The YouTube channel Rideable Entertainment may just have created the most impressive DIY camera slider I have ever seen. It's made partially of wood but not in a cheap way. It has more of a Steam Punk look to it with some effort put into the finishing. The most impressive part is that they even managed to make it motorized, something that a lot of affordable sliders in the early days couldn't even do.
When DSLR's first started coming with video capabilities the DIY community and low budget filmmakers went crazy designing all sorts of solutions for getting the most out of these new cameras. I myself built all sorts of things from Jibs, Dollies, and sliders, to Shotgun Mic Blimps. Anything and everything was on the table to make a better film. It was a really cool time to be an aspiring filmmaker. There are still lots of great projects for someone needing to stay on a budget but the market has become saturated with much more affordable alternatives for purchase. Plus there are all kinds of hacks to turn cheaper items into better ones with a little effort. Fstoppers wrote an article recently on how to motorize a non-motorized slider fairly easily and affordably.
However if you still want to give building your own slider a try, or you just don't have the cash to buy one of the cheaper third party knock offs, then this DIY build is the one I would recommend. Based on the parts listed you can get everything from your local hardware store for very little money. There are zero electronics involved, not even a motor is needed. The entire thing is motor driven with a cordless drill. For someone on a budget this seems to get results. The hardest part of building this slider is the wood work and if quality looking finish is of no interest to you then just about anyone could build this. The creators even provide a free template for all the pieces. Rideable Entertainment doesn't currently have very many videos uploaded but the quality of this video and description for building the slider is excellent. Ill definitely be keeping an eye out to see what other projects they upload in the future.
[via Rideable Entertainment]
