Dolly Question
 

I've made a 2' x 2' dolly using metal corner braces and 2 skateboard wheels for the wheel trucks, but I'm now looking to build a larger dolly that will comfortably accomodate an operator and camera and I would like to use 8 wheels per truck (4 on each side). To do this would require the use of angle iron, but I've seen this stuff and can't imagine trying to cut it down to the length of a truck with a hand saw, or any other tool in my garage. I can't imagine drilling through it either.

Has anyone done this before? I'm just looking for people's past experiences, not speculations on how it might be done. Thanks in advance.

Rick Pearson,
Producer/Director
Next Level Media Productions
http://www.nextlevelmediaproductions.com

I used aluminum for mine, and cut it with a (short!) hand hacksaw.
took a while, and once i was close i just bent it and broke off hte last bit. but it worked.

- I also used some flat thick Iorn - that took bloody ages to cut with a handsaw. - but actually drilled through with a (mains powered (cabled)) hand drill really easily with a steel bit.

Good luck, and happy cutting!

- Mikko

Rick,

I'm not sure what your design is, but I used 2' x 4' plywood for a platform, with mild steel angle from the hardware store to carry the wheels. The steel is about 1/8" thick, and isn't all that hard to work--I cut it to length with a hacksaw, and while I used a drill press to drill mounting holes in the steel, I think I could have done it with an electric drill if necessary.

I based my design on John Hudson's--he posted links here to some videos he made of and with his dolly, and they're quite useful.

Good luck.

--Arthur

I just got a metal angle brace from the hardware store and it's worked a treat. My dolly is about 1.3m x 1.3m and can hold camera and person. As long as I had a bolt the right length, it holds everything in place fine.


Aaron

We used angle iron, and were able to cut through it with an angle grinder. Drilling holes took a while, but with decent drill bits, lots of oil, and some patience, it was fine.

A tip: use one of those small/portable bed frames for your angle iron. They're cheap, and one of the sides might already be the length you're looking for.

Ryan

>>I've made a 2' x 2' dolly using metal corner braces and 2 skateboard wheels for the wheel trucks, but I'm now looking to build a larger dolly that will comfortably accomodate an operator and camera and I would like to use 8 wheels per truck (4 on each side). To do this would require the use of angle iron, but I've seen this stuff and can't imagine trying to cut it down to the length of a truck with a hand saw, or any other tool in my garage. I can't imagine drilling through it either.

Hi Rick,

You can use the same corner braces that you used on the 2x2 dolly on a larger platform. You just need to strengthen the underside of the dolly: get 2 lengths of 'L' shaped aluminum or steel the same length as the platform going the long way. Get a bunch of wood screws that are a bit longer than 3/4". Drill holes in one side of the 'L' of the angle iron or aluminum about every 4" along the length of the 'L' big enough to allow the screws to go through them. Attach the angle steel along the bottom of the dolly platform about 4-6 inches in from the long edge of the platform. Take the second angle and do the same on the other side. This will make it plenty strong enough to stand on.

As for cutting and drilling steel: get a new hacksaw blade and start cutting. It's not difficult. When you drill into any metal, get a thing called a Prick Punch. It's like a chisel, but comes to a point at the end. Find where you want to drill the hole, set the point of the punch and give it a good whack or two with a hammer. This will make a dimple to set the drill bit point in to. This will keep your bit from walking. Use some stuff called "drilling oil" and pour a bit into the dimple and start drilling. As soon as the oil dries up, put more in. You basically want to keep the drill bit wet. In aluminum, this will go quickly. In steel, you'll probably have to add the oil a few times before you make it through the steel.

Good luck!

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

cutting and drilling info
 

Ok all you home shop guys. Notes from a machinist on cutting and drilling steel.

First all tools are available at Home Depot or the local hardware store.

Cutting- Hacksaw with a Fine tooth blade (18, 22, 30) teeth per inch. The harder the material the more teeth per inch you want. Make sure the teeth are facing forward. Hacksaws cut on the push stroke, not the pull stroke. Make sure the blade is under tension in the handle. You can adjust this and the blade shouldn't be too loose. Use a sulpher based cutting oil. You can use "tapping oil" for steel if that is all you can find. Put the angle iron in a vise and clamp it down. Then clamp the vise to the bench top. Put most of your pressure on the push stroke. release pressure when you pull back, the saw isn't cutting then.

Drilling - Best option is a drill press.CLAMP THE PART!!!!!! Keep the speed around 80 rpm or less.
In steel, slower is better. If you have to use a hand drill, do this. CLAMP THE PART!!!! Scribe or draw an "X" where you want the hole. If you have a center punch, tap the intersection of the lines with it and make a detent in the steel. If the final hole you want to drill is say...3/8" in diameter, start with a 1/8" drill bit and drill a hole. Then use a 1/4" bit to enlarge the hole. Finish with a 3/8" drill bit. Remember!!!! slower is better in harder materials as well as when the bits get larger in diameter. Don't push too hard on the drill. Let the bit do the cutting. A good style of bit is a standard "Jobber" bit. It is a 118 degree bit. materials are HSS (High speed Steel), Cobalt, TIN Coated (Titanium Nitride - the gold colored bits) or Solid Carbide bits. I recommend either the Cobalt or the TIN Bits. TIN lasts longer.

Any Questions.... Buy the Machinists Handbook at your local book store or library. Ton's of great info.

BTW......... CLAMP YOUR PARTS. Otherwise they turn into little helicopters as they sail across your garage and they WILL impale your kid......who was watching over your shoulder...... to the wall.

