DIY Track Dolly From PVC Pipe

[DHSLfilms]

what part of tracing the bottom of a tripod with chalk needed math?

[jlozoya6]

hey, what's the name of that song, i been looking for that song for years!

[MrKAPfilms]

Step 1) be a math wiz...

[FroeFilms]

Could have done without the 90's music

[dcaramia]

nicely done!

[Humshkin]

Thanks for your vid man I've now also built me this easy and cheap dolly in under 2.5 hours with skateboard wheels and PVC.

Check it out with sample shots my channel

[DJEDI296]

Looks great, but can it account for, perhaps, readjusting the legs if, say, you wanted to get a shot lower to the ground?

[jukboxx01]

just get some roller blades man!

[jamlpear]

Hey, Im attempting to build this dolly and track. i've actually tweaked a couple of things that would work for me better but I'm still loving your initial design. I am wondering how to make the wheels at a 120 degree angle. That's just not my thing. Could you give me a step by step or is it easier than it looks? Thanks again for your wonderful video.

[EluraUser]

@jamlpear I chose 120 degrees because of the wheel size and the size of spacers. For some people 90 degrees work better, they use more spacers and different wheels, say from a skateboard. Despite the formula this is not a rocket science and everything can be tweaked as you go.

[ksuccessful1]

@EluraUser.Thank you...ive been searching everywhere and can seem to find them...

[ksuccessful1]

where do you buy the wheels from?

[EluraUser]

@ksuccessful1 Play it Again store. They sell used sports equipment, and some semi-used or replacement parts like wheels and bearings.

[rian009]

more sample shots pls

[feranonono]

ahahahaha love the formula

[AORPAD]

Great Dolly!!! I love how simple it is.



[GranthamScooterss]

really, a formula, just measure the fucker

[jasonsps78]

i want to know what the name of the music used on here is

[joeyvader]

@jasonsps78 Nobody should be able to ignore such a polite request....

[cmedip]

Smart enough to use the Pythagorean theorem but not smart enough for good engineering

[XRRoy68210]

Not so easy but I'll try it some day, thank you!

[Hollrobb]

Great plan, thanks for sharing.

[poncho630]

Is it too noisy if i use skateboard wheels?

[MikeDelaronde]

cant believe no one has asked this? what size PVC does he use? 1 1/4 or 1 1/2? sure both would work right but would that change the size of wheel u need to make it work?

[doordarshan1991]

itz awsme....!!!!

[hussein1sayre]

the inline skates... is that from rollerblades? 

[EluraUser]

@hussein1sayre Yep. inline skates is the same as rollerblades. The wheels are cheap, the bearings are more expensive. I bought barely used wheels for $1 per wheel, and bearings for $10 a pack (8 or 10 bearings in the pack, I don't remember). You can use wheels from a skateboard too, they are smaller, so you may need more spacers to ensure clearance between the dolly and the track.

[hussein1sayre]

@EluraUser thank you for the info! i appreciate it!

[beep684]

great video!

thanks!

[diloetv]

Thanks for sharing. If everyone have the patience to share their knowledge for free and the rest of us could just appreciate it, this will be a better word for shure. Thanks again.

[TheBlackCease]

wow to much math

[dinosoreis1]

K.I.S.S Keep it simple stupid. No need to show us that you know a formula when you could just measure it. Nice subject choice as well we can see exactly what you're doing in the refection on the car.

[mg0930mg]

@dinosoreis1  That was kind of the point...

[1BiGdAvE63]

Nice math work. I need to build me 1 of those.. Very informative video...Thanks

[viper2473]

what angle do the holes have to be drilled at if I'm using 1.5" PVC for my actual track?

[antycaraccio]

@ 00:28 what is the smily face for lol

[masterbboy]

that isn't a half bad idea thanks. that will really help

[shrynakesavan]

absolutely love what you have done.... but the music was horrendously annoying... i had to mute to watch it fullu... but i am surely going to try this out

[DarkAngel182]

The music playing from the 1.08 min mark onwards sounds familiar, was it taken from a movie?

[FilmCrab]

ppk resurection

[EluraUser]

Music is by Eduard Artemyev, it is from a score to a movie. PPK reused this music in their techno track with author's permission.

[FilmCrab]

I thought it was too good to be their original work. I will add him to my favorite Russian composers list. They are all excellent.

[jlozoya6]

@EluraUser thanks alot, i been looking for the name of this song for years.

[dschaafnz]

Usually if it ain't running straight it's most likely due to to the joints or wheels not being lined up correctly. Anyways, most difficult part for me was actually finding out where the wheels go. That can also affect how far your dolly can actually travel. It myt be okay after a metre but derails after 2 meters.

