DIY madness ...

[Carol Haynes]

I was doing a google search for some ideas on how to construct a turntable wuitable for photographing objects from all sides by simply rotating them through fixed angles (any ideas gratefully received on this) and came across an interesting blog site.

Be warned it takes forever to download the page (mainly because all the images are store elsewhere - often on flickr and similar servers and all the projects are drawn from all over the place) but there are some really interesting and excentric projects. Here is the main page (which contains a summary of all the prohects): http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/diy_projects/

If you don't want to wait until Christmas for the whole page to download here are just a few of my favourite ideas:

Spinning Vehicle Photos
Lego Photo Turntable
Re-surfacing CDs so they work again
Inverted Planter
Make a $30 bicycle cargo trailer--200 lb capacity
The Melloman - DIY Mellotron using 13 old Walkmans!

My real favourite ...

Recorder Races!


What can you do with old Walkmans? Race them! - "The race management is pleased to announce: Date and place of the race for the title of is finally and ultimately fixed! The race will take place in the PHOENIXHALLE in Dortmund on Saturday, June 3rd 2006. So – dig out your old recorders from your basements, activate the soldering gun and spin with us once again at the Recorder Race 2006!" - Link.

International Recorder Race Rules - Link.

[nudone]

Carol, i've got one of these http://shop.vendio.com/Brandsonsale/item/784418050/?s=1144317602 sorry, can't find an uk link.

it's meant to be for a portable tv (i was going to use it to help with sculpting) but it looks similar to what the lego device is trying to do. i think it cost me about ten quid from wilcos or somewhere like that. maybe it would work unless you wanted something a bit more sophisticated???

[nudone]

here's uk link http://www.zebracomputers.co.uk/vogels-tvs2032-round-tv-turntable-i467.html

[Carol Haynes]

Looks ideal (thanks) esp. the UK one which can take up to 100 kg!

Only problem is it cost £9 and they want nearly £12 in delivery charge!!! I'm on the phone

Follow up ...

Found the same item at a number of different sites ... prices vary from £8.75 to £29 and postage seems to vary from £10-£20. That's the trouble with TV box shifters - they have standard delivery charges whether you buy a cable or a 48" plasma TV. Madness.

I think I will go back to my original idea (two sheets of MDF with some kind of lubricant (possibly ball bearings or marbles) to allow it to turn. I'm not going to be photographing anything excessively heavy.

Actually that just made me think - perhaps a cookshop might have the right sort of thing for food turntables ...

[Edvard]

In these here parts, we call that a "lazy susan" (no disrespect to Susans the world over...) but here's my two cents (and I've done it myself, so I know it works):
Find a container lid of some sort that's sturdy (hard plastic or metal), flat, large enough to serve as a base for what you want to do and has side walls a tad shorter than a marble's diameter. With the lid turned up, put marbles inside around the rim (hopefully, there's a lip of some sort to keep the marbles at the perimeter but if not, it should still work) and place the table on top. Now, the table should be able to rotate on the marbles. Rather a rough job, but it will work in a pinch.

[Carol Haynes]

Thanks - how about IKEA

[Edvard]

Mmm... IKEA 
(the closest one to me is about 60 miles away, but well worth the trip  )

[Carol Haynes]

I got all wecited thinking I could get it by mail order - guess what IKEA don't do mail order ...

Never mind I found an almost identical one somewhere else. Bit more expensive but it looks nice and can double up for photography and table manners

[mouser]

What can you do with old Walkmans? Race them!

love it.
serisouly things like this give me faith in humanity.

[Carol Haynes]

I know - the thing I loved was there are international race rules