Good Luck.

Heed David's words! Especially the Helicopter part!

Oh, one more thing: if the drill bit does get stuck, don't put it back in the hole, then start the bit moving. It will just get stuck again. Start the bit moving above the hole, then lower it in slowly.

Also, if you are going to be drilling a lot of metal, a drill doctor for sharpening bits is a good investment. It'll save you a fortune in the long run!

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Examples of Dolly shots
 

URL: http://nextlevelmediaproductions.com...southmetro.wmv

This is a spot I shot the other day using my dolly for the second half of the spot.

I just made a dolly using 2 hand-trucks from Lowe's. It has a seat, handle, wheels that don't need a track, a monitor mount and an arm that extends from 2 ft up to 7 ft. Oh, and I made it for less than $200.

When one person sits and another pushes, you get the most beautiful, smooth shots ... and you can jib up and down while you're rolling. It's hard to use by yourself, though, because it has rubber wheels that bounce - it needs the weight of someone to roll smoothly.

Nobody believes that I built it - it looks just like something you'd see a real film crew using. I'll try to figure out how to post pictures on here.

Regarding your Lowe's Dolly
 

Yes, Daniel. I'd like to see that! Thanks for sharing!

Jim

Daniel: you can't attach pictures to this forum. So you need to
host them on a website and link to them. If you can't get that
done, e-mail me a couple of pictures and I'll put them up on my
site.

Can you tell us a bit more about how you made the arm on the
dolly and so forth?

You guys might want to take a look at this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=37320

dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Re: Harbor Freight
 

Good morning, Dan! What a strange coincidence!!!

I just ordered your book 15 minutes ago, and I'm just about to leave for Harbor Freight to look at drill presses.

Hope you see this today. Read my comment/question on my order!

Jim

Hi Jim,

You know, a drill press will make things easier, but not necessary! The drill guide will come in handy though!

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=41166

Also, if you get the drill press, get a drill press vise to go with it.

Thanks for ordering a 2nd book! I get so many people ordering other copies for friends.

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

You're welcome, Dan!

I know the drill press isn't necessary, but, for me, it would make it much easier to do these projects.

I purchased a 5 speed drill press for $50, and a vise for the drill press on sale for only $5.99 at Harbor Freight. It's a fun store to visit; good prices, too.

Jim

Hi all,
It's been ages since I've posted here and this place continues to be a great source of info.

A word of caution on the carts with the nu-matic wheels. The work well on even surfaces only. We used on last summer on an interior shot in an old pub with an old brick floor. It was useless. Really check out your floor and look for bumps, ridges etc.

The cart that Dan posted looks fine. Do NOT get the version that is at Lowes (I think). It has a wire mesh deck as opposed to solid wood. And it's a pretty flimsy deck at that. It wobbled like crazy.
Apart from the above the cart is not a bad way to go though.

Dan, have you had any luck figuring how to link mulitple lengths of conduit? I've got a 75% solution and I hope to be testing it completely this weekend. But let me know if you've got something better.

I've given up on the pvc, not stable enough and it can't be raised off the ground.

Dan, when is your next book coming out?

Hi Ried,

Back in the old days when I was a gaffer/grip, we layed down sheets of plywood on uneven surfaces for the tires to run on. Still true today. Some part of filmmaking never change!

As for PVC, you can attach it to 3/4" strips of plywood about 4" wide. You can raise it off the ground if you have enough support along the track. As for attaching PVC, use 1/2" (diameter) plumbing pipe nibbles. These are about an inch long and have threads their entire length. Take a pair of pliers and screw them in on PVC--as the nipple goes in, it will make its own threads in the pvc. Leave the nipple half way out and screw in the other PVC length. This will make a very tight seal, and the dolly wheels will not bump at all across the section. After a lot of use, the nipple may become loose. Just trim off an inch of the PVC and start again.

This is the simplest solution for track. I've also used aluminum tubing with solid aluminum pegs, using JB weld to hold the pegs in one side of the tubing. Attaching them together is a little to involved to go into on this forum, but truth be told, I use the pvc because its faster, easier, cheaper, and readily available!

I'm hoping Volume 2 will be ready by the Christmas rush!

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

hmmm, okay, I'll try using the plywood stirps for support.

I've used the nipples in the past and they work fine.

Is there a trick to mounting the pvc to the plywood. Do you top drill a hole and then screw through the bottom of the track? Or do you just go up through the plywood?

Hi Reid,

Get a bunch of wood screws that are long enough to go through ONE side of the PVC and well into the wood without going all the way through. Then use a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the screw. Drill down through the PVC at about 6 or more spots along the length.

Then get a big drill bit that is slightly larger than the HEAD of the screw. Go back to each of the holes you drilled in the PVC with the smaller bit and drill the bigger hole ONLY IN THE TOP (OR ONE SIDE) of the PVC.

Lay the PVC on your board. Take your screws and a screw driver and slip the screw down through the big hole in the top of the PVC, and screw through the small hole inside the pvc into the wood.

There are detailed instructions in my book, "Killer Camera Rigs That You Can Build". Well worth the price!

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

D'oh! <Reid smacks himself in the head>

I actually have the book and have persudaded others to buy it.
I think I should try to use my head for something other than a hat rack...

You know, there was a day when I recognized people who ordered the book! I guess success of the book plus gearing up for my NAB seminars has melted my brain. Since you have the book, you know you can always contact me directly with any questions!

Dan
www.DVcamerarigs.com