Making an Extendable Camera Arm - DIY Overhead Camera Rig

Рет қаралды 85,918

5 жыл бұрын

For a very long time I’ve had the idea to make some sort of roof mounted overhead camera rig to improve the filming in my workshop. (I’m constantly tripping over my tripod..) And I finally decided to go for it and I made this extendable camera arm that mounts to the ceiling of my workshop. On one slide the camera arm covers roughly half my workshop so I will add a second slide for the camera arm to get full coverage and I can get rid of my tripod in the workshop. What’s cool is that my old manfrotto ball head mounts on it to give my camera a full range.For a very long time I’ve had the idea to make some sort of roof mounted overhead camera rig to improve the filming in my workshop. (I’m constantly tripping over my tripod..) And I finally decided to go for it and I made this extendable camera arm that mounts to the ceiling of my workshop. On one slide the camera arm covers roughly half my workshop so I will add a second slide for the camera arm to get full coverage and I can get rid of my tripod in the workshop. What’s cool is that my old manfrotto ball head mounts on it to give my camera a full range.
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Пікірлер: 222

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Since I get a lot of questions about it: The clamps I used are called eccentric clamps. I bought mine over here but they can be bought elsewhere as well: bit.ly/2m9abzk (not sponsored)

@ronfoy9618 4 жыл бұрын

The Practical Engineer it would have been awesome to pile it long ways of the entire room so you could slide it the full room

@PremSingh-wj1nk 3 жыл бұрын

Where do you buy the camera adaptor

@walshesworkshop 3 жыл бұрын

Nice one! I just came to the comments to see if anyone else asked lol

@FNBRENT 3 жыл бұрын

could you make me one and if so what would it cost me this is what i need and the dont sell them nowhere but i need it for a microphone

@CraigHollabaugh 5 жыл бұрын

Congratulations on your successful rig. Glad to see you didn't compromise on rigidity or length. Thanks.

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I'd actually like to make the top a bit more sturdy but there is only a small space where I can drill in the roof

@CraigHollabaugh 5 жыл бұрын

Have you thought about adding another clamp to your slider to clamp to the slider to the ceiling rail?

@HouseDoctorRay Жыл бұрын

Excellent idea and video! Definitely will help me with my build. One safety tip - *always* clamp metal when drilling, even if it is soft aluminum. If the drill bit catches it becomes a knuckle buster.

@AndyCPugh 5 жыл бұрын

I've had a similar project on my list for a while. Seeing this has just pushed it up the list a fair bit.

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Mission accomplished!

@EthanCarterDesigns 5 жыл бұрын

As someone who also has a small shop, this is SUCH an awesome idea! I definitely need to figure something like this out too!

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Yeah, you should. It turned out very helpful when using it last weekend

@cwsmittenaar 5 жыл бұрын

A suggestion to remove more wobble from the long stretch would be to put a set of ceiling rails like the ones you already have between them and make them travel on them. Then mount the camera arm on that rail. You don't have to "re-mount" the camera from side to side, just slide it to the new position readjust the arm (which can be shorter now) and your good to go. You could even support the longer rails along the middle of the track at the outside to prevent sag, by attaching to the ceiling at strategic points with single rail I-beam type connections.

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Hey Charles, Thanks for the extensive comment! I first looked at making a xy gantry system in my shop similar to a large shop crane or a 3d printer has. But the cost of material would be pretty high. That's why I went for this option. You are right though and It would make for a nice system

@MakingItOutOfTheWoods 5 жыл бұрын

Great idea. I love this , super handy- and the Wooden version Stephen’s 8x6 workshop has is a thing of beauty. Nice job 🤩🌲🦊🌲

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I was to scared to make it out of wood. Aluminium feels like it doesn't break as soon. I've actually watched Stephens video twice for ideas.

@TheMollyQuest 4 жыл бұрын

Stunning work!!!👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾

@Samcraftcom 4 жыл бұрын

This is one of the best camera rigs I have come across online. I like the simple yet strong construction. I am a new subscriber from your shop tour video but am enjoying your channel a lot! You're going to sky-rocket on KZfaq! Great ideas!

@Thepracticalengineer 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words! Let's hope we skyrocket :)

@ofghostsandotherforms2332 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you SO much for this video, you just taught me that I need to get a 3D printed Tripod Head base! I've been looking for other solutions for way too long!

@BlagojceKolicoski 5 жыл бұрын

That looks awesome! I'll be making one for my self! Thanks!

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Show me when it's done!

@RobytheFlorentine 3 жыл бұрын

I am astonished by how well you have organized your small space. And good projects. Best regards from Florence, Italy

@Thepracticalengineer 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Roby! That's nice to hear! I try to keep it as organised and tidy as possible to be able to work efficient

@daveleyerle2525 4 жыл бұрын

Love your energy!!!

