I'm sure many of you out there have some experience with DIY dollies and rigs, but this is an interesting design that incorporates some of the parts you may already have and makes the entire kit far more stable and useful. While this video is a bit older (and the parts may or may not cost $80 depending on what you get), it's still a great idea and the potential for re-purposing equipment you've already bought is always enticing. This tutorial was sent over by DP Ryan E. Walters, who has contributed here before and happened to be the RED Epic shooter/technician on the recent Zacuto 2012 shootout. Check out the video below.
Here are the parts he used and some links:
- 1x 3/4" Plywood or MDF
- 4x Skateboard Wheel Assemblies
- 2x Low Boy Combo Stands (Price has gone up since I originally made this video)
- 2x 1" Tee's
- 4x 1" Elbows
- 4x 1" x 10" Nipples
- 2x 1" x Close Nipples
- 4x 1" Set Screw Connectors
- 2x 1" to 3/4" Reducers
- 2x 3/4" x 4" Nipples
- 4x 1" Conduit
- 1x Gorilla Glue
The design is pretty interesting, but I particularly like that it can be mounted on stands (which is why I call it a slider -- plus, no one is going to be standing on this thing). It looks like it gave good enough results for it to be a worthy project (that won't break your wallet). If you've already got some of the parts for this, like the dolly and wheels, you're already way ahead of the game and this becomes a simple project. I built my own a long time ago, but maybe it's time to break that back out and make it more functional (and possibly get better results with silent operation).
The much more professional version, called the Dana Dolly, is available here to buy starting at around $500.
[via Ryan E. Walters]
