DIY Your Own Mini Camera Jib Crane for about $40 

I love you sir, how professional, neat and organized. You should be a Professor. Hats lift up. If it's in my power, I honor you an OSCAR.

THANK YOU - you deserve a Nobel Peace Prize for relieving all the stress I've incurred trying to find an affordable jib!!!

OMG, love going through your old videos :)

This was very descriptive. I wish all online tutorials were so well documented and presented.

Really good. I like the furniture ends, nylon bushings, nylock nuts and washers. The only modifications I could add is stainless steel bolts, nuts, washers for use with aluminum.

I just built one before I saw this video. I did the same ad you. I used 1/8 thick metal and bought at a metal supply place near me for 27.00. I used stainless steel bolts and nuts. Best to use a drill press rather than a hand drill. I used the 4 foot piece as my top piece. With the quick release plates this jib is more than Olivia's 25.00 target price. It is a good simple design. Thanks to Olivia and to you for showing everyone the extra build information.

THANK YOU as well ----- I'm just getting into the whole indie film thing. Making a pvc dslr shoulder rig. Now I'm anxious to get started building this jib project! I feel pretty confident now that I can build it having your excellent instructional video as my guide.

I just made this and it rocks....thanks for all the extra info from the original VIEMO Jib DIY film. Great job on yours! I will add the Caps and bushings ! Keep up the good work

Ball bearings would make it better. But for a DIY solution, this does work with the nylon bushings. For a jib that can withstand the rigors of a lot of "jibbing", you'd be better off buying one. Thanks!

Also, forgot to mention, thank you BasicFilmmaker for your vid!! You really took OliviaTech's original concept to the next level, and filled in the gaps detail wise nicely.

even though I have built 2 of these already you covered the details lacking like the use of bushings, yours so far was the only one that used any bushings which realy makes a huge working difference. It works very well thank you for showing us your take on a highly used working camera jib arm......

Definitely the best DIY Jib Crane ever....many thanks for uploading this video...love it

Thanks for being just like me when it comes to this stuff. I want dimensions, parts lists and I want to be told up front how much it's going to cost before I get all excited about it. I'll make this jib, then pay it forward and help someone else. You're the man.

Holy moly this one goes WAY BACK :)

Thank you for making this, it is so in depth and easy to follow. I'll be sure and post some test footage once I order the parts and put it together.

excellent explanation!!, I am right now in the process to putt all together. Online metal cost now $10 more for the shipping. Home depot pieces are now like 5 dollars more. is still cheap everything around $65 Love it!! Thank you so much

Wow, you are a natural at making mechanical construction and assembly tutorials! This is awesome, truly. I had seen Olivia's vid on the jib and though it was pretty neat and that 'some day' I think I will build one. Your tutorial is icing on the cake. Thanks! :)

I have found if you place the longer tube on top and the shorter on the bottom, you will get a higher reach with the jib. Nice build.

I finally am trying this, just got paid and am ordering the metals, will go out this weekend to Home Depot to get the other things. Super excited, been dying to get a jib for many months now. Thanks so much for this extremely helpful video.

Great video. Thanks. I've been looking for this for my smartphone.

HEY BFM!!! thank you for filling in all the technical blanks on this ib man!!! great great great video!!! and love the shots at the end!!!

Great Job explaining everything. I love the closeups and detail. Thanks for showing the results. You are very professional and thorough. Keep up the good work and thanks again!

Thank you Basic Filmmaker. What a goldmine of information! I am so building this, as it would be perfect for my needs. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes once built and practiced on a few times...

I built this when oliviatech posted it and it would have been nice to have a video like this around. I had questions on how to mount the camera to it and how to mount the jib to a tripod, but eventually figured it out. So good job explaining all the details!

Very well done. I`ve made my first one out of steel and used RC car flanged bushings. The weight destroyed the bushings. You inspired me to try it this way with aluminum. Thank you for uploading.

Basic Guy ! Very nice job. Clear, concise, appropriate-details, clips well-paced/sequenced, excellent sound --- just very, very nicely done. About the only thing I would suggest might be to substitute at least one threaded thru-knob for at least one of the lock nuts. That way you would have a relatively easy means (without a wrench) to adjust the drag on at least one of those bushings. That would allow you to (1) stop the jib motion off entirely, if you wanted to, (2) slow it down if you wanted to, or (3) more easily compensate for a minor weight change in your gear.

I am surprised. Usually these home projects are worthless at best. I could not find a small jib so I built this one. and to my surprise this works very well. The nylon bearings help a lot. Thanks.

I like the way you break down things and make it so easy :) Thanks man

ok and thank you for your quick reply. I didnt wanna have to spend $10 and wait tile next thursday to get them if i could just run out to home depot and get some nylon washers. I built the rotorig and saw this right after and had to build it. The rotorig is decent but i has a lot of wiggle room (left & right) and this looks like it will be really sturdy and nice looking if i paint it black. Thanks again.

