DIY - Indoor Jib Crane & Dolly from a bed frame!

[Crosby!]

I'd seen a lot of cool jib cranes, both commercial and DIY, and decided to see if I could make one from scraps -- almost zero cost. I wanted an indoor version so I didn't need the height of some I'd seen. A feature I wanted was to be able to tilt the camera when I didn't need/want to keep it parallel. That's something you don't even see on a lot of the commercial ones and, once I figured it out, it was real easy to do.

Here's the process I used to make it:

Below are the raw materials I had on hand – a painted bed frame, some bent 12-gauge steel and a semi-straight piece of steel:



I cut the rivets off the frame and took the bent steel and marked and drilled the holes I needed. The front plate is a bit long and I cut it later. Both plates will be tapered roughly like the white lines show:



Rear plate drilled with quick release adapter installed:



Front plate with camera quick release installed:



I put the front plate on the regular way but wanted to test to see how the thing worked with it upside down, too. So it’s upside down (box on underside shows is where the quick release goes). Gives me about 7” in height or 7” less height depending on which way it’s on:



Rear plate mounted on tripod, easier to assemble this way than with it on the jib crane, takes 2-3 minutes:



Assembled and ready for camera and weights:



After some testing I tapered the sides and used the excess metal to beef up the platforms a bit:



Same for the front. I’ll grind down the welds and clean it up at a later date. Replaced the semi-straight piece of steel with another piece of the bed frame as it wasn't working that swiftly.:



Added an old dumbbell I had that works very well with it. The camera is nicely balanced on it here. I can put it in any position and it stays put. Takes almost zero pressure to maneuver it:

[Crosby!]

Wait! There's more! I had some left over bed frame and wheels from the slider I made, so I thought I'd see if I could make a slightly different type of dolly:



Designed it to fold for storage and easy packing:



Just add water...er...crane and my buddy:



I found a new-in-box (and plastic even) Velbon S-600 tripod with a Vel-flo 8 (PH-258) fluid panhead at a thrift store for $3(!) and decided to add the head to the front of the crane to be able to shoot straight down, etc. Makes it easy to control from the front, too.

[codester]

Wow, that's one nice jib. I might dig up that old bedframe sitting in my attic......

Btw, what lens hood is on your hv?

[drapeama]

That's awesome! a love the dolly you made with two roller skate wheels! +1
simplier than doing it with a 45° angle aluminium piece and two skateboard wheels. You're the man!

[Almohada]

Wow! REALLY COOL!!!!! Do you have any footage? Looks amazing! Good job!!!

[Crosby!]

This shows the Velbon head mentioned and shown above on the front. The front of the crane can be tilted with the tripod tilt handle (I'll show that soon) but not to the degree that it can with this head. The crane can be used as a camera boom this way...add the dolly...

The head is cool for controlling the crane from the front, too:

[Crosby!]

Wow! REALLY COOL!!!!! Do you have any footage? Looks amazing! Good job!!!

Coming soon. I've been meaning to post this since November when I made it and the slider (I was on a DIY roll that month) but got side tracked.

[Crosby!]

Wow, that's one nice jib. I might dig up that old bedframe sitting in my attic......

Btw, what lens hood is on your hv?

That's a Cokin hood. You can see it better in the pictures above.

[Crosby!]

Okay, here's the initial tests I made. Having never used a crane I was winging it, so be gentle.

The idea of using it not only as a jib crane but also as a camera boom is intriguing. I can get it to the height and angle I want and leave it there. Thought I'd have to tie it in position or add some sort of friction lock to do that, so far I haven't. It's short so I can use the HV30's LCD, especially if I control it from the front. However, I will be adding a monitor of some type to it soon:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb80JabTkvs"]YouTube- DIY Jib Crane - Made from a Bed Frame - Initial Tests[/ame]

[Hunterr]

Wow, that jib is crazy. The manual tilt feature was very cool.

Keep up the good work!

-Hunter

[drapeama]

Man it's very good! i like the way you used the tripod head to control the tilt!
Very good stuff! +1

[Crosby!]

Thanks, the tilting head was the feature I most wanted. Keeping the camera parallel is nice and, if you level it and don't touch the tilt control it will stay that way, but at some point the subject is out of the frame. Being able to angle the camera up and down during the rise/fall movements of the crane is a very nice to have feature.

By the way, if I didn't already have the bent steel I used for the front and rear platforms I'd have used some large L-brackets or barn door type hinges I saw at Home Depot. Probably could have used wood, too. Once I knew what I needed to make I had several ways of doing the same thing.

I was originally going to make it from aluminum tubing from a metal supply, then I remembered the bed frame -- you can get them at thrift stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.) for $5-30, same thing. Oh, I only used 1/2 of the bed frame to make the the jib crane so you can make two if you want or make it longer and take it down to the same size as this one for transport and storage.

The setup is pretty light weight and quick to setup. Here it is on the ground before I shot the park part of the video:

[bmsweb]

Nice work. I like the shot of the guy doing the cutting!! Looked Good

[Crosby!]

