Vimeo member Fred Norquist used a bit of Angled Aluminum and old skateboard trucks to get this DIY dolly result. Looks like a pretty low budget DIY for those who want to add some movement to your camera shots and not spend a ton of cash. Although pretty effective, just by looking at it, there's a lot of variables with how the rails are positioned that can cause some irregular movements. So if you attempt this, make sure you got things lined up well. The old measure 10 times and drill once routine (I have to measure more than twice). Simple and effective for a DIY project i'm sure most people can tackle.
[Thanks Fred]
Greg
I have a skater dolly and it works really well. Going to try and make a better platform for it this weekend out of plexiglass. The track I made for it isn't the smoothest.
Graeme
hmmm i'm inspired by this one. time for a trip to a DIY store this weekend i think
Lu
Ha!
Fred used similar design we did.
1 1/4" angle iron aluminum and 54 mm wheels
and, correct, precise measurements - and voila!
We painted it all black except the inside of the
tracks. Over 4 feet long - works well - lighter
than a superstrut design.
For a precise V-upwards position, we used
a v-cut into a handrail using a chop saw
- at both ends.
The center has a 1/4" aluminum plate with centered
3/8" hole for a tripod attachment.
One thing to mind:
Use smaller bolt heads to tighten to tracks down
to the plate ... and do not over tighten them.
Otherwise, it deforms the tracks near the angle.
The whole thing goes flat on the ground and attaches to
a tripod...with side supports to steady it
and keep it level once a cam rolls
with the little dolly from one end to another.
Jarrod
There is similar build on my blog. https://www.justbaslproductions.com/Just_Basl_Productions/Blog/Entries/2010/9/29_New_material_used_on_just_basl_spider_track_project.html
This was sent to me after I posted the Just Basl Spider Track Video on vimeo