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tripod

This is my second go at a tripod- same three-stage design, but much lighter- the first one was ash and dramatically overbuild. I hesitate to mention that this was built out of Spanish Cedar- yes, cigar box cedar. Not only does it smell great (?) but it’s very light. Spanish cedar is much like Honduran mahogany- open grained, lovely to work, and has a durability and stability that belies it’s lightness. The cam levers are yellowheart.

I like to spread the word of this ingenious tripod clamp wherever possible. Originated by Dick Streff  (http://www.skgrimes.com/library/old-news/dick-streffs-camlock-tripod), I made only superficial changes to suit the leg design I used.  (Check out his leg spike design too.) Works better than any commercial tripod I’ve used. Extends to 66″ , collapses to 32″ and weighs only 5lb; 7lb  with the Ries doubletilt head. I thought of making the bottom section reversible, with rubber tips on that end for smooth surfaces, but instead made some caps for the spikes- rubber tips bored out to friction fit on the spikes. I threaded in some eye screws to thread a cord through to keep the legs from spreading accidentally, but haven’t needed to use it.

Each leg stage is double chamfered and nests in the next stage. The spike (lower leg) stage is diamond shaped in section and is countered by a slightly larger block that is screwed to the end of the second stage. I cut these blocks from the spike stage, then take a few plane passes off the legs so they don’t bind up even loosened.  Stops are  made for each stage with a flanged bearing that are stopped by the u-bolts of the cam clamps and keeps each stage from flying apart when extending. It’s a very quick setup- under 10 seconds. Height is controlled from the bottom up- there’s nothing in the upper section to clamp against unless it’s nesting the both the second and third sections, so any adjustments must start at the bottom, because the spike stage is of course solid  and can be clamped against anywhere along it’s length. Not a major inconvenience considering the weight savings and how small it collapses.

I used 1/4″  stainless double-ended table bolts and ground off the machine thread and tapered it to a point for the spike end and used the coarse thread end to screw into the leg. I clamped a drill to a table so the pilot bit is parallel to the surface and a guide fence and then run the leg end into the bit to drill the pilot hole. The pilot hole is filled with silicone before the lag is screwed in. The end of the leg is tenoned to accept a brass flare fitting- 3/8 to 5/8 if I remember correctly. The tenon was cut by wedging the leg into a length of ABS pipe and rolling the tube in place over a dado blade.

The yoke where the legs meet was the most awkward part to make the first time out, the platform that the head sits on. The yoke for the  first tripod I made from a solid piece of 12/4 ash, but for this one I made a series of  spokes 1 1/2 wide x 1″ thick out of cherry, double mitered the ends so they would all meet at 120 degrees in a Y arrangement, then laminated a 4″ x 3/8″ cherry disk to the top. Much simpler that way. Once cured, the hole for the head axial knob and bolt is drilled and counter-bored. A paper-thin disc of UHMW plastic is used as a bearing for the Ries head, since it doesn’t have a pan function, the mounting knob for the head is loosened enough to pan smoothly on the plastic.

The legs are connected with quite a collection of hardware. A 1/4-20 x 2″ thread SS machine screw, lock washer, flanged nylon bearing on each side, an internal nylon sleeve bearing between the two flanged bearings to keep the machine thread from chewing up the wood, another lock washer and finally a 1/4-20 lock nut. I tried the clamping nuts like the Zone VI, but they snag on everything and break easily. I just tighten the lock nut enough for the connection to be tight enough to support the legs of the tripod when moving it around setup- it’s a pain when  you need to move the pod a few feet over and the leg you can’t hold onto  folds back in when you pick the thing up.

The head is attached with an oversized knob on a 3/8-20 threaded stud, and the hole through the yoke is similarly lined with a sleeve bearing.

All the wood parts were finished with penetrating teak oil. Easy to apply and maintain.

Notes for next attempt- If I do make another one I’ll pre-drill the axis holes for the legs before gluing up the yoke- very difficult to clamp this arrangement on a drill press, and if the holes are even 1/4 degree out of plumb the legs swing a little funny. Only noticeable when collapsed and tied up with the velcro strap, but still a little bothersome. Also, there is a temptation to off-center the hole of the cam too much when making the clamps- very little eccentricity is needed for a secure clamping. Too much and and the sections will  be too loose when unlocked, and will tend to fly right past the stops when extending. Need to make the clamping yoke plates a little more graceful- the thread from the U-bolts tend to scuff up the opposing leg when collapsed and strapped up. Also, the wood is a little soft for the leg pivots- I should make some sort of metal sleeve to take the clamping pressure from the bolts. The washers are starting to sink into the wood from tightening them, and the legs swing more freely than I would like.

Edit: Updated design here-

DIY Tripod, revised