DIY PVC Dolly
Many photographers and videographers prefer to use a table dolly to get smooth shots when movement is required. A PVC photographer dolly is a table dolly that a camera or video camera is mounted to. The dolly has wheels and can travel in straight lines or in circles. The most common use of a table dolly is for tacking or trucking video shots. This dolly can support small or large cameras.
Things You'll Need
- Rollerblade wheels with bearings, 4
- Machine screws with washers and nuts, 1 ½-inch long, ¼-inch diameter, 6
- Rollerblade or skate board axle, 2
- PVC connectors, ¾-inch diameter, 4
- PVC risers, ¾-inch diameter, 3-inches long, 4
- PVC screw --on caps, ¾-inch diameter, 4
- PVC T-Joints, ¾-inch diameter, 2
- PVC Threaded T-joint, ¾-inch diameter
- PVC threaded plug, ¾-inch diameter
- PVC Elbow joints, ¾-inch diameter, 2
- Tripod mount
- PVC Cement
- Drill
- Wrench
Instructions
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1
Clean the PVC and remove all stickers and debris. If the pricing stickers are not removed, the parts don't not fit together well.
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2
Drill a ¼-inch hole through the screw-on caps. The hole is placed in at the center point on the end of the cap. Place the end caps on the back of the wheels and slide a washer between the wheel and cap. Place a screw through the hole in the other side of the wheel. Slide the axles in to the end cap, between the cap and the wheel, and tighten the nut around the screw to get the wheels secured.
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3
Apply PVC cement to the inside of the end cap to hold the axle. Place cement around one end of each of the risers and slide the cemented end into the T-joint on the horizontal holes. Each T-joint has to risers attached to it. Apply a ring of cement on the inside rim of the open port in the T-joints and slide a connector into each port. Allow the cement to dry.
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4
Screw the end caps attached to the wheels to the ends of the risers.
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5
Place a ring of PVC cement on the inside of the horizontal ports on the threaded T-joint and point the threaded port upward. Slide connectors into the horizontal ports. Apply to the outside rims of the open ends of the connectors and push the elbow joints onto the ends. Point the open port on the elbow port the opposite direction from the threaded port.
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6
Drill a ¼-inch hole in the threaded PVC plug. Place a washer and bolt on a screw and screw it through the bottom or threaded end of the plug. The screw will be about ½-inch longer than the plug. Screw the screw into the plug until ¼-inch stick out of the top.
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7
Attach the tripod mount to the screw on the top of the plug and turn it to the right to tighten it. Screw the plug into the thread T-joint. Apply a small amount of PVC cement inside the rim of the open ports of the elbow joints and slide the connectors attached to the T-joints on the risers into the elbow ports.
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