This will be a bit difficult to describe textually, but I'll do my best. I'm trying to build my own steady-cam device for a digital camcorder of mine, and have roughly drawn out some plans. One piece of this device requires something similar to a ball and socket joint, and I wanted to see if anyone could help me narrow down my search or provide me with an alternative solution.
Basically, I need a metal or wooden rod to run through a ball of some sort (my ideas for the ball would be either a wooden ball I could purchase at a hardware store from the bannister/stair department, or one from Michaels or some other crafts store, OR the rubber spherical wheel from a castor that I would remove from the metal portion). So this rod runs through the ball and out the other side. The real trouble is that I need some kind of shell or casing to encapsulate the ball on the sides so that the rod is free to move in 360 degrees. I'm not quite sure if I've made it clear enough as to what I'm trying to build, but if any of you have ideas, I would appreciate it greatly to hear them. Thankyou.
Basically, I need a metal or wooden rod to run through a ball of some sort (my ideas for the ball would be either a wooden ball I could purchase at a hardware store from the bannister/stair department, or one from Michaels or some other crafts store, OR the rubber spherical wheel from a castor that I would remove from the metal portion). So this rod runs through the ball and out the other side. The real trouble is that I need some kind of shell or casing to encapsulate the ball on the sides so that the rod is free to move in 360 degrees. I'm not quite sure if I've made it clear enough as to what I'm trying to build, but if any of you have ideas, I would appreciate it greatly to hear them. Thankyou.