Kevin Stiller Posted June 17, 2013 Report Share Posted June 17, 2013 (edited) A Steadi newbie here with a question that has been frustrating me.. Because of the lack of funds, I decided to build my own weight plate, however, I am not so talented when it comes to building things. I had someone machine me the weight plate and they did an excellent job. The holes are both 3/8 and 1/4. All of which are threaded. When I stopped at Home Depot to figure out how to attach my quick release, I just completely fell short of the knowledge to do so. Could anyone care to explain in detail how I can achieve this? Edited June 17, 2013 by Kevin Stiller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Victor Lazaro Posted June 18, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 Take the screw put it in the hole, screw it in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Libor Cevelik Posted June 18, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 Take the screw put it in the hole, screw it in? that should work ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Eric Fletcher S.O.C. Posted June 18, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 If you have trouble screwing a quick release to a weight plate Steadicam may not be for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Hart Posted June 18, 2013 Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 Wait till you have to build a steadicam shot. That will be fun for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Bryan Fowler Posted June 18, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 the 1/4-20 shouldn't be threaded. It should be smooth get screw long enough. Get long countersunk screw, slide through smooth 1/4-20 hole. tighten. Then put dovetail on top of the countersunk screw, using 3/8 threaded holes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Lawrence Karman Posted June 18, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 <p>Either your weight plate or your quick release will need to have a pass-through or clear hole (no threads) that is either 3/8" or 1/4" in diameter so you can pass whatever screw you have through it and tighten it to the other plate. This might seem obvious to some. Most professional Steadicam dovetail plates are clear, not threaded and will allow you to attach it to the bottom of a camera or threaded weight plate. I'm not sure what that quick release plate you have there is for. If you have a drill with either a 1/4 or 3/8 bit you can drill through one of these threaded holes on your weight plate and attach from the top to your qr plate</p> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Sanjay Sami Posted June 18, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 I am guessing what you have in your hand is the quick release for your camera ? So you need to screw your Steadicam dovetail (which should have slots and through holes) under the weight plate, and the quick release on top of the weight plate. To screw the quick release on, you will have to use an appropriate length screw with the treads near the neck stripped off, so that the screw doesn't engage with the quick release while tightening into the weight plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Chris Van Campen Posted June 18, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 Hi Kevin - I've used that version of Manfrotto plate before. Once you figure out what screws to use, you also have to shim something between your weight plate and that Manfrotto plate. The lever that tightens on the right side of the pic won't spin without some clearance below the plate. I shimmed with a couple of washers and some rubbery material for grip. Good luck... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Stiller Posted June 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 Take the screw put it in the hole, screw it in? It's not that simple. Because the quick release is threaded, it doesn't align with the weight plate when I screw it in from the top. If I screw it in from the bottom, the quick release will not be secured down unless I use a nut. In which case the camera wont fit into the quick release. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Stiller Posted June 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 <p>Either your weight plate or your quick release will need to have a pass-through or clear hole (no threads) that is either 3/8" or 1/4" in diameter so you can pass whatever screw you have through it and tighten it to the other plate. This might seem obvious to some. Most professional Steadicam dovetail plates are clear, not threaded and will allow you to attach it to the bottom of a camera or threaded weight plate. I'm not sure what that quick release plate you have there is for. If you have a drill with either a 1/4 or 3/8 bit you can drill through one of these threaded holes on your weight plate and attach from the top to your qr plate</p> This answered my question. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Stiller Posted June 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 If you have trouble screwing a quick release to a weight plate Steadicam may not be for you Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Stiller Posted June 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2013 (edited) Wait till you have to build a steadicam shot. That will be fun for you. I am guessing what you have in your hand is the quick release for your camera ? So you need to screw your Steadicam dovetail (which should have slots and through holes) under the weight plate, and the quick release on top of the weight plate. To screw the quick release on, you will have to use an appropriate length screw with the treads near the neck stripped off, so that the screw doesn't engage with the quick release while tightening into the weight plate. After a trip to home depot with that in mind, I found exactly what was needed. I was definitely over thinking the solution :P Thank you very much. Edited June 18, 2013 by Kevin Stiller Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Sanjay Sami Posted June 19, 2013 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 19, 2013 Wait till you have to build a steadicam shot. That will be fun for you. I am guessing what you have in your hand is the quick release for your camera ? So you need to screw your Steadicam dovetail (which should have slots and through holes) under the weight plate, and the quick release on top of the weight plate. To screw the quick release on, you will have to use an appropriate length screw with the treads near the neck stripped off, so that the screw doesn't engage with the quick release while tightening into the weight plate. After a trip to home depot with that in mind, I found exactly what was needed. I was definitely over thinking the solution :P Thank you very much. No problem ... 22 years as a Grip comes in handy sometimes ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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