[dschaafnz]

Nah I mean wider wheels. I made one of these yesterday. I found that there was some problems that I came across. Such as the dolly actually staying on the track.

Things I did: -Checked that all PVC was sawed properly and straight -Made cross joints to attach the PVC track together. Made it more stable. -Duct Taped the joints to make it stronger.

[sammislawa]

Will this work if the dolly is curved and not straight?

[dschaafnz]

I'm sure it will. Myt depend on the size of your wheels because of the change in surface area on the pvc.

[sammislawa]

how to you mean the size(i'm not the most technically minded person)? Do you mean the wheels would need to be spaced farther apart or that the diameter of the wheels should be bigger? or both?

Either way thanks for the video, film making equipment is absurdly overpriced and inhibits us poor (but still creative folk), so thanks again for showing us how to do it on the cheap :)

[HOLLYWOODBOY818]

nice mr2! mines in red.. i recognized the car from the bumber then the side scoops assured me that was it lol

[TheKSProduction]

hey there. question. what size pvc pipe would i need? and how angled do i screw the wheels on? like how many degrees for the wheels? and how would i measure that??

[honeybeever]

Hey I commented a while ago saying that I was making a dolly. Well, it's done now. I made a video of it if you want to see how it turned out :)

/watch?v=CQkF4apSfqE

[Latenightfeelings]

Hi what is the music you are working with in this video?

[slimeball6969]

(a^2)b^2=c^2

you still need a measuring tape

[Dobermann87]

Cool!

[VideoManServices]

in a pinch I would use a baby stroller and set the camera on a board over the handle .. I dont have the skills to make a track like yours

[hajamahajamahajana]

Nice video, but How do you get the wheel axels drilled at the perfect angle? And what size is the pvc? 1/2 inch?

[honeybeever]

I'm almost done making my dolly. :)

I'll probably have a vid of it up soon enough if you want to check it out. It's a different design than yours, but both are good designs! ;)

[slimeball6969]

i didnt know u had to be a math major to build one of these

[EluraUser]

I believe they teach the Pythagorean formula in the fourth grade, you don't need to be a math major to know some basic math. Sure, I could use measuring tape, but formulas are more fun.

[xxxxstrongxxxxbox]

@EluraUser we are learning that at school right now, all that pythagoras crap i probly wont need when im older, unless i want to studie why triangles have 3 sides

[provenknowledge]

@EluraUser they definitly dont teach pythagorean theorem in fourth grade lol....

[last22is]

@EluraUser Yeah I learned that last year, but that was 7th grade.

[samwula]

@EluraUser "formulas are more fun" HA! ;'D (crying with laughter)

[mitchthegreat]

@slimeball6969 "Math Major"? That is some basic math right there son. 

[suicidalkatt]

All i have to say... is....

WTF IS THIS MUSIC... HONESTLY

[mactreouser]

Hi EluraUser:

I've done a unit of it. Because of i've to bring the tracks (pvc) for outdoor and the length of my Van doesn't fit the needs of the length of the Track. So that, i chop-off to 4 parts (instead of a long track).Finally the video can't be smooth anymore caused by the Not Smooth Join. How c'ld i solved this?thanks.

[CVPTV]

If you glue or epoxy something inside of the tube at one end that protrudes it would enable you to connect that end to another pipe without that connection. So using a M/F concept to take the track as long as you wanted like lego. Although nothing like lego :)

[EluraUser]

Yep, this is what I did. I think the track is a 1" pipe in my case, and I bought a piece of a 3/4" pipe and cut two-inch long collars from it, and then cut it longitudinally because the collar would not fit the 1" pipe, and removed like 5mm or so section. Then I glued the collar, squeezed it and put it into one pipe, let the glue dry. Here is my "male" end, just connect it to another 1" pipe and here is your track. I will double check the collar size.

[Stwrongtone]

They sell PVC cuplings that fit between the ends of each section. I found them in the water pump section at my local home improvement store. ASK around at yours...

[Greathome2]

sweet

[jestusd15]

whats the name of the first song? plz.

[entrebesosytiros]

Can I use skateboard wheels instead of inline skating wheels?

[12ampvacume]

NO, because it will explode if you do.

[CVPTV]

Explosions are quite common when using skateboard wheels.

[54spiritedwill54]

Great video. This looks like a really good design!

[Lukewarm27]

wow awesome simple design. how much did this cost?

[mjacinto]

Very nice. I'm still a bit confused as to how the tripod should stay on the pvc pipe. Could you clarify?

