that on a small shoot. Don't know what cribbing and grip wedges are? Look it up, we can't do everything for you. :D OH alright, I'm a softy (yeah right!!! :rolleyes: ) Here are some links: http://www.cinematography.net/Laying_Dolly_Track.htm http://books.google.com/books?id=YjAzP4i1o...8&ct=result http://www.abelcine.com/articles/index.php...t&task=view http://books.google.com/books?id=1JL2jFbNP...1&ct=result There, that should get you started. If you're gonna do this, do it right, capish? B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now