# Building my own tripod head



## Badabinski (Oct 20, 2022)

Recently, I've been getting back into photography. It's been a passion of mine since I was in high school, but I gave up on it because I had to figure out that whole "Adult" thing. I started shooting some photos this spring with an Olympus mirrorless camera and I got hooked all over again. A few months ago I picked up a Sony A7iii with some cheapish Sony lenses (50mm f2.8 macro, 50mm f1.8). Then I made the horrible mistake of renting a very nice (and very expensive) Sony 35mm f/1.4 GM lens. One thing lead to another and I now own a Sigma 35mm f/1.2 and a SIgma 85mm f/1.4. They are fantastic lenses, but they're also very expensive.

Then, I found out that I owed Uncle Sam a lot of cashola on the same day my two shiny new lenses came in. Oops. My fun budget is now gone for several months.

However, I still need a tripod with a good head. I've owned some junky Sunpaks and I'm sick of them. I want to make my own tripod, starting with the head. I know it won't be as light as some of the fancy composite stuff that's out today, but the point of having a machine shop is so that you can make massively overbuilt shiny things.

So, here's what I'm thinking:

The head will use an Arca-Swiss style mounting system
This doesn't seem like the most convenient mounting system, but the plates are plentiful and it's compatible with a bunch of fun gadgets. Plus, it seems really secure!

The head will be a pan head
I won't be making a ball head. I don't have a ball turner, and I doubt I could hit the tolerances needed. Pan heads are slower, but I've used them and I think they're fine as long as they tighten quickly and firmly (I hate "squishy" pan heads)

The head will prioritize stability and durability over weight
I won't be hiking up a mountain with this tripod. Most parts will be steel. I have a lot of 4140PH on hand, but I may try to use stainless to avoid rust (I have 15-5, 17-4, Duplex 2205, Cronidur 30, and maaaybe some 303/304/316). Bearing surfaces will be bronze where needed (I don't have much bronze)
Tolerances will need to be quite tight in some places if I want this head to lock up nicely, meaning there may need to be some form of dust exclusion (I live in a very dry and dusty place)
Where possible, I'll prefer single parts over groups of parts. This will increase the machining time but should result in a maximally rigid head

The head will be shiny and flashy
I'm like a crow, I like shiny things. I have some nice brass offcuts that would make great knobs. I may use off-the-shelf screws for durability, but everything else will be bespoke to ensure maximum shininess

I'm still in the concept stage, so I don't have any drawings. I need to find out what makes a good pan head, and I don't have anything on-hand that I can copy. This thread will detail research, design, and the build.


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 20, 2022)

Not to be that guy, but I'm going to be that guy...

Buy used on craigslist. Trust me... it will be cheaper in the long run. Better if you find a nice used manfrotto . I've had mine for 27 years, never a problem. Rock solid, used to use Nikon F4 and a 7 lb prime lens.

The other reason I say this is that you will likely find shooting video becomes something you want to do. You want smooth panning and zero noise via friction/vibration while panning that is hard to achieve with a pan and tilt head unless your design and machine skills are good

A quick check online tells me that a 3 way pan and tilt head can be had for 100 CAD so about 75 USD, entire tripod for just over 100 bucks used.


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## Badabinski (Oct 20, 2022)

So, research! I'm a software developer, so my inclination is to Google stuff and steal all my answers.

I thought that Arca-Swiss mounts were standardized, but they aren't. Arca-Swiss just made some stuff many years ago, and now everyone is reverse engineering their own plates which is obnoxious.

I'm planning on making the plate and "receiver" (for lack of a better word), so ideally I'd get drawings of both of those parts. Luckily, some guy on the internet did that!








						Tripod head adapter
					

Homebuilt tilt adapter for tripod ball head. Mounts with Arca Swiss type dovetail quick release clamp and plate.




					blog.pdxtex.com
				



(Here's an archived version of that page in case it goes away: https://web.archive.org/web/20220125175626/http://blog.pdxtex.com/2013/03/tripod-head-adapter.html)

I also found this youtube video: 



There's a link to some Fusion360 files in the description that I'll probably use.

I've had less success with finding other pan head builds. I want to build something like a Benro HD1A, although I'd like it to be a bit more stout. I believe I understand the principles it's using (circular clamps that are just tightened down with a screw), but there are always nuances to be missed. I'd also like to try to build in some form of friction/viscous dampening for at least one of the axes, but I doubt that I'll be able to make that work for now. I see this as a V1.


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## Badabinski (Oct 20, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> Not to be that guy, but I'm going to be that guy...
> 
> Buy used on craigslist. Trust me... it will be cheaper in the long run. Better if you find a nice used manfrotto . I've had mine for 27 years, never a problem. Rock solid, used to use Nikon F4 and a 7 lb prime lens.
> 
> ...


Unfortunately, my budget really is zero. If I want to buy a used tripod, I'll need to wait several months. I'm totally flush with raw stock, hardware, cutters, and tools, but I have to work with what I have and nothing more.

Now, I could probably make other things in my shop to make some money for a tripod and head (tops and toys, small jobs for friends, but probably nothing too serious). I don't contest that a used Manfrotto head will be better than anything I can make right now. However, I feel really excited about researching and building this. I've been struggling to come up with project ideas that I actually feel passionate about, but now I've finally found one. So, I'll put this as a disclaimer for anyone from the future who is coming across this thread:

*If you need a good tripod head, just go buy a used one! It will be better. I'm building my own because it sounds fun and I already have everything I need to build it.*

So with that said, ever onwards!


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 20, 2022)

Badabinski said:


> Unfortunately, my budget really is zero. If I want to buy a used tripod, I'll need to wait several months. I'm totally flush with raw stock, hardware, cutters, and tools, but I have to work with what I have and nothing more.
> 
> Now, I could probably make other things in my shop to make some money for a tripod and head (tops and toys, small jobs for friends, but probably nothing too serious). I don't contest that a used Manfrotto head will be better than anything I can make right now. However, I feel really excited about researching and building this. I've been struggling to come up with project ideas that I actually feel passionate about, but now I've finally found one. So, I'll put this as a disclaimer for anyone from the future who is coming across this thread:
> 
> ...



just the response I expected. 

forget that quick release plate in the video, if you go to the bother at least make it a cam lock.

If you want I can try to disassemble my head and provide you pics and info


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## Badabinski (Oct 20, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> just the response I expected.
> 
> forget that quick release plate in the video, if you go to the bother at least make it a cam lock.
> 
> If you want I can try to disassemble my head and provide you pics and info



Ah, cam lock looks like it's a _lot_ more convenient! It probably won't be too much harder to make either, since I can cut the actual cam on a CNC mill.

That would be tremendously helpful if it's not too much to ask. I'll continue doing my own research, but having someone with a machinist's understanding providing some photos would be great!


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 20, 2022)

Badabinski said:


> Ah, cam lock looks like it's a _lot_ more convenient! It probably won't be too much harder to make either, since I can cut the actual cam on a CNC mill.
> 
> That would be tremendously helpful if it's not too much to ask. I'll continue doing my own research, but having someone with a machinist's understanding providing some photos would be great!


I'll try to post some later tonight. Right now my brother is bugging me to come finish welding a project


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 20, 2022)

BTW I wasn't aware that you had cnc mill. Whole job easy peasy then


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## Badabinski (Oct 20, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> BTW I wasn't aware that you had cnc mill. Whole job easy peasy then


I don't, but my makerspace does (it's some old, small Tormach). I plan to do most of the job on my manual PM-728VT mill and Sheldon lathe, but I'll use the space's mill when needed.


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 20, 2022)

Man I wish we had maker spaces with cnc mills of any sort.

Okay so to start, the bottom plate of the mount needs to be beefy enough to hold weight. It needs design features to match the common tripod legs out there. 

That means using a 3/8" - 16 UNC thread in the bottom of the main trunnion. Making the trunnion base as wide as that mounting plate on the tripod, and the buttressed portion wide and deep enough to support a large camera rig. This is the foundation and is vital. Over 1" in diameter and over 1.25" in height. In the photo below the trunnion is the silver bit protruding below the black polycarbonate plastic (I think thats what the main body material is on mine.

Machined depressions in the bottom of the trunnion accept one or more set screws that run thru the top plate of the tripod to prevent the head from unscrewing from the legs while in use.




Use a pattern that matches that used by your preferred tripod legs, or in common array such as the angled depressions used by manfrotto. 




My tripod mount has head retention 3 set screws as below.










Then you need a rotational azimuth pivot an altitude pivot and a orientation pivot on top of that trunnion all aligned to center of the head.

The pivot center should be at least two inches wide, and the pivot rods at fairly beefy. The altitude pivot should have a counterbalance spring installed in the housing to return the head to 0 deg latitude.


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 20, 2022)

I can't disassemble mine because the stickers over the screw heads are too well affixed but here are some pics.




Note the stops to limit the rotation of the pivots... you dont want a camera to flip down and have the lens smash a leg of the tripod


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 20, 2022)

A short video...

The cam and the latch lever both have springs in them. The latching lever is attached to the plate with friction fit pins simply pressed into narrow slots.


