DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

How to make a cheap, but stylish DIY shoulder rig out of wood

Aug 10, 2017 by Dunja Djudjic 1 Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

If you need a shoulder rig, but your budget is super-low, young filmmaker Mike Fink has a cheap, yet totally stylish DIY solution. He made his own shoulder rig out of wood and shared the details of the build in his latest video. The rig he made traveled with him across the country, and he shared some photos with DIYP. So, if you wanna feel like Robin Hood, but shoot videos instead of arrows, check out this DIY rig.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIc81huNMKo

You will need

Some of the items you can order online, but nuts, bolts and wood are easy to find at Lowe’s or Home Depot.

  • Mounting plate for rail system
  • Lanaparte 15mm threaded rods
  • 2 x 8 wood
  • 4 x 4 wood
  • 2 x 7inch hex bolts
  • 2x 5inch 3/4 width galvanized nipple
  • 2x M12 – 1.75 x 35mm bolts
  • 2x 1/2inch nuts
  • 2x 1/2inch washers
  • bicycle grips

Tools

  • A saw
  • A power drill with 1/2inch drill bit
  • A ruler/tape measure
  • A pen
  • Table grinder/sandpaper

How to make

The front

Start by cutting a 20inch section of the 2×8 wood. Take the ruler and pen and draw a trapezoid that will be the basic shape of your rig. These are the measures Mike used, but I believe they are subject to slight changes (and pardon my horrible drawing):

Once you draw the shape, it’s time to cut it out with the saw. After this, drill the holes for the handlebars.

When this is done, put the rods through the mount. Press them up against the front of the rig and mark the spots where they’re going to be. Mark that with the pen, and then drill the holes for the rods. Finally, draw a curved line at the bottom of the rig, and cut out the piece of the wood to give your rig a nice, curved shape.

When the drilling and cutting are done, it’s time to grind the edges. You can do it by hand, but it will probably take forever. So if you have the table grinder (or a nice friend who’ll borrow you one), it’s a better option.

The shoulder piece

You noticed the 4 x 4 wood I mentioned above? You’ll use it to make the shoulder piece. Cut out a 6.5inch section of it, and cut out a divot for your shoulder. Drill the holes for the rods just like you did with the front part. Grind the wood to make it nice and smooth, and now it’s time to assemble everything together.

Assembling the rig

Fit the rods with the mounting plate through the front part of the rig. Attach them with the 1.75 x 35mm bolts and washers.

For the bicycle handles, slide them on top of the galvanized nipples. Add the 7inch bolts through them, and then slide everything through the holes. Attach the handles with the bolts.

Finally, slide the other end of the rods through the shoulder piece.

Test the rig before you go shooting with it, because if something breaks, it’s better that it happens at home so you have time and materials to fix it.

To make your Robin Hood rig look even fancier, you can stain it and add some foam to the shoulder piece to make it more comfortable. And voila, you’re ready to shoot!

Here’s how it turned out for Mike, and as he told us, it took him about a day and a half to make the rig. You can see the example footage, along with the process of making, in the video above.

About Mike Fink

Mike Fink is a 26 year old filmmaker from Tennessee who has been making films since grade school.  He makes his own short films and works as a self-employed videographer. You can check out his short films on his YouTube channel, and connect with him on Twitter and Instagram.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

This custom DIY shoulder rig will turn your camera into a video making monster for $200 Default ThumbnailDIY DSLR PVC Shoulder Rig Default ThumbnailA Portable DIY Travel Jib / Shoulder Rig Default ThumbnailHow To Build a Portable DIY Travel Jib / Shoulder Rig

Filed Under: DIY Tagged With: cheap DIY project, DIY, diy rig, rig

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« The Power Of Faces: Looking at the global refugee crisis
Edelkrone launches SurfaceONE, smart motion control system for perfect panning and timelapse shots »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • My first year with the Mamiya M645 medium format film camera
  • 2023 Milky Way Photographer of the Year contest unveils jaw-dropping winning photos
  • Rare albino giant panda caught on camera in China
  • Astera’s 1,000W output LeoFresnel light uses only 250W of power
  • Non-profit slammed $1,000+ fine for re-sharing an Instagram photo

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy