Baseplate With Rails
 

I'm starting to look around and the prices on picking up a baseplate with standard size and length rails ( http://www.jbkcine.com/xliwmb.jpg ) is pretty nutty for a base plate and a couple of metal rods so I've started looking around for options and thinking of self-build options.

Has anyone fashioned their own baseplate for an XL1? I have come across a fair number of things that were made for other things that would work as baseplates with the option of bolting or welding the rods on or in it.

It can't be that hard and has got to be cheaper then some of these people are charging.

What sort of luck has anyone had?

Here is another pic of that Base Plate:

http://www.jbkcine.com/canombasepl.JPG

I can't help but have some part of my uneducated mind think "Damn, that would be easy to make."

Does anyone have a baseplate and rails unit they could take some pics and detailed measurements for me?

I'm at the point where I'm going to build my own and need to gather some information before I try.

Kevin:

I had a baseplate built for my XL1. I'm not a machinist so I use one for modifications to my own projects. You need to know the height from the center of the lens to the rods, the space between the rods and the horizontal orientation of the rods to the lens. I'm afraid I don't have these specs, but if you have a mattebox that mounts on mini-rods it should be reasonably easy to measure from that. I would recommend making your mount such that the rods can telescope in and out (simply drill the channels all the way through the base and add locks). This way you can accomodate your longest setup, such as with a wide-angle adaptor, and then retract the rods for your shortest setup.

<<It can't be that hard and has got to be cheaper then some of these people are charging.>>

It's not that hard if you know what you are doing and you enjoy building things yourself. It's cheaper assuming you don't place a dollar value on your own time.

if I could make one out of wood I would be happy with that, I want to get it done so I can focus on figuring out how to get an AGUS35 build for the XL1S and I know I'll need a baseplate and rails for it.

(sigh) This is why I hate all my relatives for not being rich and dying and leaving me a pile of money so I wouldn't have to worry about things like how much it would cost to buy versus build.