@HenkKleinee 4 жыл бұрын

That's something I need to make some day. Good Job Emiel

@MGMakes 5 жыл бұрын

What a cool idea (you are an encyclopedia of them to be fair) I may have to try something like this myself. Great work buddy. 👊👊👊

@arkadiychernikov 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Emiel. This is the best design and implementation I could find for a few hours of searching. Gone to make it.

@Thepracticalengineer 4 жыл бұрын

Thats cool to hear! You might want to make the mount to the ceiling a bit more rigid than mine has. The flex it has there gives a lot of movement

@arkadiychernikov 4 жыл бұрын

The Practical Engineer Emiel, as I can see the movement comes mostly from sliding/rotating discs. So I am making the spacer (white turned part in your video) a little bit thinner, and replacing one of the bracket bolts with the eccentric clamp. So after the arm is slid and rotated to the desired position the discs assembly can be tightened. By the way, your design just looks simple and easy. Actually, it is pretty knowledge-intensive with lots of interesting ideas.

@arkadiychernikov 4 жыл бұрын

I have made it finally. My shop is pretty small too, just a little bigger than yours. So my rails are 8 ft long, and I had to add the third rail mounting block in the middle. The eccentric clamp that tightens the disks works great. The only movement left is from the rails flexibility, but it is of low frequency and easy to stop. Thank you again for the idea Emiel!

@tacrewgirl 2 жыл бұрын

Great video. Thanks for the tutorial.

@StrawbyteWorkshop 5 жыл бұрын

Fantastic Project - I've been toying with the same idea but hadn't considered the clamps you used.

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yeah, the clamps make the difference here :) They are these ones: uk.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/221005521569/?KWSearch=eccentric%20lever&searchFlow=results2products

@P51Maniak 3 жыл бұрын

Hi ! Thank you very much for this great tutorial. Superb look and super efficient arms. I saw a lot of models on KZfaq and I conclude that your model is the best that I have seen (according to my criteria). Well done and all good to you Alain from Switzerland

@jdh23h 8 ай бұрын

Very nice work

@hammerbrothatypecast680 3 жыл бұрын

i really like this idea, thank you.

@FCPK 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent idea

@BYOTmuted 4 жыл бұрын

This gave me some great ideas for my own shop. Soooo Smart! Nice work bud!

@nickteachworth893 3 жыл бұрын

Love the project man!

@MrCrankyface 5 жыл бұрын

That's a really nice camera arm/mount!

@JamesMayer125 5 жыл бұрын

What a great idea mate, as I was watching this video I thought of how I could use something like this in my shed. Great job mate keep up the good work!!

@Thepracticalengineer 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks James! If not for filming a smaller version could also be used to hold a work light or something

@FredMcIntyre 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome job Emiel! 😃👍🏻👊🏻

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Fred!

@susanswenson3960 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome, a genius inventor.

@daveleyerle2525 4 жыл бұрын

Your small work space gives me hope!!!!!!!!

@Thepracticalengineer 4 жыл бұрын

Everything is possible if you are creative enough to find a way ;)

@MADGEAR 3 жыл бұрын

Wow. the result is pretty good.

@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 3 жыл бұрын

This is lovely.

@TheOnlyGuess Жыл бұрын

Well done

@MakeBrooklyn 5 жыл бұрын

Well done!! I may have to do something similar, that would be so useful in my tiny shop!

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

It sure is! I've filmed with it last weekend and it took a bit of getting used to but opened up a lot of new angles and possibilities

@sags29 2 жыл бұрын

Good job !

@FixitEasyDIY 9 ай бұрын

Great 👍👍👍 I will definitely copy that ❤

@southerncustomcuts729 5 жыл бұрын

I also work out of a small shop and the tripod drives me crazy. I’m going to look to adapt your camera mount arm to my situation! Great video!

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot! love to see your version!

@subseeker 4 жыл бұрын

Very nice setup 👍

@DaveGDesigns 5 жыл бұрын

Love it emiel 👌🏻

@mehranroqangaran7815 Жыл бұрын

You are amazing!

@muhammedbeytullahkuzu5114 Ай бұрын

good job!👏🏻

@bruner 4 жыл бұрын

Brilliant 🙂 Thank you!

@Stephens8x6Workshop 5 жыл бұрын

Super job mate. It's going to make filming so mush easier. I suspect you're going to get a lot of use out of it. I've never regretted making a roof mounted arm like this for my 8x6 workshop

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment Stephen! I've watched your video twice for inspiration. Including the hardware store run :)

@Stephens8x6Workshop 5 жыл бұрын

@@Thepracticalengineer ha ha 👍

@RustyInventions-wz6ir 7 ай бұрын

Just found your channel and Subscribed. Thanks. I really need to build something like this for my shop.

