DIY tripod arm extension
This post is not a tutorial to make this tripod arm extension but just shows how I made it. If you have felt the need for this and didn’t know what to do(apart from buying the expensive ones online) then visit this blog.
Supplies I used:
5 foot long 1.25″ PVC pipe(3 feet should be enough, but my hardware store sold only 5 feet)
1 Hacksaw blade(to cut PVC pipe to 3 feet)
1 PVC pipe end cap
2 1/4″, 1.4-Inch length bolt
1 1/4″, 2-Inch length bolt
1 1/4″ Coupling Nut
Super glue
Drill bits: 15/64 and 3/8
Power drill(I used my Ikea drill)
Tripod
A bag with something heavy in it to balance the camera/phone weight.
This is what I had at the end of this DIY project.
How I did it:
First step is to cut the PVC pipe to the desired length. I cut off 2feet off my PVC pipe using a hacksaw blade, so I was left with a 3 feet pipe.
Set the pipe aside.
We now need to drill a hole in the PVC end cap using 15/64 drill bit.
I chose 15/64 as that was the immediate size(smaller) before 1/4 in my drill bit set, Since your bolts are 1/4″ thick, you would want the bolt to fit snug into the end cap, so I recommend using one size smaller drill bit.
Once I had drilled a hole in the cap, I screwed the 1.4-Inch bolt from the inside of the cap as shown below.
I’m trying to replicate the tripod Mount adapter here, so I don’t screw it in fully. Just as much as I have shown below.
I planned to use my phone for filming and recording videos, so I made sure my phone mount fit into the screw snugly.
I started drilling on one side(outer surface) and came out on the other side(outer surface) by drilling another hole as shown in the below picture.
Using a 3/8 drill bit I widened one of the holes by re-drilling into it. This is for the coupling nut, the other hole will be for the 1/4″ bolt.
The wider hole should be on the SAME side of the head of sand bag bolt.
Screw the tripod mount adapter into the coupling nut all the way in.
The tripod mount adapter should fit snug into the coupling nut.
Lastly, I fixed the tripod mount adapter back onto the tripod.
With this our tripod extension arm is complete and ready to use.
At the end , it should look like this.
I spent $35 for all the supplies (I had to buy a drill bit+ screwdriver set as I didn’t have one – $15) and 1 hour of effort making this. Considering what I would have spent if I’d bought one, this amount is not a lot at all. And the sense of accomplishment I got at the end of this DIY project made me every bit proud as I could get.
I have already used this setup for a few of my overhead shots and Instagram hand lettering videos and it has worked out very well. If you are interested in watching those videos , head over to my Instagram page and don’t forget to like it 🙂
Please remember that expensive recording gear is not important at all. What’s more important is your work and that you share it with others, So go ahead and share your work with whatever gear you’ve got in hand.
Till I post again!
Ranjitha