WeMacro Vertical Stand Modification

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mawyatt
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Location: Clearwater, Florida

Re: WeMacro Vertical Stand Modification

Post by mawyatt »

ray_parkhurst wrote:
mawyatt wrote:
ray_parkhurst wrote:
mawyatt wrote: Ray,

You should build one up and do some measurements. I would be interested in seeing how well this works!!

Best,
I may do that. It's a fairly cheap way to build a stand.
Yes they are, the components alone in small quantities cost more than William is charging!

The one thing that would concern me is that the vertical bar isn't secured anywhere except at the very top where the long rod is bolted to the bar, whereas with the threaded bolt the bar is secured by the engaged teeth at the bottom up to the length of the bolt, where a longer bolt would be beneficial. If I ever get back to the hardware store I'll see if they have a threaded rod long enough and thin enough to fit.

One idea that would surely work better would be to to use the Misumi 40mm extruded bar instead of the WeMacro supplied bar. This has a 10.5mm dia center hole so it could accommodate a larger dia. threaded rod.

Best,
Very likely I would end up buying the Misumi bar, as the price is good and the docs are excellent.

Are you saying that the WeMacro bar is already tapped for M8?

A single 1/4" threaded rod should do the trick. All you need is sufficient force to keep the outer surfaces in contact at all times with the mounting surface. Bigger and stronger is not really needed.
No, the WeMacro bar is not tapped, nor is the Misumi bar. I tapped the WeMacro bar with a M8 thread, and the Misumi with a 7/16" tap. Did not drill out either bar, just tapped them.

Best,
Research is like a treasure hunt, you don't know where to look or what you'll find!
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ray_parkhurst
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Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:40 am
Location: Santa Clara, CA, USA
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Re: WeMacro Vertical Stand Modification

Post by ray_parkhurst »

mawyatt wrote:No, the WeMacro bar is not tapped, nor is the Misumi bar. I tapped the WeMacro bar with a M8 thread, and the Misumi with a 7/16" tap. Did not drill out either bar, just tapped them.
I went to a local fabricator and had them cut some quartz composite countertop material to 6"x12". This is a bit bigger than the 5"x10" I'm using now, but not huge, and gives more room for bigger bellows like the Canon/Vivitar/Nikon.

Also ordered a few 15 series smooth black extrusions. Not Misumi, but some from an eBay seller. I bought 24" / 610mm lengths, as this should be sufficient (with maybe a little over the top) for most anything I tend to do.

The extrusions have ~7mm holes in the center so should work with 1/4" rod to bolt it to the base. Should be quite stable!

I'll post results here when I get it all together.

ray_parkhurst
Posts: 3412
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:40 am
Location: Santa Clara, CA, USA
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Post by ray_parkhurst »

The aluminum posts arrived today, and the through holes fit a 1/4" threaded rod no problem. I was able to drill and countersink the base, and bolted the post to the base with the rod. Works like a charm! One single bolt through the center and it's as rigid as if the two were welded together. On its own the post "rings" a bit, as it's not damped or loaded. It's basically a one finger tuning fork. Once the remaining hardware is mounted I expect this to go away.

I have not decided what to do next. My interest was basically in building a taller system for use with longer lenses. I am considering mounting one of the 480mm arca plates to the post, and the using a Vivitar bellows like I showed in previous posts. This would require the Z-stage function to be incorporated into the stage, maybe with a voice coil motor. I'm also considering mounting a KR15 or KR20 to the post, similar to the WeMacro stand. I have the KR15 I built and documented in the KR15 thread from a while back. I just need to install some Arca clamps to it.

Comments or suggestions welcome. I will post a pic of the system once I implement next steps.

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