I’m looking for a tripod adapter to adapt my 5/8â€-11 laser to a nice, heavy-duty, telescoping, 1/4â€-20 tripod that I have.
Anybody seen such an adapter?
I’ve seen ones going the other way — 5/8â€-11 tripod to 1/4â€-20 device, but not one going the other way, the way I want.
Does this mean I’m going to have to tweak (you know how I hate that!)?
Aitchkay
Replies
If it were me, I'd go get a soft (brass or aluminum or grade zero) 5/8" bolt, drill out the center, while I held the hex head in the vice, and tap it 1/4-20. Then cut off the threaded end and have a internal/external threaded adampter.
Piece o' cake.
Forrest
That's what I was thinking, but I'd probably have to add a couple of holes for a two-pin spanner wrench --I'd hate to find myself with the laser upside down between my knees, while I whacked at that disk at an angle with a center punch, trying to get it out! AitchKay
Or,
Call Fastcap and ask them if they wouldn't sell you the brass insert they include with their Laserbracket that fits on the 1/4'' mount.
or give PLS a call, ask Mike if he wouldn't get you one-I'm thinking they might just have one in the desk.
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Is that one really a 1/4-20 female, 5/8-11 male adapter? All I can find is the other way around.AitchKay
The threaded bushing on my Fastcap lasermount (with the screwdriver notch you mentioned) fits over the 1/4-20 mounting threaded knob-didn't size it but assume the outside thread on the bushing fits my larger mtg holed transit.
Inside thread-1/4-20
outside thread - ? fits my transit.
slot on one end of bushing.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Excellent!I completely struck out googling, which doesn't happen often.I also called Michigan Laser and they said they'd have their expert call me back. When he didn't I assumed they didn't know of such an adapter.I'll give Fastcap a call.AitchKay
Where in Mi. are you? I know the state has been in a depression of sorts, but wouldn't there be a Site Level repair/sales close by?
edit: Fastcap no longer sells direct, but if you turn on your charm and they have the pt laying around I would hope for their marketing genius to prevail.
Best of luck.
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Edited 11/28/2008 11:58 am ET by calvin
I called Fastcap, and the gal I talked to dug one out, described it to me -- she got the right one -- and she's dropping it in the mail, no charge!How about that?Thanks, Cal!Aitchkay
I'm not surprised. Remember them when you need something. Matter of fact-hope she sends you a catalogue-they're always coming up with some good usable gadget.
Glad I could be of service. Well, glad they could be of service.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
They are super, I abused one of my third hands and broke a part, I talked to the young lady there and she was ready to send me a whole unit, told her what I really needed and that it was my fault. She sent me the part and one of the little hands no charge. It took her a few days to get back to me and she was very apologetic, she had been on the road at a woodworking show.
Like others said, remember them when looking for stuff, they are great suppliers.For those who have fought for it Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
That reminds me -- one of my third hands is sticking. The return spring isn't sending the clutch plate back to the starting point very well, and sometimes I need to tap it back.I'll have to give them a call, now that I know they'll take care of me.BTW, not only did they send me out the adapter gratis, she called last night to make sure I'd gotten it. They're great!Aitchkay
I should have added that I did what IdahoDon suggested, cut off a piece of a soft bolt and drilled/tapped 1/4-20. I put a short 1/4-20 in one end to limit travel and tighten.For those who have fought for it Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know.
Right. I knew I could always do that, but two minutes on the phone instead, and with a nice gal, at that, is hard to beat!AitchKay
I know 5 minutes on the phone costs more,
but believe me..........
probably worth it.
insert that smiley thing somewhere up there.
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Hey, guys,I’m ccing you all the same message, because I don’t know if you’d be notified if I replied to ALL:That adapter came in the mail, no charge, just as they promised! I just set up in a fairly large commercial space that I built out -- it’s a music venue, so it’s dark during the day, which is handy.I put the laser on a tripod (a Kalimar VE3), and started playing around. In the middle of a floor span, the tripod set up sympathetic vibrations with the HVAC units on the roof, etc -- all of the mechanicals that hum away all day long.Every 10 seconds or so, the laser beam would shake up and down a bit, but it wasn’t bad -- 3/16†or so in just over 80’, and then it would settle down, and my pencil mark in the center of the line remained in the center of the line.When I set up beside a support post, the vibrations were dampened by the relative stiffness, but the beam was even tighter, and shook less, when I placed the laser on a solid support, rather than the tripod.So the tripod causes deterioration in the accuracy, but I didn’t have a stiff, bombproof, builders tripod to compare to. It’s entirely possible that a stiffer tripod would have caused even more shaking of the beam, by transferring the vibrations more efficiently to the end of the lever arm, 4’ from the floor.I was drawn to the Kalimar because it has a rack-and-pinion height adjustment. My Manfrotto/Bogen 3001 is noticeably beefier, but it lacks a rack and pinion for its height adjustment. I don’t think that would be much of a problem -- make a mark with a Sharpie for reference, then fuss with it a bit -- but unfortunately, somehow I lost the top 1/4-20 attachment bolt for the Bogen, so I couldn’t mount the laser. I’ll replace that bolt, and do some more testing.But basically, what seems to be important is where you place your tripod, and how deflection-free that surface is, rather than how beefy your tripod is.Thanks for all of your input!Aitchkay
I've wondered if there might be a way to calibrate the bounce when looking at a floor for deflection relating to tile.