Thank you for taking the time to get all together!!

Thanks for this video and the instructions. I built mine with flanged bearings instead of the bushings and built a lazy susan bearing into the base. It's buttery smoooooth and I can't wait to try it out.

Adapted this design slightly to have the arms adjustable; the arms slide through the pivot in the centre, allowing movement in X, Y and Z axis's. Thanks for the vid!

Thank you so much, by far the best DIY Jib i have seen. keep up the great work, im glad i stumbled upon this video.

Great job, I'm really thankful for all the guys that take the time to do these videos it's a great help!!

Also, great video. No one goes that in depth, it's appreciated.

I like your video better because it covers everything that olivia dint cover You help me a lot with the quick release mounts and the white plastic things that go in the hole

This worked well for me and I even added springs on it to release some of the weight added. Great Video keep it up.

Good improvements on a basic jib!

EXCELLENT -- EXCELLENT video!!! Wow. Well done. thanks soooo much for sharing.

You're awesome, past Kevin!

A little bit. It restricts the amount downward movement you get. I don't remember exactly, but it's something like 2 foot off the floor instead of 1 foot or something like that. It's easy enough to swap them out and see what you like best.

Thanks for the thorough explanation and length. Helpful!

Thanks for this video. It was very helpful. I fell in love with Olivias version the second I saw it and really wanted to see someone do a detailed build video and yours was spot on. Thanks again. Off to Lowes I go.

yes. thank you! if and when i get this thing built i will send along a video of the finished product

The video is great.. Thanks for giving all the details on the build. I was looking for more detail about this build.. I will make a few modifications on it and post. Thanks from a new loyal subscriber..

Great video. I made it but transformed it into telescopic to add height and keep it portable, by using 2 thinner tubes inside the main ones to add length. Works fine

Thanks Basic Filmmaker! Very helpful and exact!

You did an excellent job on this video and thank u

Thanks so much for all the time you've invested in making this instructional. You did a great job explaining every detail very clearly. Nice work.

Built this last weekend. Haven't tried as yet. A few things that happened to me when building this: For the parts that align with each other (e.g. the two 7" tubes) drill the holes in one then place the other below (drill bit still in the holes of the 1st) align the two then drill the second. I used nylon spacers (found at Home Depot by the screws). I got 1/4 - 20 1" in length that I cut down to .75" I had to hammer them in. KJ

Thanks... I really appreciate you showing us how to build it...

That's a good idea! I think I will do 1" just to be safe, or possibly bigger. I also might try modifying the design so that it has some adjustable length to it, so it can go from 4' long to maybe 6 or 7 feet long. I've watched numerous DIY Jib/Crane builds and this one seems to produce the Best results for price. If I make it adjustable, I'll definitely use bigger tubing. Once I get the chance to build it, I'll make a short video to show you the results....might be awhile before I can make it.

I'm from Saudi Arabia and I extremely enjoyed your work keep up my friend :)

One of the best video about a jib seen!!

I believe this is one of the simplest DIY portable jibs around. I've made a couple large ones with pan & tilt heads. This, eventually, will be my next project when the snow melts. I appreciate the great tutorial. Question though. Will those Manfrotto "short plates" fit my Manfrotto 502 head? I got the long plate with the 502 and considered some Manfrotto QR's from Amazon but wasn't sure if they were universal.

Great Video very informal. Just a question. Instead of using the nylon bushings what about using skateboard bearings? It might cost more but i just want to know if that will work too.

Thanks so much for sharing. Awesome job!

Love this my son is photographer and has been wanting one and we’re going to build it

Thank you very much !! I'm already working on this, but as you said I'm having trouble finding the nylon bushings, where are they sold ? what are they used for originally ? Thank you !!

Thank you! I wanted to make it but now it will be much simpler! I will maybe make a video of it after build! ;)

I agree with Mukesh - such an excellent video. Thank you for taking the time to do this. If I may ask, which model Manfrotto head are you using?

wow..this is the best DIY video i've ever seen. the info below really helps too. 1 quick question - any idea what the load bearing weight of the jib is? Any thoughts on if it can handle a RED? 7D/5D/1D? Thanks again. great job.

Thanks a lot :-) I really loved your build guide.. Perfect weekend project :-)

Nice overview! So overall, do you think you'll get much use from this with the 3ft length?

This activates the mind, well done.

Nice tool...and amazing shots at the end of the video...what is that Germany or switz village? Hey you have a HUDGE green screen! ;) sadly in europe all the mesures change...

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Excellent tutorial! I'm going to do it! I'm going to write for the euro sizes, as you mentioned :-)

I ended up buying the materials at Home Depot, and spent around $57 - I was wondering where did you get the furniture tips? And also, I'm going to Napa Auto Parts for the Flange bushing, I was wondering which one exactly you got (Part #?) I'm on their website and I can't seem to find your flange bushing... thanks again for this tutorial!

Thank you for this video. It was very helpfull. We created one our selves.

