$475-$525 would be the non-discounted rate for FedEx Economy (making some assumptions about the package size).

The US Postal Service could get it to you for $132.50 by Priority Mail in 6-10 days, if the box is less than 60" long and Length+Girth <= 108".

"Machine parts" would seem to be a suitable customs classification.

Nice design.

I noticed in the specifications that it is made of pine. They also mention that it can support 250lbs on the optional seat, but that it has been tested to 500lbs. That must be some really strong wood ;-)

I would guess that whatever they are using for axles must be adding to the strength.

Jim

Doesn't look to sturdy.
I'll continue to rent the Matthews doorway dolly when there is the need.

Here's a cute little (very little ;-) "build-your-own" dolly from Russ Andersson of SynthEyes. Though, I think it might be better described as a "trolly."

Camera Dolly PDF

Jim

Doesn't look to sturdy.

It's not meant for a big Panavision camera with sprouts on it.

It's rated at 250 lbs., that means an average 175 lb. operator + 75 lbs. of gear.

The Matthews dolly is nearly $3K, and just the skate board wheels alone are 800 bucks (and they will need to be replaced). Great stuff in a different league for a different budget.


The "trolly" is in a different league too, both price-wise and otherwise :O).

[B]'The "trolly" is in a different league too, both price-wise and otherwise'[/B]

Yep -- It sure is ;-)

I thought it was interesting because of who developed it.

Jim

Yeah, that was a treat!

Remarkable guy...

My solution to making a camera do circles around something is very simple. Keep the camera static and make the thing go around.
I bought the largest Lazy Suzan bearing I could. I have a Maxon motor from a junk pile with a huge reduction gearbox. Running the motor off an AA battery it delivers unstoppable torque, I could probably use it to make a tank turn although I doubt the Lazy Suzan bearing would hold up.
Now where did I put all those parts??

One problem with all the "go around in a circle" gizmos is they don't exactly, even the Skater from P&S slips a bit and it is expensive.
I've found pneumatic tyres to be a problem with dollies. On a studio floor hard rubber tyres are much better, thankfully we have both for our dollies.

Bob.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Just a little more information:

Shipping = I had a custom box made so I could use USPS for international shipping because UPS/fedex was outrageous. Shipping to UK/Europe and such should be around $150 or less now.

Durability = We tested 500lbs over the entire dolly (not one spot) to find stress points. At that weight the axles start to flex, but everything else didn't flinch. At the recommended weight 250lbs for rider + 50lbs for equipment (or 200lbs equip. alone), the dolly is rock solid. You'd be surprised how much strength wood can have when utilizing proper weight distribution & leverage. I figured if Howard Hughes built a plane out of it, I can build a sturdy dolly :). It's the best blend of strength, weight, cost, and machine-ability.

I too used an MSE doorway dolly for years but got tired not only of renting, but the weight/bulk and required dolly grip. So I know many shooters are used to rock solid equipment that doesn't fail. I consulted with two mechanical engineers to ensure the durability of the design. It includes a 3-year warranty to stand behind the product.

Farss, I would agree that a non-track dolly would have a difficult time doing continual 360's around a fixed point. Then you might as well make the item itself go in circles like your lazy susan approach. But for larger items, people, etc., which is mostly what I shoot, I usually film 180 circle at the most, which the dolly works well for.

________________
Paul Lyke
dollytrax.com

Hello Jim,
I bet taking this laundry wheel under-carriage to a vertical plane would make it ride nicely on small diameter (or larger diameter, depending on the load) pvc pipe... it would permit longer runs that flex quite easily for curved runs as well. . . it might also accommodate changes in elevation easier than more rigid rails... hmmm... roller-coaster type runs would be possible with pvc... the possibilities are quite fascinating... let me go think on this a bit. . .

Until that time. . . Earl J.

Hi Paul,

A possible (if not Anal) improvement to your dolly that wouldn't be too hard to add is a 360 degree 5 or 10 degree increment on the wheels, so when they turn one at an angle, they can turn the other to the exact matching angle to get a good curve. It might not actually matter, but I'm a bit Obsessive Compulsive, and having things exact always makes me happier :)

Just a thought.

Dave

Ha I'm pretty a pretty "detailed" guy but probably not quite as bad :). But that's a really great suggestion, I'd have to see what mechanism could accomplish that affordably. I actually thought of offering a laser add-on that could magnetically attach to the axle end, pointing to an exact radius intersection. I wasn't sure if anyone would want it though, because after a little practice I was able to get near-perfect 180 degree arcs after 20 seconds of aiming. It takes a little practice to get the overall feel for the dolly, but isn't long before you can eyeball it fast.

