Jump to content

I need a CHEAP DOLLY


Sean Azze

Recommended Posts

I'm shooting some upcoming projects on a DVX-100 A and I need a cheap dolly. Preferably something with tracks to get the smoothest possible tracking shots. Like I said, I'm a recent college grad so I need something reasonable. Can we negotiate something?

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

I made my own dolly years before I went to film school even, for Super-8 filming. It was a 3x4 piece of plywood with four rubber cart wheels (like for book carts) from a hardware store. A U-shaped steel pipe as a push-handle. It could only go straight. I used two 12' planks to roll it on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to have a skateboard dolly, with PVC track, and it worked great, but I got tired of always having to go straight, plus it was a hassle to set up in a lot of places.

So I got a wheelchair! I've modified it a bit, taken off unecessary bits, and it works great.

It's much smoother than you would think, and I can go in any direction.

I made "track" for uneven areas, which is basically 3/8 thick 3x4 plywood sheets, with 1x1 glued along the outer edges (so the wheels don't go off the board) that fit together at the ends by overlapping the 1x1's.

Works great, takes up much less space.

You can sit in it, or mount the camera on it, high or low(on the feet platforms).

MP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

John that is a great deal. I have the 4 wheels style skateboard dolly system and use it all the time. From DV docs to 35mm feasures. Why carry a fisher ten up to a roof top when yu can carry a skateboard dolly?

 

I do have several questions. But doesn't run on pipe up to 2". Also how do you do curves? I though the wheels needed to slide side to side and front to back in order to do curves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

PVC can bend pretty severely without it becoming permanent and a sandbag at each end will hold the curvature. I'm working on a permanently curved PVC track kit to allow more complex moves eg., S-bends and Js. Swivelling trucks make curves easy. 1 1/2" is about as big as you could use with this dolly without risk of jumping the track.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member
PVC can bend pretty severely without it becoming permanent and a sandbag at each end will hold the curvature. I'm working on a permanently curved PVC track kit to allow more complex moves eg., S-bends and Js. Swivelling trucks make curves easy. 1 1/2" is about as big as you could use with this dolly without risk of jumping the track.

All it takes is a little heat. A butane torch will do the trick. There are many times though where PVC pipe isn't stable or strong enough. I use Schedule 80 thickwall metal tube for straight track with a 32-wheel skateboard dolly that I built myself. The track has spacers as well. The model you have on eBay looks pretty good and reasonably priced.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've got one of these.  http://www.glideshot.com/catalog/product_i...products_id=471  Rolls on standard PVC pipe from the hardware store.  They make even cheaper ones, too.

 

 

Hey Gordon, the GS50 seems like it'd be perfect for me, but theres no handle in the photo. How the hell do you push or pull the thing?

 

By the way, how do you go about making a track with pvc pipes?

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the GS50 seems like it'd be perfect for me, but theres no handle in the photo.  How the hell do you push or pull the thing?

 

By the way, how do you go about making a track with pvc pipes?

 

 

The GS500 model has a handle, it just pops in and out. But there have been several times when I just pushed on the tripod (for camera tilt or pan) and that worked ok. Would definitely want the handle, though, if you can.

 

I get several 1.5" sch40 PVC pipes from Home Depot. These are too long for me to haul in my car on a regular basis, so I saw them in half to maybe four or five feet. Problem with PVC is joining the track segments. Regular PVC couplers (for plumbing) go on the outside of the pipe, which obviously doesn't work for this. So I found some that were just a smidge smaller than the inside diameter of the pipe and used PVC cement to glue it in there so half of it sticks out the end, and you just insert that into the next segment as needed for length. It's not tight, so put sandbags on the ends of your runs to prevent slippage. And then a bunch of shims to level it out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey

 

Thanks to everybody so much for their advice. In case you're curious, I ended up getting a $160 dolly from Glideshot which they only offer on ebay for cheapos such as myself. It's basically a piece of plywood with carpeting on top, but for what its worth, it looks like a stable piece of equipment.

 

Now I need to drill a handle into it. Anybody know where I can find one? (a handle, not a drill :huh:)

 

Thanks again

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know what size you got. You might want to consider attaching your wheels to a ¾? thick plywood board that is around 3? x 2 ½?. You?ll want to match professional dolly track width on your wheels which is 24 ½? (I think).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know what size you got. You might want to consider attaching your wheels to a ¾? thick plywood board that is around 3? x 2 ½?.  You?ll want to match professional dolly track width on your wheels which is 24 ½? (I think).

 

 

This is the dolly I got.

[email=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7530586539]http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7530586539[/email]

 

I believe all I need to purchase now are pipes, sandbags, and shims (and of course that missing handle)

 

Do you think theres anything else I'm missing?

 

thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The problem with PVC track bending, isn't that it's "impossible" to bend.

The problem is, if you're trying to make curved track out of it, both tracks have to have EXACTLY the same curve angle or your wheels bind up.

I can't see that you could just take a torch to your PVC pipe and do this without some specialized equipment, like forms to make sure it's exactly the right arc on both tracks.

 

MP

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

That's a pretty good low-cost solution. I scanned the eBay seller's other items and found these dolly skateboard trucks:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=7533176681

 

I might get a set just to be able to build custom rigs on the set. Looks like good construction. I'd easily spend as much in raw materials building my own. And, they have a three-day return policy.

 

Not bad at all.

Edited by Michael Morlan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Premium Member

Has anyone ever carried a Fisher ten up to a roof top?

If so please comment so that I can add info to my how to do book.

Film 7 Productions- "always trying the impossible".

 

 

Greg Gross

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • Premium Member

Hey now,

 

As far as a handle- you can go to any hardware store and get two pipe flanges for metal plumbing pipe. A full service, local hardware store can cut the pipe and thread the ends. You screw on two elbows for the cross bar. The down pipes thread to that. On the ends of those you screw the flanges on. The flanges have four screw holes in it which you then bolt or screw to the surface of your dolly platform. Easy cheesy. This pipe and flange approach can serve for stools and other mounts for... whatever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Hey guys,

 

Speaking of heavy gear... I've got a Fearless Panoram. I love it, but, danged if it ain't heavy! We have to tip it on its side just to get through doorways. I built a skate for it and it crushed the skateboard wheel sets. I guess a little re-engineering is in order.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...