Yet another DIY track dolly at DVinfo.net

Andre Theelen · June 9th, 2008, 05:09 PM

Hi all,

I finally made some time, bought the necessary stuff and build a dolly and tracks. The design is based on the Digital Juice design and some other ideas I got from searching the internet.
The tracks need some work still but it works pretty nice as it is.
I'm very pleased with the results as the dolly glides very smooth and silent across the track.

I used 16 skate board wheels (hardness 72A) with ABEC7 bearings.
The dolly measures 80 x 110 cm (about 31.5" x 43.3").
It took a couple of hours to built.

I still have to mount some kind of push bar and maybe something for the camera operator to sit on.

Here are some pictures.

Regards, Andre.

Andre Theelen · June 11th, 2008, 07:56 AM

Below some details of the track and support.

I use metal pipe (28mm diameter) for the tracks which gives more stability compared to PVC based track.

I'm still thinking of a way of securing the tracks to the wood. Not really necessary with the current setup but if I should use more pieces of tracks I think it helps keeping everything fixed.

Regards, Andre.

Vegard Paulsen · June 20th, 2008, 02:47 PM

nice :)
Looks like a great dolly!

is that the letus extreme on the xh a1?
Im considering buying it myself.
What kind of matte box are you going for?

the redrock micro matte box looks nice.
supply it with the focus puller from redrock and i think we have a winner :)

Andre Theelen · June 25th, 2008, 09:53 AM

Hi Vegard,

Yep, that's the Letus Extreme on the XH-A1 and a Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens.
I ordered the Brevis follow focus unit and I'm also thinking about the Redrock matte box. It sure looks very nice.

BTW: What kind of stepper motor did you use for pulling your dolly?

Regards, Andre.

Dave Eaton · July 15th, 2008, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andre Theelen

I'm still thinking of a way of securing the tracks to the wood. Not really necessary with the current setup but if I should use more pieces of tracks I think it helps keeping everything fixed.

Looks nice. How's it working for you?

Maybe get some track ideas from this one: http://vimeo.com/1234650

Andre Theelen · July 18th, 2008, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Eaton

Looks nice. How's it working for you?

Maybe get some track ideas from this one: http://vimeo.com/1234650

Hi Dave,

In my first tests the dolly moved very smooth and silent across the tracks.
Unfortunately I haven't had much time lately to do further tests but I'll try to post some footage soon.

Thanks for that link! Some great ideas implemented there.

Regards, Andre.

June 9th, 2008, 05:09 PM	#1
Andre Theelen Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Netherlands Posts: 51	Yet another DIY track dolly Hi all, I finally made some time, bought the necessary stuff and build a dolly and tracks. The design is based on the Digital Juice design and some other ideas I got from searching the internet. The tracks need some work still but it works pretty nice as it is. I'm very pleased with the results as the dolly glides very smooth and silent across the track. I used 16 skate board wheels (hardness 72A) with ABEC7 bearings. The dolly measures 80 x 110 cm (about 31.5" x 43.3"). It took a couple of hours to built. I still have to mount some kind of push bar and maybe something for the camera operator to sit on. Here are some pictures. Regards, Andre. Attached Thumbnails

June 11th, 2008, 07:56 AM	#2
Andre Theelen Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Netherlands Posts: 51	Track Below some details of the track and support. I use metal pipe (28mm diameter) for the tracks which gives more stability compared to PVC based track. I'm still thinking of a way of securing the tracks to the wood. Not really necessary with the current setup but if I should use more pieces of tracks I think it helps keeping everything fixed. Regards, Andre. Attached Thumbnails

June 20th, 2008, 02:47 PM	#3
Vegard Paulsen Regular Crew Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Oslo, Norway Posts: 175	nice :) Looks like a great dolly! is that the letus extreme on the xh a1? Im considering buying it myself. What kind of matte box are you going for? the redrock micro matte box looks nice. supply it with the focus puller from redrock and i think we have a winner :)

June 25th, 2008, 09:53 AM	#4
Andre Theelen Regular Crew Join Date: May 2007 Location: Netherlands Posts: 51	Hi Vegard, Yep, that's the Letus Extreme on the XH-A1 and a Nikon 50mm f1.4 lens. I ordered the Brevis follow focus unit and I'm also thinking about the Redrock matte box. It sure looks very nice. BTW: What kind of stepper motor did you use for pulling your dolly? Regards, Andre.