On a self leveling laser the vibrations don't seem to alter the original setting unless they're severe. The line will go back to the original setting. Maybe not so on a manual leveled unit.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Old photo studio trick... try increasing the mass by hanging a milk bottle full of water from the tripod. It also may be that the Kalimar ( a pretty low end product) doesn't fit together tightly enough so it has some shimmy in it.PaulB
http://www.makeabettertomorrow.com
http://www.finecontracting.com
I picked up an adapter for mine at Atlas Machinery in Toronto.
It was a stock item, and cost about six bucks.
Afraid I can't remember whose logo was on the package, but it was one of the main laser companies.
Amateurs talk strategy, Generals talk logistics.
Is that one really a 1/4-20 female, 5/8-11 male adapter? All I can find is the other way around.AitchKay
yes. i have used it to mount a stabila lar-100 rotary laser on a camera tripod.Amateurs talk strategy, Generals talk logistics.
Look under surveyor supplies/equipment in the yellow pages. I got one that way. It is a common thing.
Go to any large (real) camera store, they have brass bushings to adapt larger European style cameras to smaller 1/4 x 20 tripod threads.
PaulB
http://www.makeabettertomorrow.com
http://www.finecontracting.com
The euro cameras aren't 5/8-11, are they?AitchKay
Hmmm... depressing to admit how much I've already forgotten but I THINK they are...PaulB
http://www.makeabettertomorrow.com
http://www.finecontracting.com
Euro tripod thread = 3/8" x 16 = still too small.
JimNever underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Sheesh... you know how sometimes you can read something 3 times and STILL get it wrong? I had 3/8 so fixed in my head I kept reading it even though you said 5/8...
I have a Gitzo (very heavy duty tripod) and one of my lasers is 3/8 so I just assumed (and we know what that causes ;) )PaulB
http://www.makeabettertomorrow.com
http://www.finecontracting.com
Gitzo ........ nice piece of equipment.
My Hasselblads and Toyo view have to count on a heavy Bogen for support. Both have 3/8" tripod sockets (1/4" and 3/8" actually).
My laser has both 5/8x11 and 1/4x20 - still no problem.
JimNever underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Yeah, the Gitzos are built like tanks but holy god are they insanely priced. If I were buying now, I'd probably buy a Bogen/Manafrotti or whatever they're called. Lotta bang for the buck...PaulB
http://www.makeabettertomorrow.com
http://www.finecontracting.com
I have a high hundred something Manfrotto. The swivel clamp head broke-partial threaded screw holes stripped out. 2 y.o. After contacting manfrotto they would replace / repair as necessary if I returned it. I pointed out to a real human being that if I had just the clamp part I could certainly reassemble and save them / me the shipping costs. They sent the part once I sent a scanned purchase rcpt as it was warranty. All this within a week. Nice company to deal with-human beings. I'd buy manfrotto again for just that reason.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Yeah, it's sad to stop and think how much money and goodwill companies could save by just introducing humans to the loop. Anyway, sorry for the jog in the thread... ;)PaulB
http://www.makeabettertomorrow.com
http://www.finecontracting.com
By any chance is the tripod your looking to use for a camera? I only ask because my ex-business brought one to the site once and insisted I not buy one for my laser because we would use his.
He went to the trouble of machining and adapter, bolted my laser on top, and it swung every which way but level.
Once again, if thats what you're talking about, its just not substantial enough for the laser.
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
Yeah, I know there's a reason laser tripods are beefy. This photo tripod is reasonably beefy, though, and anyway, I'm using it indoors -- all you have to do is walk across the room, and deflect the floor, to mess up the level, whatever tripod you're using!So I'm already in a "poor-workman-who-blames-his-tools" situation. Operator error will be a factor, and I'll just have to be careful, and check my work.Thanks for the heads-up, though. It should be interesting!Aitchkay
I usually use mine for kitchens and I know what you mean about treading lightly, but the camera tripod was crazy. Honestly I dont remember if it would stay standing.
Good luck.
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
There are three relatively easy ways to do it. Google a professional photography outfit (B&W) and buy an adaptor off their shelf, get a soft steel 5/8" bolt and drill/tap a 1/4" hole in a cut off section, or get a thread repair insert from an industrial supplier that fits into the 5/8" hole. Enco has inserts that go from 1/4" to 3/8" and another that goes from 3/8" to 5/8" for $2 each for carbon or $5 each for stainless.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Any Camera store (high end, serving the pros)have adapters spefically for that. its just a treaded sleeve
r2
I've never seen a camera with a 5/8"-11 thread. 3/8", yes.But anyway, thanks to Fastcap, I've got the adapter free, so that problem is solved.AitchKay
I used to be a pro photographer, My 8x 10 inch, & 4 x5 imch cameras were 5/8, I'm not surprised they gave it to your2
Figures. That's a big camera!AitchKay
Was the cats #### in its time, now EVERYTHING is digital,
its hard to over buy a roll of 35mm film!r2
I believe that the Hasselblads have both, 1/4" & 5/8" on the bottom of the cameras. The Mayamia's just one a 5/8 with the 1/4 bushing that you are looking for installed. It keeps backing out an is a real PITA.I am surprised that no one has just suggested that you just duct tape it!!!!
Just got an email from DMTRAMONTIN at PLS who'd seen my OP. They've got those adapters, too.
It's good to know when manufacturers are looking out for us guys in the field.
Aitchkay
You've run into two thinking companies.
Not usual. Remember who they were.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
You betcha!Aitchkay
So, that means...........FASTCAP and PLS are Da Bomb!