@Gajbotron 3 жыл бұрын

The hero we all need but don`t deserve.

@JoshmanJoyce 5 жыл бұрын

Awesome Idea!

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@martijn0104 5 жыл бұрын

Very handy arm dude, gonna make on for my vids to. Awesome

@masaed2987 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, it was helpful and inspiring ❤️

@GettinJunkDone 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome Job! Keep it up!

@Thepracticalengineer 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@homesickandwestbound4321 4 жыл бұрын

dude!!! This is such a great idea! I love it! All I need is a workshop!

@Thepracticalengineer 4 жыл бұрын

Make one ;)

@WarriorYTofficial2.0 9 ай бұрын

Fantastic 👌

@daveleyerle2525 4 жыл бұрын

Appreciate your explanations!

@Thepracticalengineer 4 жыл бұрын

@neffamily 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent sharing thanks for sharing this

@TheTinkerDad 5 жыл бұрын

Hey, New subscriber here! Just wanted to say congrats on this project - it's simple yet powerful. I too suffer from the "small workshop" problem, so I'll definitely make something similar! Keep up the good work!

@bboomermike2126 8 ай бұрын

3d printed parts simple???

@TheGuitarNerdShow 3 жыл бұрын

This is genius. As someone who has no real skill or experience or power tools, I wish you'd build and market these, they'd definitely fill a void in the market. If they were reasonably priced I'd probably buy two.

@Thepracticalengineer 3 жыл бұрын

They are kind of specific for every use.. That makes it hard to make and sell them I guess

@phantxm6259 5 жыл бұрын

Great job!

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@fasspot 3 жыл бұрын

Great work!! :)

@WorksbySolo 5 жыл бұрын

Wonderful solution! Yes, tripods can be problematic. This should give you some nice top-down camera views also. Looking forward to seeing this used in your next videos.

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I have already used it to film my next project, it took a bit of getting used to but I'm very happy with it.

@karmazone6483 5 жыл бұрын

Creatief en super leuk gedaan!

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Dankjewel!

@alinaseri7951 2 жыл бұрын

fantastic.😀

@miir7781 4 жыл бұрын

Way crafty & Cool

@Thepracticalengineer 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Maria!

@jerryphungson 4 жыл бұрын

Excellent

@enriquegarcia7613 5 жыл бұрын

You should have way more suscribers, keep up the good job!!

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Share it with your friends and we'll get there :)

@oplelectronics9366 2 жыл бұрын

superb bro

@FloridaBackYard 3 жыл бұрын

Fantastic

@stonebayrocker 5 жыл бұрын

So good! I really enjoy your content! It didn't bother me with this type of video! Me like!

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! that's nice to hear!

@mestruorlan1763 3 жыл бұрын

How I wish to have same workshop so I could do much of what I think about. This one is amazing!

@Thepracticalengineer 3 жыл бұрын

:) Start small. I started in my living room, then the garden and then I got this space.

@mestruorlan1763 3 жыл бұрын

@@Thepracticalengineer thank you for the advise. Since we have this pandemic and we have no face to face classes to our students, I temporarily made my room a small DIY shop for my projects. I made some table and hand free alcohol dispenser out of scrap woods and aluminum.

@mdahsankhan4361 5 жыл бұрын

I see another creative Hitman Building an elevator in living room

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

hahaha

@SpeartheBrave 3 жыл бұрын

Very cool build man! interesting channel..

@Creative_Electronics 3 жыл бұрын

Dit is wel handig!! mooi gedaan ;)

@gillesimard1 2 жыл бұрын

genial! i love it, smart guy really talent full

@MakeShapeCreate 5 жыл бұрын

New sub here! This is an amazing idea! We might need to do something like this eventually for our shop!

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you! You should! I'm really happy with mine. Just think about the location you mount it on the ceiling to get the best coverage

@Everythings_Adjustable 5 жыл бұрын

Nice job and not one cookie in sight 👍 😊

@ibtarnine Жыл бұрын

thanks dude, this is super interesting. i'm trying to build myself a quality articulating task lamp and this should work nicely. everything sold these days is total garbage, the arms can barely hold up the light socket they're mounted to, so i guess i have to build my own.

@monyche3315 4 жыл бұрын

¡ Te felicito por tu trabajo, exelente video, la exelencia tota hace rato vi otro videom parecido pero en madera de un señor, pensè que era lo mejor, pero me rè equivoquè, este video es lo mejor de lo mejor, sos un grande!

@harindergill7221 2 жыл бұрын

Liked. Thanks

@rafaelaiello2006 5 жыл бұрын

Good video!

