Shoulder mounts offer more portability than traditional tripods.
A shoulder mount offers the stability of a tripod without limiting the filmmaker's portability. With a little preparation and research you can easily build a camcorder shoulder mount out of PVC. When completed, the design produces a professional-looking shoulder mount that will work with any camcorder or camera with a tripod thread.
Instructions
Assemble the Back End
1. Glue a T-joint to the end of each of the 12-inch long pipes. Glue a second T-joint to the opposite end of each 12-inch pipe making sure that the second T is level with and facing the same direction as the first.
2. Glue a 1.25-inch pipe to each of the middle T sections on one of the 12-inch pipes. Use this as a coupler to attach the two 12-inch pipes by gluing the ends of the 1.25-inch pipe and pushing into the opposite 12-inch pipe's T-joints. The T-joints should be flush with each other, meaning no part of the 1.25-inch pipes should be visible. This shoulder bridge will be what rests on your shoulder on the finished shoulder mount.
3. Glue another 1.25-inch pipe on both ends and both sides of the 12-inch shoulder bridge. On one end only of the shoulder bridge glue a 45-degree elbow joint to each of the 1.25-inch pipes so that the elbows are facing downwards. This forms the tail end of the shoulder bridge. You should have used four 1.25-inch pipes and two 45-degree elbow joints in this step.
4. Glue two 90-degree elbow joints together using a 1.25-inch pipe as a coupler. Make sure that the elbow joints are facing upwards and will lay flat. Glue a 3.5-inch pipe into each of the other 90-degree elbow joint openings. Glue this piece to the 45-degree elbow joints on the shoulder bridge to complete the back end of the shoulder mount. Set the shoulder bridge aside.
Assemble the Front End
5. A shoulder mount is perfect to film high-action scenes.
Connect the remaining two T-joints by gluing a 1.25-inch pipe to one end opening on each joint. The 1.25-inch pipe acts a coupler. The T-joints should be flush with each other, meaning no part of the 1.25-inch pipes should be visible. The new part should form a double T -- long across the top with two legs facing the same direction.
6. Lay the piece flat on a work table so the legs are pointing towards you and drill a 1/4-inch hole through the exact point where the two T-joints meet.
7. Glue the 8-inch pipe onto the left side of the double T piece and glue a 2-inch pipe to the right side of the double T. On both ends, glue a 90-degree elbow joint that points towards the floor. From each elbow joint, glue a 5.5-inch pipe to form handles.
Attach Front to Back and Finishing
8. The shoulder mount can be used in professional and amateur applications.
Glue the front end to the shoulder bridge by gluing the legs of the double T onto the 1.25-inch pipes that were earlier applied to the shoulder bridge. Make sure that the 5.5-inch handles on the front end are facing downwards as well as the tail of the shoulder bridge. The T's from the front end and the shoulder bridge should now form a perfect square.
9. Paint the entire shoulder mount black and allow to dry. When dry, press a BMX handlebar grip onto each of the 5.5-inch handles of the shoulder mount. Wrap the high-density foam around the side bars of the shoulder bridge for padding.
10. Screw the bolt through the 1/4-inch hole in the front end so that the bolt head is on the bottom of the pipe. Use a wrench to secure the nut with a bolt as tightly as possible. This is where you will mount your camcorder using its tripod mount threading, located on the bottom of your camcorder.
Tags: shoulder bridge, 25-inch pipe, 25-inch pipes, shoulder mount, elbow joint