How to Make a PVC Table Dolly for Under $20

Filmaker Scott Eggleston has a love for low budget accessories. Eggleston is also an avid DIYer and he loves to come up with cool things you can do with low cost parts which can help your photography. This time around he takes a few PVC parts a cheap tripod, some wheels and in a very simple way create a simple – but useful – small dolly.

One thing to keep in mind – Eggleston mentions that the  dolly is small and the tripod head will probably not hold a full DSLR camera – so don’t build this to put your 5D MKIII and 27-70mm lens. However if you have a small camera and a small lens (think NEX 5 and a light small lens – even a small DSLR with a small lens might work) this can really be a low cost option. Alternatively you can try and find a more robust head that fits – but it could be hard to find one and probably more expensive.

Here are the parts that you will need:

  • A cheap tripod such as this one (which isn’t available, but you can find similar ones on ebay).
  • 2x 3/4″ PVC pipes, 3″ long
  • 7x 3/4″ PVC pipes, 1 1/2″ long
  • 3x 3/4″ PVC T-joints
  • 2x 3/4″ PVC elbow joints
  • 5x 3/4″ PVC couplers
  • 1x 1/2″ to 3/4″ PVC adapter
  • 1x 1/2″ PVC pipe, 1 1/2″ long
  • 4x 3/4″ PVC plugs
  • 4x Rollerblade wheel
  • 4x 1/4″ bolt, 2″ long
  • 8x 1/4″ nuts

Be sure to watch Eggleston “How to Make a DIY PVC Light Stand for Under $5“. You can also check out many more interesting DIY photography projects here on LensVid.

Iddo Genuth
Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.

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