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@louloutb56 5 жыл бұрын

Beau travail bravo .

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Gracias!

@AyyPeffGames 3 жыл бұрын

this was an awesome video! thanks for the inspiration to build my own gear rather than buying super expensive pre-manufactured stuff

@Thepracticalengineer 3 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear! Most stuff can be diy-ed

@nextlevelhd9869 2 жыл бұрын

thanks

@SMMottershead 3 жыл бұрын

Cool Video :P

@walthodgson5780 5 жыл бұрын

Nice work! I love how you maximize such a small workspace. A thought on the joints - there are mechanisms that release tension when you press them, rather than the flip handles you've got, that would allow you to grab the joint, squeeze, and reposition. If you were to accidentally let go of the arm, the joint would lock and not drop your rig. Unfortunately Google is failing me right now or I'd supply a link.

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot! I try to keep the place efficient. Those mechanisms would work really well indeed :) Let me know if you remember

@Rouverius 4 жыл бұрын

Cool. I can see how this could be modified for extra spot lighting too. (Hey, Sorry to be spamming your channel this weekend. I've just found your channel and really excited by the cool projects like this one. )

@Thepracticalengineer 4 жыл бұрын

For light it would work really well indeed! No problem, I'm glad you like the video

@Makebuildmodify 5 жыл бұрын

I like you design. I've made a couple of rigs similar to this but they have alway been a little wobbly when fully extended. How stable is your design when at full reach?

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

It is a little wobbly at long reach, but that is mainly from the connection to my roof. I only have one beam I can drill in..

@lolo-tw9gq 5 жыл бұрын

Como siempre haciéndo una obra maestra buena crack

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks a lot!

@JohnMadeit 5 жыл бұрын

It's not has useful as the high five machine but I like it😁 I need something like this for my workshop also. I'm always tripping over my tripod

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Not every project can be useful. Sometimes you just have to make something for laughs, like this

@paulv69 4 жыл бұрын

Marry me lol! Awesome, from one doer to another: well done!

@carbonator24tv84 4 жыл бұрын

Tnx for sharing sir.help me a lot..keep safe every one.t.y

@Thepracticalengineer 4 жыл бұрын

Glad it helps you :)

@thiagorojas7327 5 жыл бұрын

Eres uno de los grandes no entiendo por que no tienes muchos suscriptores 😉☺😍

@retrogames3186 5 жыл бұрын

Ni yo

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

IT takes time to build it up. I'm glad you like it.

@edwinbenitez75 5 жыл бұрын

Wow eres muy ingenioso sigue así bro

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@edwinbenitez75 5 жыл бұрын

Your welcome bro

@asankakarawita3500 4 жыл бұрын

Perfect example for engineering..

@waseemandhisdad 3 жыл бұрын

I am jealous

@CasualDIY 5 жыл бұрын

Great video and idea, I may pinch that for my workshop if you don't mind?

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Hey, Yes of course! I'd love to see it.

@CasualDIY 5 жыл бұрын

@@Thepracticalengineer thanks👍

@retrogames3186 5 жыл бұрын

Muy buenas creaciones amigo Edit: buen vídeo

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Gracias!

@hmsweet5227 3 жыл бұрын

Very good! I could use one but I need it to hold a projector. Is this one strong enough?

@JonFordWoodworks 3 жыл бұрын

Very cool idea - you should sell the printed parts!

@kcheg7957 Жыл бұрын

Looks like a great little project to try. One thing I noticed that wasnt related to your project directly that you may not be aware of. You should be very careful using the same grinders for aluminium and steel products as any build up on the wheels of aluminium can accidently cause a thermite reaction in the presence of iron and heat from the wheel friction. (Think welding railway tracks welding process) The result can be explosive and quite dangerous so make sure that you replace the wheels or discs after use or alternatively use dedicated discs for each metal to avoid accidents. Just a cautionary thought not a criticism. A friend had this happen years ago and was injured , thus the cautionary word.

@ACNailedIt 5 жыл бұрын

Very nice! You'll be able to get some nice angles and shots now. Does the camera vibration much at the end of the long arm?

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yeah I'm super happy with it. It bounces for about a second or so when you touch it and then it stays steady

@ACNailedIt 5 жыл бұрын

@@Thepracticalengineer Nice. Man, I knew your shop was small, but 2x3M ?? Hats off to you for making that work for ya!

@Thepracticalengineer 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! yeah, well when making something that fits on a desk its doable

@DanielH 4 жыл бұрын

Will try something for my shop to. Something to easy cover my 15 square meters shop

@Thepracticalengineer 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome! the best tip I can give is: make the connection with the arm to the roof or track as solid as possible. The long arm makes a lot of flex from a small bit of flex up top