Nice work. I like the shot of the guy doing the cutting!! Looked Good

That's a friend of mine, an awesome metal sculptor, Kevin Caron. Took the setup to his shop as shooting in my yard and the park wasn't real world enough. I'd shot a nice boring but good test for me of the floor and his feet and then over his head looking down. I was panning to the other side of his studio when I heard the plasma cutter so I spun back to shoot him working. Unscripted and I had no idea what I was doing nor the coordination I'll have after using the thing a bunch -- crane movements with one hand and the camera tilt with the other. Result wasn't bad though.

[Ian-T]

Fantastic job.

[bmsweb]

e crane movements with one hand and the camera tilt with the other. Result wasn't bad though.

The result was very good, no two ways about it. Its worth noting that with Crane's, Glidecams etc they all require practice to get the hang of them. I had a professional Steadycam operator friend of my mates show me how to use my Indian GlideCam copy and he made it look so easy. If you compare his video to mine you would think two different units were used.

I might have a go at creating one of these!

[Crosby!]

The result was very good, no two ways about it. Its worth noting that with Crane's, Glidecams etc they all require practice to get the hang of them. I had a professional Steadycam operator friend of my mates show me how to use my Indian GlideCam copy and he made it look so easy. If you compare his video to mine you would think two different units were used.

Been there, done that. I made a version of the Poor Man's Steadycam from a monopod, some PVC and an ankle weight, (www.vimeo.com/1348980) and it worked pretty well. Then I found a smokin' deal on a Glidecam 1000 and bought it. My initial results showed me that I had the perfect setup to shoot the shaking scenes of Earth Quake, sinking scenes of Titanic or any other wildly shaky scenes. My shots were steadier without it!

I might have a go at creating one of these!

Please do and post yours. Would love to see what others do with this.

[debuys]

That is awesome! Did your friend do the welding and cutting for you? I could almost talk myself into needing one. I wonder if Goodwill will give me my bedframes back.

[Crosby!]

That is awesome! Did your friend do the welding and cutting for you? I could almost talk myself into needing one. I wonder if Goodwill will give me my bedframes back.

I have my own little workshop (you can see pieces of it in the slider video) with a small MIG and Oxy-Acetylene setups. He did teach me to use my Oxy-Acetylene setup. He tried to get me into TIG but I knew if I learned to do that I'd want one and would have to rewire the shop for 220v and add all sorts of things I really don't need for my lilmited uses. I have access to his shop and wide assortment of tools should I need to do something outside of what I can do in my shop.

However, you can make the crane without welding, just use the large L-brackets or barn type hinges I saw at Home Depot. That's what I was going to do until I found the pieces of bent metal in my scrap pile. Heck, you could make the thing out of wood if you wanted.

[majaka]

I'm just about to start making my crane and loved that manual tilt feature!

Any closeup pics of how the tilt works? I need to adapt my design to fit something similar.

Also, why is it so darn cheap in the US? I always hear you yanks talking about making all this fancy shmancy stuff for less than $30, and if I walked into any store over here and bought just the L-brackets, i'd be looking at $32 a pop =S

[Crosby!]

Any closeup pics of how the tilt works? I need to adapt my design to fit something similar.

If you look at the first series of pictures you can see how the rear platform is mounted on the tripod head and upper and lower rods, for lack of a better term, are parallel with two pivots points (the bolts) on both platforms. Tilting the tripod head downward moves the lower rod rearward causing it to pull on the lower part of the front platform which causes the front platform to pivot and the camera to tilt downward. Tilting the tripod head up does the reverse. That help?

Also, why is it so darn cheap in the US? I always hear you yanks talking about making all this fancy shmancy stuff for less than $30, and if I walked into any store over here and bought just the L-brackets, i'd be looking at $32 a pop =S

Metal isn't cheap here either. Walk into a retail store like Home Depot or Lowes and the stuff is insanely expensive. Metal supply stores are considerably cheaper but still not cheap. Turns out that new bed frames aren't cheap either, I just got another for $5 at a thrift store that was still in the original box. I looked it up online and the original price says $140! Ouch.

[majaka]

Cheers Cros, I think I'm beginning to see how it works... It's mostly due to that triangle shape. Hrmmh, I'm going to have to find a way to adapt it since I'm planning to have 3 bars for mine... I'm going to go and design it now =D Thanks for the inspiration - truly innovative!

I think you guys are extremely lucky with all the thrift stores, haha. I was jealous when I read that you got a tripod for $3 and now ANOTHER crane-bed?! We have heaps of great stores for clothes... if you're a girl... or an enthusiast of urine-stained sofas.

Another quick question - do you find the tilt is more effective if you have the head? I.E: is it easier to control when you're on the weight-end? Or does it just complicate it since you also have to balance the head? Or is it just completely useless unless you're standing right next to it?

[50chevy]

nice, thanks for sharing. Bed frames are great for cheap metal. I have made some tables from old frames.

Few questions.
What model of Velbon head did you use?
(Was searching google for velbon head) and lots of choices.