[EluraUser]

I made it simple, just made holes for tripod spikes in the pipe and filed off some plastic to make them angled. Most tripods have spikes, but some not. Also, even with spikes this setup is not very stable, so the rubber band helps (go to the url and read the article, it has more pics). You can also use pipe caps or other holders. I did not want to bother with caps.

[EZA757]

how well does your tripod fasten down on to the pvc pipes? even with the dug in canals and the rubber bands to hold it down, i'd be a little intimid if it were to fall out of place all of a sudden.

[EluraUser]

Originally I used this dolly with a really small Elura 100 camcoder, it weighs I guess half a pound. No problems unless you want to pick up the tripod and the dolly and move it, in this case the tripod comes off the dolly. I also tried the larger Sony HDR-HC1, again no problems unless you pick the tripod up. When the tripod comes off it does not fall, but just slides off the pipes. A better solution would be to use deep cups for the legs or some better fastening.

[CarvshnerVideos]

perfect example of a time when you actually use one of those random math equations you learned in school.

[Jester2138]

Or he could just measure it with his tape measure. Would've saved a lot of time.

[Paintedsheep]

If you want a heavy duty dolly that can run on CURVED TRACK...go to paintedsheepdolly. com

Oh..I have to say it:

Not sure the fancy math was at all necessary...

Take care.

[EluraUser]

I will not remove your spam link, building and selling dollies is not my primary business anyway. As to math, it is a simple Pythagorean formula, nothing fancy but helps calculating the size of the crossbar. Sure, you can simply measure the drawn line, but using formulas is more fun.

[Paintedsheep]

No spam involved...just valid info directly related to the topic of the video. Just giving people an alternative to the DIY hell that is involved in maing your own dolly...even without the fancy math. Feel free to take my comments off...it's your video.

Take care

Paintedsheep

[marshmelow]

yeah but this project is for those who have the tools and want to save cash. Take care.

[aquaseventeen]

Hi. The chalk mathmatic part is cool.

Which would you recommend: rollerskate wheels (thick but low) or rollerblade wheels (tall but thin)?

[EluraUser]

Rollerskate wheels may work better, because they are lower, so you can make a right angle between them instead of 120 degrees angle as I did. The angle was chosen because the wheels were rather tall and I did not want to put on large spacers. On another hand, I have PVC rails and I tie them together with a steel rod. In this case 120 degrees works better because wheels don't hit the rods.

[amatxilin]

Eskerrik asko!

Oso idea ona

Thank you

[gilkwad]

nice car

[pag74998]

Agreed. This is an excellent video and, I think, a great design for a cheap dolly. One question though: What is the best way to ensure that the bolts are angled at about 120 degrees? Is it just a guess and check process?

[redskins07566]

I suppose a protractor and then just hold it perpindicular to the the piping and mark 30 degrees above or below because you have already formed a right angle. 90+30=120 see what I mean?

[rickvanman]

Hey! Great video. This looks like a really good design! wish I'd thought of it first! lol! My wood version takes up a lot more storage space.

Nice job!

[EluraUser]

Thanks! The wooden version has its benefits: it is not flimsy, you can sit on it, and it does not require assembling. My dolly requires a little bit of fiddling to ensure all wheels touch the rails. I suppose that wooden dolly works better for frequent use and for heavier camera.

[IrisVanEntertainment]

Is there a way to secure it better to the dolly for fast movement? And how would I go about making a curved track?

[EluraUser]

I use rubber bands to secure the tripod to the dolly. It is not shown in the video, but if you follow the link mentioned in the description, you will find an article and some photos. These photos show a complete assembly: track, dolly, tripod and camera. About curved track: I thought about it. I use 1" pipe, it does not bend well, I've heard that 3/4" pipe bends better. I have some ideas, but haven't tried them yet.

[Paintedsheep]

Curved track:

Go to home depot or lowes go to the hose section...buy the 1" diameter high pressure water hose. It works well for curves etc...About $1.50 per foot.

Good luck

[redtail5]

im combinding your desighn whith the wood one im using pvc instead of metal grids(my drill cant od metal ) but a bord so i can use a tri pod or a jib arm

[Somtario]

This unique design is great! It takes away the wood board at the bottom, making it easier to walk with the camera.

Nice job, but what's with the music? For a split second I though I was watching an old episode of Nova or some science program from the early 80's!

[ElectricRain0]

Very very nice and helpful... now, how might I make a circular track...? It would be amazing if you showed us how to build one of those! ^-^

[EluraUser]

1" pipe that I use for track does not seem to be flexible enough. I've seen someone made a circular track out of 3/4" pipe.

[IceFireProductions]

really intresting design and really good.