OK, took delivery last night. The seller and I plan to document assembly, as no one else has anywhere. It is broken down to basic pieces, each moveable by a single person.
I think I want to start a new thread where we post 4 pictures at a time, since that's the limit here.
We don't want to put up linked pictures, or a private website, as we want to make it a lasting resource.
Any suggestions on how and where, including here, to make the resource lasting are welcome.
Tin Can
Randy,
It would seem that an "article" rather than a thread would be appropriate; I don't know the mechanics of getting one onto the LF home page, but I've done a lot of technical writing over the years and I'll volunteer to help with writing and/or editing.
Harold
What about hosting it on the LF home page? Seem like that would be the natural place for a permanent resource.
I am looking forward to your instructions. I have had the pieces of a bi-post stand in storage for 5 years, and someday plan on assembling it, if I ever have the space.
Harold,
That sounds good, I can get wordy and off topic, I will shoot images and write some description as it goes.
This may take a while as I need to shorten the tubes and need to get square cuts of equal length.
Once we get an 'article' we can worry about placement at that time. I just want to make it as permanent as possible, as I am constantly frustrated with the lack of documentation of now obscure equipment. I'll not make a new thread at this time, and use this one to simply gather information and assistance.
Thanks, I will PM you as work progresses!
If anyone else has anything to add, please do so.
Tin Can
May as well report what I now know and don't know.
It is in my studio broke down into pieces one or two people can handle. Right now the pipes are 13 feet, I am going to try cutting them with a wood chopsaw with a new Norton 10" abrasive wheel. I figure I need to carefully setup and properly support the entire pipe so it does not move or bind during the cutting. The pipe is 3.5" x 1/16".
Which gets us to the next point, in the pictures there are 2 curved aluminum shoes with felt facing. The curve fits the pipes, but where do they go, as you can see inside the platform casting hole there is no evidence of the shoe, nor room. There is a locking screw protruding from the middle with a swivel foot.
The swageless 1/8" cable fitting and cable will also need to be shortened to about 10" shorter than the cut down pipe, at least that is the spec derived from the existing pipe and cable.
There is also a elevation bicycle chain drive that will also need to be shortened, no problem. Since the chain is non load bearing I will be able to replace the chain after erection.
The 2 lead weights with lag bolt screw hooks seem to be tightly and securely mated. The weights are 44 lbs each. Since the cables that hold the weights pass over one pulley, we have a doubling in force, so I believe this rig can balance a camera table weight at least 176 lbs, which is more than enough for any camera I plan to mount.
So just staring at the parts, it seems, I should first mount the pipes to the bottom cross brace, leaving the legs off. Slip the table assembly over the top while everything is on the floor, connect the weights to the cables from the bottom, push the weights up a couple feet and connect the top cable end to the table assembly. Lock the table at the top with the built in locks. Then get 3 guys to tip it up, slowly. The table assembly is not that heavy and the 88 lbs of lead weights will be at the bottom. As we stand it up we carefully let the cable tension increase to full load.
Once it is standing up it will be standing on a narrow base cross brace, which has curved bottom edges, and I believe can be used to tilt the whole thing sideways enough to fasten one leg. Then we can use a car floor jack to lift the other side up high enough to attach the other leg.
This is what I see now, any advice would be great.
And where do those 2 rubbing/locking shoes go?
Tin Can
Those gizmos with the grooved wheels are large circlips. They are to be compressed with a tool that has expressions that fit into the holes at each end. It squeezes the circlip to fit down a tube, then you place it into A SLOTTED (or machined groove) in the tube (or very close then tap it into the slot (or relief).
Tin Can
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