How to Build a Wood Panoramic Head

Preparation

• 1

  Learn the location of the pivot point for your camera. This will be the point at the entrance lens where the camera can pivot without parallax. Find this by setting the lens and the camera settings exactly as you intend to use them, then taking pictures of two reference objects. One should be close to the lens, about three feet away, and the other should be approximately twenty feet away from the camera. Test to see if the two pictures line up, then rotate the camera left and right for a panoramic photograph to ensure there are no tears in the picture.

• 2

  Cut out a 5-inch by 5-inch piece of plywood to serve as the Base of the head that will attach to the tripod itself. The Base can be either square or circular. If a circular Base is wanted, use a jig-saw to round the edges.

• 3

  Cut out a piece of plywood that is five inches long by five inches wide in order to make the Side. This will serve as the mount for the Arm, and will allow the camera to arc up and down for panoramic photographs.

• 4

  Measure the distance between the pivot point and the screw socket. Add two inches to this, and cut out a two-inch wide piece of plywood to that length to serve as the Arm. If, for example, the distance between the pivot point and screw socket for attaching the camera is five inches, then the Arm should be seven inches long by two inches wide.

Building

• 5

  Place the Side vertically on top of the Base, so that it is flush with any one of the edges. From beneath the Base, drill two flathead screws three inches apart so that they go into the Side vertically. Gently test the Side for its stability; if it is too loose, additional support may be needed. This can be given by cutting out a strip of plywood one inch wide and five inches long, then bracing it against the Side so that it is square with the Side and the Base. Use wood glue to secure the brace.

• 6

  Drill a 1/4-inch hole through the Base. The hole should be located as far away from the Side as the center of the lens is from the side of the camera, plus the thickness of the arm (3/4 inch in our case). To find out the distance exactly, place the camera on its side on top of a flat surface, and measure from the flat surface to the center of the camera. Add 3/4 inch to the measurement, and that is how far away from the Side the hole in the Base should be. The hole should be as close to the center of the Base as possible.

• 7

  Drill the Arm into the Side, using a 2-inch flathead screw. The Arm should be screwed in about one inch below the top of the Side, and the screw should be one inch in from the end of the Arm. The screw should be located on the same vertical plane as the hole drilled into the Base. This means that if looked at from the side, the screw that connects the Side and the Arm will look as if it is directly above the hole in the base. Secure the other side of the screw with a 1/4-inch wingnut. The wingnut allows the mobility of the arm to be adjusted for easier control of the camera.

• 8

  Using the distance obtained earlier between the lens and the screw on the side of the camera, measure this distance down the Arm from the screw connecting the Arm and Side. Drill a 1/4-inch hole into the Arm, and insert a 1/4-inch thumb screw. This is where the camera will connect to the Arm.

• 9

  Insert the screw or socket on the top of the tripod into the hole in the Base. Use a washer if necessary to secure the Base.