Plus, being able to operate the camera at the same time will help immensely. A few times things were rushed where my arc wasn't perfect BUT I could also pan the camera slightly to keep the subject centered...giving the look of a perfect arc.

Coursie, the doorway dolly is at the bottom of the heap for pro gear. I agree that it's too expensive to buy for personal use but it's great as a rental. It's advantages are that it steers, doesn't bend, has a stiff pushbar, and a wide flat base. You can also use it to haul your gear.

This dolly you're linking to could be locked into a curve but you couldn't steer it in a shot because the tripod legs are mounted on the steering mechanism. If you made a turn you'd mess up your tripod setup. Also, unless it's made of a fairly hefty bit of box steel, it's going to flex. That's not a good trait in a dolly.

You want stiffness in the pushbar too, otherwise you can get a kind of springy motion sometimes when you start and stop.

Earl, as far as roller coaster track setups go, sounds nice but most dolly shots aren't at roller coaster speed. They're little creeps (in honor of a famous child actor of the 30's and 40's).

The hard part of pushing a dolly slowly on uneven track is that the push is very easy down grade and then suddenly very hard when you hit the upgrade. If you're trying to go very, very slowly you'll probably come to a dead stop when you hit that upgrade. We're talking subtle grades too, like 1/8" per foot. If you want a roller coaster dolly look you might be better off mounting a small jib on the dolly. Move the camera up and down, not the track.

Rob Mack

Oh, don't get me wrong, I quite like the MSE doorway dolly, and if you have a heavy camera there aren't too many ways to do what it does.

Not at the level of the 2-seat pneumatic dollies, but then those don't go through too many doorways either (not to mention that the rental cost is a bit different).

I also like Microdolly Hollywood's dolly, track, and jib. Its dolly track, like any dolly system, needs to be on a flat surface or have the rails selectively raised with wedges. It's a pain sometimes, but the end result is very good.

I used to work at a rental house in San Francisco from '86-'90 and then freelanced as a grip or electric until 2001. A lot of my jobs were as a dolly grip or jib operator, and I also had a bit of repair training with Chapman. I might still be able to tear down and reassemble a Pee Wee. It might even work when I'm done with it. :-)

There aren't any dollies that do it all. Some are way too expensive or too heavy, some are too big, some too small. And some do very limited things very well but they can't do anything else. Basically, you look for anything that'll move a camera the way you want it to move.

There's a famous shot in Tom Jones where the cameraman was drug across the ground on a blanket.

Rob Mack

There's a famous shot in Tom Jones where the cameraman was drug across the ground on a blanket.

Ha-ha, that is good!

And wheel chairs have been classic for a very long time also (I think one was used for the first dolly move ever).

Rob, yes, the dollytrax doesn't steer like the mse dolly, but I've found that only useable for toting gear, not during shooting. Not to say that some might want that, but it seems more appropriate shot for a steadicam than driving a dolly all over the set.

Yes there is a bit of flex, but it's an advantage in some situations... by moving the tripod feet to the center of the dolly, the flex can absorb bumps and imperfections, helping smooth out the motion. Steel transfers all the energy of a bump right through the whole dolly. Wood helps absorb the energy. I've shot on a sidewalk with clumps of dirt from construction, and the ability for the center chassis to stay put while the axle lifted (like a car suspension) helped make it a useable shot. I understand your concern though...you don't want to be pushing the tripod and have it wobble all over.

I know it's a new concept so it seems implausible, but I've had great results and my clients loved the footage. To me that was all that I needed to hear!
________________
Paul Lyke
dollytrax.com

A "push" is what sorts out the men from the boys with dollies.
Metal track seems to be the only way to do it.
Paul's dolly looks excellent for the money and I agree, timber is a great material. One of the most innovative track systems I've seen uses a mixture of structural plywood and metal.

Bob.

Hi Paul.

I grok the idea that flex in the frame will absorb a bump. I'm thinking more in terms of the tripod head changing its level when you get on and off the seat. But, thinking about it a little more, this dolly is probably best as a "walk-along" and in that case your level won't be changing. And when you think of it this way, the DollyTrax give's you some dolly motion that a wheeled tripod spreader can't give you. So it really depends on what you're making comparisons to.

There's no need to defend the doorway dolly. It is what it is, warts and all. Same with the PeeWee and the Fischer 11. If you know a dolly's strengths you can pick what suits you, and in the end the client sees the shot, not the method.

Rob

Out of curiosity, where do you think they got the wheels for the OP's dolly?

j razz

This is the sort of place I used to go to:

http://www.californiacaster.com or Murphy& Simi Co., also in San Francisco. I'm not suggesting buying from either of these two but most areas with a bit of commerce and industry ought to have some place to get hand trucks and that's where I'd start looking.

You might also try Granger's or McMasters'.