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## matthewsx (Oct 20, 2022)

I love this place....


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## Badabinski (Oct 20, 2022)

This is great! Work decided to hammer me so I wasn't able to really respond, but this is all fantastic! Thank you for doing this.


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## Ischgl99 (Oct 20, 2022)

A Manfrotto 500 series video head would be a great project, and works very well with any kind of photography.  I had my tripod and ball head stolen last year and when I bought new, went with the MVH500AH and don’t miss the ball head at all.  The only downside is you need an L bracket for portrait orientation with a video head.  

Another alternative that might be easier to build is an Acratech  Long Lens Head 









						Acratech Long Lens Head for Large Telephoto Lenses
					

The Acratech Long Lens Head is your solution for a strong and light tripod head.  The indexable clamp will allow you can also shoot with your wide angle lens.




					www.acratech.net
				




For the Arca Swiss plates, cam clamps might be nice and convenient, but your plates must be consistently wide, otherwise they might not hold securely.  I use screw clamps on mine and have made several plates for my lenses, but haven’t made a clamp yet since I can get them for less than $20.  For the dimensions of the plate dovetails, Really Right Stuff has the dimensions on their website, that is what I use when I made mine.  https://www.reallyrightstuff.com/dovetail-standard 

For deciding on how to make things, research patents and product manuals, they usually have drawings good enough to get the design process going.


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 21, 2022)

Ischgl99 said:


> A Manfrotto 500 series video head would be a great project, and works very well with any kind of photography.  I had my tripod and ball head stolen last year and when I bought new, went with the MVH500AH and don’t miss the ball head at all.  The only downside is you need an L bracket for portrait orientation with a video head.
> 
> Another alternative that might be easier to build is an Acratech  Long Lens Head
> 
> ...



If you dont ever want to switch to portrait mode the acratech is a nice easy cnc build to copy.

But so too is the Manfrotto if you dont care about having flowing edges everywhere.  Just a few chucks of aluminum to mill in various ways... add some curves via rotary table and a belt sander.  Inset small keys to make the travel limit stops.

IF I were to make one of these that uses mostly die cast parts I'd try to make moulds and cast it in aluminum, or if I was feeling risky I'd try a composite with resins and fillers just to see how closely I could make a copy.


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## Ischgl99 (Oct 21, 2022)

I have been thinking about building an Acratech LLH, but too many other things have taken priority.  Hopefully some day, the Manfrotto video head is on the large size for hiking with.  An L bracket on your camera is the simple solution to switching to portrait mode, no need to design that into the head.  I also plan on making a new top plate for the Manfrotto that has an Arca Swiss clamp instead of their video dovetail in it.  There are some commercial versions of it out there, but more fun to make it myself.  
I made a copy of the Monogimbal by Wimberley that I use quite a bit when doing wildlife, that was a fun project, but I need refine it a bit more since it is not as smooth in operation as it should be.  I have been thinking about learning to cast, so might be a good project to build one of these closer to the original.


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## Just for fun (Oct 21, 2022)

Following along just for the fun of it...  This is great!


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## Badabinski (Oct 21, 2022)

Managed to nab an exploded view of the Manfrotto 804RC2 posted by @TorontoBuilder 


			https://www.manfrottospares.com/pdfs/804RC2/images/lg-804rc2-20061114.jpg
		


I have no idea if that will show up when hotlinked, so here's where I got it from (grabbed the base image by using Chrome's Network debugging tab):





						Manfrotto 804RC2 Spare Replacement Parts
					






					www.manfrottospares.com


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 21, 2022)

Badabinski said:


> Managed to nab an exploded view of the Manfrotto 804RC2 posted by @TorontoBuilder
> 
> 
> https://www.manfrottospares.com/pdfs/804RC2/images/lg-804rc2-20061114.jpg


That's great. That should aid your build very well


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## Badabinski (Oct 21, 2022)

TorontoBuilder said:


> That's great. That should aid your build very well


Your photos are massively helpful too, since they show a ton of detail left out by this exploded view. I'll probably post a link to my OnShape doc once I have some more info so folks can see my design live. My CAD skills are... well, I learn entirely new design paradigms every time Clough42 posts a Fusion video, so take that as you will


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 21, 2022)

Badabinski said:


> Your photos are massively helpful too, since they show a ton of detail left out by this exploded view. I'll probably post a link to my OnShape doc once I have some more info so folks can see my design live. My CAD skills are... well, I learn entirely new design paradigms every time Clough42 posts a Fusion video, so take that as you will


I learn something new every time I open fusion, and I've used various CAD programs for decades


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## Badabinski (Oct 21, 2022)

https://cad.onshape.com/documents/d...leTablePanel&uiState=635313ec0f1288770144d2a9 Here's my OnShape doc. I'm trying to incorporate variables here as much as possible so I can change aspects of the design easily based on feedback. Each component will be a parts studio, and I'll throw them all together in an assembly.


