Semi-Permanent Camera Mount (or Even Temporary.)

This started as a need for better mounting for my trail cameras. The straps did not hold them well enough to keep them in position. I ended up with 6 mounts for about $1 apiece even if I had to buy the glue just for this. My actual cost was less than a dollar for all 6 because I already had the glue. You may change the sizes to suit you or your camera, but all of them I have use 1/4 20 for the tripod mount.

Supplies

1) 1 1/2 " long 5/16 lag bolt

1) 1" 1/4 20 bolt

1) 1/4 20 nut

1) 1/4" washer

JB Weld epoxy

Something to hold bolts upright. (I used a small box.)

Scrap cardboard or wax paper for mixing.

Craft stick or toothpick for mixing and distributing epoxy.

Step 1: Getting Ready to Assemble

Set your lag bolts so they will stay vertical. I did this by screwing them into a cardboard box. It worked great until I looked at the pictures and saw that I should have used plain cardboard to photograph. Try not to have any tilt, because the epoxy will run downhill.

Clean the heads of the lag bolts and the bolts with solvent or alcohol to remove any oils that would prevent the epoxy from sticking.

Step 2: Assemble the Bolts.

Use a scrap of cardboard or wax paper for mixing the epoxy.

Dispense equal parts of epoxy and hardener onto your mixing area. To do six of these I used one glob of each component about the size of a pinto bean.

Mix the two components until the color is uniform.

Place a small dollop of epoxy on the head of a 1/4 20 bolt. Ideally this will be enough to fill the space between the two bolts, but not a lot of squish out the sides.

Place the bolt head-to-head with the lag bolt. Center it and line up the flats of the two bolts. It will make installing them with a deep socket easier.

Repeat the previous two steps with all the bolts you are processing.

Keep an eye on these for a few minutes, as they will try to slide off if the lag bolts are not vertical.

Don't worry too much about epoxy squishing out the sides. I cleaned mine up with a pocket knife after an hour or so while the epoxy was still a bit soft. If you wait too long, you will need to take it off with a grinding tool or a file.

Let sit until hard. Depending on the epoxy you use, this time will vary. I used the basic JB Weld and did not play with it until the next day.

Step 3: Complete the Assembly.

Add a washer and nut to each assembly. When you use them on your camera, the washer will be against the camera, but at this stage I put it behind the nut to keep everything together.

Step 4: Using the Mounts

I made these to mount on trees, but any sturdy piece of wood you don't mind having a hole in will work just fine. You could even put one in your ceiling (or an arch of some sort) to get overhead shots of crafting, cooking, etc.

It would be best to use a pilot hole to make the work easier, avoid splitting your wood base, and cut down on the bad words used. The pilot drill should be about as big as the solid core of the lag bolt, but if you put the bit in front of the lag bolt threads you should see threads on both sides of the bit. 1/4 inch should work well with my 5/16 bolts.

Drill the pilot hole as deep in the wood as you want to put the lag bolt in.

Screw the assembly into the pilot hole. If you did a good job of gluing and cleaning up, remove the nut and washer and use a deep socket.

If all you have handy is an adjustable wrench or pliers, those will work.

Screw the nut on first, then the washer, then the camera. Most cameras should let you turn it on at least three threads.

Orient the camera to the desired position.

Back the nut out against the washer, not much more than finger tight. You may have to use pliers, but lightly.

That's all I have, please enjoy the construction of these and their use.