Gona make one of these, but it definitely needs modified so that the camera can point down whenever it has reached it's peak. Let's say you are filming a band playing live or for a music video, the camera is pointed at the band, but since it can only look forward, as you raise it, the band go out of frame. Deffo gona have a go

Very cool DIY mini jib very very clever. :)

Kevin, Love this idea,, questions, do you use yours still? The link for Olivia are all gone. Would you still recommend building this?

Another thing - sry to bother you, but Olivia suggests mounting the long arm on top, which is opposite to your version. Her reason is that it won't strike the tripod, and therefore, will extend the vertical reach. Did you switch it around for a particular reason?

Update: built it (9 months ago) - and it works perfectly! Sorry for these delayed tips. I used a dowel jig to center the drill holes and keep the bit perpendicular (useful for drilling through the square stock). FYI, the bushiing problem is solved! They are available from Ace Hardware in black or white - they are made by Hillman Group - hillmangroup/viewitems/products-18/nylon-flanged-bushings. Thanks for a great instructional vid.

thank you this is the best diy jib build i have ever seen ......were do i buy the mounts for the camera and a tripod to suit the mounts?

you sir are a ****ing awesome!!! you talk and explain very clearly and detailed. great job ! ^_^

Also, I used flanged roller bearings. They are the same size as the nylon bushings but, soooo much smoother and wont wear out as quickly. Only downside, it took initial costs from $30 to $80..but well worth it.

Really good vid men. Thanks!!!

Explain clearly much sharper image, useful for those who will follow. Thank you.

can I ask how you got that last shot of the city? Were you perched on a balcony? (I assume?). I love the parade shot.

Very well done, I will make one for myself. Thanks.

Would this scale appropriately to, say, an 8' jib, or would it need more supports/structure? I love the tutorial, great clear info! I'm thinking about going a little bit bigger to accomodate some more expansive shots.

Thanks for this great video. Now all I have to do is get my new pair of MVH 502Ah heads and I am good to go. One thing I had though about was redesigning the head of this jib ever so slightly so that I can add a motorised Hague head to it.... it shold be able to support this no worries - even with one of my HVR-Z1 for live use at concerts etc. thanks again

Awesome can't wait to build mine. Very good video!!!!!!

I recently ordered the aluminum parts from Online Metals, they charged $26.00 to ship...Ouch!!!!!!!!!! I also used Mothers Mag & Aluminum polish, some old cotton T-shirts, and with some time and elbow grease you get the Aluminum to a mirror finish so no need to paint the jib. Thanks for the great vid and info.

Great video, seriously. I'm definitely using this!

How much distance is there between the 4 & 3' sections and the uprights? I've noticed a lot of the more expensive jibs are using roller bearings in those gaps instead of the nylon flanges, they seem to be pretty fluid.

This video was great, Thanks! It looked really smooth. How portable would you say that it is? Also have you seen/heard anything about the Glideshot portable 4' crane? It cost about 150 and has ball bearings. Seems pretty cool.

Argh - nevermind. I looked closer. It's the same head I have. YES!!!! Thanks again. Truly awesome.

hey great post. I built it to your specs last night already on my way to a shoot. Thanks again!

I will do that. Thank you.

Great build I'm going to have to build one my self.

If you are going to paint your jib you need to remember that most paints wont stick to aluminum and you will need to sand all the parts and use an aluminum etching primer as a base coat. To save time I would suggest sanding all your parts down with 220 grit and an orbital sander, then take it to be professionally powder coated before assembling. you can go over all your steel bolts, nuts and washers with regular paint just remember to primer your pieces first.

I've been thinking about my next project and I'm considering making a jib like yours/Olivia's, but making it 8ft long instead. What do you think needs to be changed in regards to design to add the couple of feet? Presently, I'm in the middle of making a "Juicedlink" slider with bearings and all. It's coming along fine! Could you use a longer flanged washer inserted into a roller bearing then through the holes on the pivot points? Wouldn't it be smoother?

Thanks for the timely reply! I actually would like to build this Jib. From what i've seen it looks like a great starter Jib, very compact, adaptable, and could be used for more than your standard full swing, Jib camera movement....if that makes sense! Do you think this Jib would still work well with slightly longer Jib arms, like 6-1/2' and 5'?

I love the convenience of this Jib. im a student in Washington and don't have the resources (tools) to build one for myself. how much would it cost you to make one for me? (Paid)

Thanks! I spent the whole day looking for it.... Finally got it from Lowe's...

I really enjoy your videos! I have a question. How sturdy of a tripod would you have to use? What is the total weight of the jib, weights and a DSLR with an average lense? Thanks!

Awesome detailed DIY Mini Camera Jib Crane! Thanks for taking the times to teach us all! This video is simply "Priceless" Do you have the "Drawing version of Blueprint Dimensions?" in jpeg?

is the wrench by Dewalt aswell? just kidding! great video, very accurate and informative. and beautiful shots too. thank you. subscribing right away.