Is the dolly solid enough with the crane on it? No flex? (asking since making it portable is nice to have)

For the crane. If you have any measurements, please do share.

Did you get it right first try or have to play with the length, width etc?

Thanks for your time.

[Crosby!]

Cheers Cros, I think I'm beginning to see how it works... It's mostly due to that triangle shape.

Actually, no, nothing to do with the shape itself. It would work if they were round and worked the same before I cut into that shape. The front and rear platforms are on bolts that allow them to pivot. What makes it work this way, there are other ways of doing it, is due to the rear platform being mounted on a tilting tripod head.

Look at the following picture. The rear (right) piece is what mounts on the tripod and the front (left and upside down) is where the camera goes. Note that they're connected by the two rods. Now, since the top rod (longer one) is mounted on the tripod head it doesn't really move other than up and down. The lower rod moves both up and down and well and forward and back. It moves forward and back by tilting the tripod head.

Example, if you tilt the tripod head forward your causing the rear (right in the photo) lower rod to move backwards (toward you and the tripod). Since the front platform is attached to that same rod the lower part of it will move backwards causing the camera (that would be on the top in this picture) to tilt down. Tilting the tripod head up does the same by pushing on the lower part of the front platform causing the camera to tilt up.

Hrmmh, I'm going to have to find a way to adapt it since I'm planning to have 3 bars for mine... I'm going to go and design it now =D Thanks for the inspiration - truly innovative!

That's doable, just make sure your tripod can handle the weight. That was something I was thinking of, too, but this setup easily supports my Sony FX7 and I doubt I'll be getting anything that much heavier. The same principles will work with three rods/bars -- two on top and one as a controller. Just use a squared off "U" shape for the platforms.

I think you guys are extremely lucky with all the thrift stores, haha. I was jealous when I read that you got a tripod for $3 and now ANOTHER crane-bed?! We have heaps of great stores for clothes... if you're a girl... or an enthusiast of urine-stained sofas.

That tripod was a surprise. I've purchased a chrome snare drum stand, headless tripods in need to TLC -- was going to remove an adjustable leg and use it a steadycam part, etc, but the Velbon S-600 was new in box with the plastic bag and tags still on it. Price tag says "Bric a Brac $4.99" but it was a 30-40% discount that day.

Another quick question - do you find the tilt is more effective if you have the head? I.E: is it easier to control when you're on the weight-end? Or does it just complicate it since you also have to balance the head? Or is it just completely useless unless you're standing right next to it?

Well, you can operate from either end but, for my uses, the head is primarily for fixed position use when using the crane as a boom arm. I can set the camera over something happening on a table (food prep, writing, etc.) and aim it straight down which I don't have enough tilt on the crane to do. Then I can have another camera aimed at the person doing whatever and cut between them in editing.

If you balance it with weights it's very easy to use from either position as all you're really doing is controlling the movements and not supporting the weight. I can still see the HV30's LCD well enough to use it from the back but do have a fiber optic cable for the remote and plan to buy and mount a LCD panel of some type on the rear for framing and just coolness factor. :-)

[Crosby!]

nice, thanks for sharing. Bed frames are great for cheap metal. I have made some tables from old frames.

I met a guy on a welding forum that gave me the idea for using them. He has the good fortune of living near a bed and mattress dealer. Their mattresses come with bed frames and fairly often people are buying a new mattress to put on an existing bed and don't want the frames. The dealer was tossing them in a trash bin where the guy dumpster dived for them. Now they just stack them up and he comes by and picks them up, for free! EVERYTHING in his workshop (desk, shop chair, tables, tool mounts, etc.) is made from bed frames. I am so jealous! I called around and they all seem to keep them here.

Few questions.
What model of Velbon head did you use?
(Was searching google for velbon head) and lots of choices.

See previous message, that head was not necessary for the crane itself, just for camera boom use I wanted. Also, for what I wanted at least, ANY tripod head would work.

Is the dolly solid enough with the crane on it? No flex? (asking since making it portable is nice to have)

Haven't used it extensively but it worked great for my tests. Made from the same bed frame, wheels are bolted on.

For the crane. If you have any measurements, please do share.

Did you get it right first try or have to play with the length, width etc?

I just winged it knowing that if I was off I could easily drill another hole or two or twenty.

I went in thinking (guessing) 2/3rd up front of the tripod and 1/3rd in back. The frame is ~72" so I drilled the rear pivot point at 48". Now, originally the weights were on a piece of pipe I found and attached by wrapping a metal coat hanger and duct tape (see picture of it on the saw horses in the previous message) which increased the overall length -- especially to the rear. If I liked that setup them I would have either drilled and bolted it on or welded it in place.

Then I found the screw lock weight bar (see center below) and decided to mount it sideways instead of to the rear -- centers the weight better, too. So I drilled a 1" hole for the bar and attached it. Looks better, gives a nice handle and weights won't fall off smashing my foot while I helplessly scream in pain as I watch the camera slam into the cement in slow motion.