How to Make a Cheap Spotlight With Telescoping Stand From a Curtain Rod
Introduction: How to Make a Cheap Spotlight With Telescoping Stand From a Curtain Rod
I made this spotlight so that I could make my YouTube videos using a single light source. When I film I like to isolate the subject as much as I can so that the viewer has no choice but to focus on what is in frame. When I first started making YouTube videos I would just film in my garage with the garage lights on which was fine but you could see all the miscellaneous items in the background. I felt this was distracting so I started trying to film with just one light source. This worked okay but there was still a lot of light bleed in the background. The miscellaneous junk in the background could still be seen just in dimmer light. So I came up with this idea to make a spot light that could be moved around that wouldn't take up a large foot print like a tripod. This is a fairly inexpensive build since I used an old curtain rod that I had in my attic and the rest of the materials aren't very expensive.
Supplies
Round Curtain Rod
3 inch screws
Drill w/drill bits and drivers
1/4"-20 Tap and Drill
1/4"-20 Screw with Knob
1/2" screws
Scrap Wood 12"x12"
5 gallon Bucket
9 quart Bucket
Garden Trowel
1 60lb. Bag Cement
Spring Clamps
Level
Gloves
Clamped Work Light
Vise
Work Bench
Hammer
Aluminum Flashing
Blue Tape
Black Spray Paint
Yellow Spray Paint
Sharpie Marker
Ruler or Straight Edge
Pliers
Light Bulb
PPE
Step 1:
For the stand I used an old curtain rod that I had in my attic that could be expanded in length, one rod fits inside of the other making adjustable by sliding it in and out. I first drilled several pilot holes in the bottom of the largest of the two rods we will call this the "lower rod" of the stand. Then I partially screwed in the screws. These are just randomly spaced around the bottom these will help the cement attach securely to the rod. Basically you want to create something for the cement to grab on too. The screw length isn't super important as long as its at least an inch long. Screw type doesn't matter either as you can see in the last pic there are a couple of types of screws that I used for this part.
Step 2:
On the same lower I drilled and tapped a 1/4"-20 hole. This will be for the adjustment knob. This did eventually fail after a lot of usage. 582
The thin wall of the curtain rod just isn't strong enough to take repeated use. Eventually I ended up welding a small 1/4"-20 nut over the hole that could take the abuse. If you don't have a welder you can probably get away with using some 2 part Metal Epoxy like JB Weld to secure a nut to the rod. I also bought a better knob as the small one I had originally used was difficult to tighten due to its small size, I couldn't get much leverage resulting in loose rods, this actual knob works much better.
Step 3:
In order for the rod to sit straight up and down I took a piece of 1/4" scrap plywood and drilled a hole the same diameter as the rod. This scrap piece will help make sure the rod sits vertically while the cement dries this will make more sense in a later step.
Step 4:
Next I mixed up some cement in a 5 gallon bucket and filled the 9 quart bucket with the lower rod held in place.
Step 5:
Next I slid my scrap piece of plywood over the lower rod and let it sit on the top of the 9 qt. bucket. I checked it for square with my level and used some spring clamps to secure the plywood in place. This took a little bit of adjustment but eventually I was able to get it pretty close to vertical. I let cement cure overnight.
Step 6:
On the smaller rod, the upper rod, I taped off a 3-4 inch section and painted it yellow. This will serve as a height indicator of sorts. When I am raising the upper rod and see the yellow part I will know to stop so that I don't pull the upper rod completely out of the lower rod. Its basically my max height adjustment indicator.
Step 7:
The first pic shows my setup. In the second and third pics you can see the up and down adjustment of the stand. The stand worked great and was easy to adjust. The bucket was not very large so it didn't take up a large footprint and couldn't be kicked over by accident either. Overall I was happy with the stand. The light on the other hand was a whole other story. 220