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## Badabinski (Oct 21, 2022)

So it looks like Manfrotto opted to use something like UHMW thrust bushings. That might be a wise choise given UHMW might provide smoother rotation. Worst case, I can use Delrin for now and then switch to UHMW or something else if I'm short on that stock.

I do see that they machined a groove into the base plate for the thrust bushing. I'm guessing they did that to prevent the bushing from squishing out the sides (that's a point for bronze, it's maybe a liiittle less squishy). I can try that, but I'd have to do it on the mill with a rotary table. I don't have any face grooving stuff, and grinding a HSS tool might be... bothersome. I think I'll design for a bronze bushing for now. Redesigning for a grooved UHMW bushing should be easy.


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## Badabinski (Oct 21, 2022)

So I'm unsure about what thread size to use for the actual clamping screws. My first inclination is 1/4"-20 or 10-32 since I have taps and dies for both of those. Do I want to use a finer thread pitch though?


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## Badabinski (Oct 21, 2022)

Here's the stock situation, by the way. I've attached some pictures with rough measurements and alloy types. I also have a 1.75" piece of what I believe to be PTFE, which should make an _awesome _bearing material (although it'll be quite squishy).




There are no markings on it, but the color is right and it sinks quite quickly in water (the density of PTFE is 2.2 g/cm³, so it should drop pretty quickly).

The big-ol block of 15-5 PH doesn't have any measurements, but it's quite large and it was too annoying to get my scale back there.


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 21, 2022)

Badabinski said:


> Here's the stock situation, by the way. I've attached some pictures with rough measurements and alloy types. I also have a 1.75" piece of what I believe to be PTFE, which should make an _awesome _bearing material (although it'll be quite squishy).
> 
> View attachment 424173
> 
> ...


those parts are not under much compression, so I dont think that PTFE will be too "squishy"


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## TorontoBuilder (Oct 21, 2022)

the threads look to be 1/4-20


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## Choiliefan (Oct 22, 2022)

Do all Arca Swiss plates share the same specs?
I have an Arca-style Chinese ballhead and would like to purchase a few cheap plates but dimensions are never listed.


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## Ischgl99 (Oct 22, 2022)

Choiliefan said:


> Do all Arca Swiss plates share the same specs?
> I have an Arca-style Chinese ballhead and would like to purchase a few cheap plates but dimensions are never listed.


In theory yes, but in practice, the tolerances between different brands may make one incompatible with what you have.  If you have a cam lever clamp, it would be best to have all the components from the same manufacturer, but if you use screw clamps, it shouldn’t matter which brands you have.


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## Badabinski (Oct 22, 2022)

... Gah, why did I decide to do this in different part studios? Let the inconsistency begin. The base and washer will be in their own studios, and then literally everything else will probably be in one.

EDIT: I am truly terrible at organizing projects like this. I might completely redo this from scratch once I've finished the first iteration.


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## Badabinski (Oct 24, 2022)

Here's how far I got over the weekend:





I really need to organize this better. I like being able to just create multiple parts in a single parts studio since it allows me to easily reference other parts. Like, the weirdo hole pattern in that L-shaped bracket doesn't need to be defined in parameters -- I just created a sketch with 4 points and then poked the holes in both parts. Unfortunately, I don't know how to take a previously created part and reuse it when I do things this way. That means that I have to just... completely redefine parts. As a software developer, that makes me incredibly sad. I don't know if OnShape has a better way to do this, but I'm going to read some documentation.

EDIT: Also, I need to fix that L bracket. It needs to flex with the panning pivot, so I'll need to mill out the center of it. Alternatively, I may end up attaching it out of the side. I want to avoid sort of welding, since I'm not properly set up for that. Everything will need to be connected with pins and screws.


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## bukwirm (Oct 31, 2022)

If you want to duplicate an existing part, you can right-click on a part in the parts list (in the lower left corner of the screen) and select copy.


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## Badabinski (Jan 7, 2023)

Well, life decided to get complicated. I had a pet die, then a very good family friend, then I got COVID, then my girlfriend had bite correction surgery (meaning a week of making smoothies and liquid food while her jaw was wired shut), then the holidays happened. I'm going to come back to this project, but I'm too worn out right now.


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## Just for fun (Jan 7, 2023)

Thanks for checking in.   Sorry to hear of all the problems.   Losing a pet and a good friend, man that's tough, my condolences.


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