Teleprompter

Our worship pastor, West Breedlove, recently came to me with the idea for this project, a DIY Teleprompter.  He found this site (which I credit with the inspiration for this project) and was wondering if we could make one ourselves.  Since teleprompters are all the rage to talk about in the media these days, I thought it would make a fun how-to blog post.  I’ve made a few changes to the design from the site above, mainly to try and make it more portable and easier to dissassemble.  So, here you have it, a step-by-step guide to making your own teleprompter.

First, the parts list.

1. (1) 24″ x 24″ glass – standard – not the non-reflective type (Hobby Lobby $16)
2. (4) 1×3 6′ pine planks  (Of course actual dimensions are 3/4″ x 2 1/2″)
3. (1) 24″x48″ 1/4″ plywood.
4.  (4) 2 1/2″ industrial wheels
5. (lots) 1/4-20 bolts and wing-nuts
6.  Wood screws
7.  Wood glue

Step 1 – The Base
The first step is to build the base.  Cut 4 pieces of the 1×3 pine planks, two at 24″ and two at 23 1/4″.  These pieces are glued and screwed together to form a square, ok I guess its a rectangle because the sides aren’t exactly the same.  Arrange the planks so that one side of the rectangle is 24″ and the other side is 24 3/4″. (hint, the 23 1/4″ planks go inside.)

Cut the plywood in half so that one section is 24 3/4″ long by 24″ wide.  This piece then gets mounted on top of the pine square, again using glue and screws.  Turn the whole thing over and mark the location for your wheels and then drill the holes for mounting.  Be sure and leave enough space between the wheel and the edge for the wheel to swivel freely.

Mark the location where the upright supports will attach to the base on the side of the base.  (Use the sides so that the supports are the furthest distance from each other, 24 3/4″)  Drill the 4 holes that will be used to bolt the upright support to the base.

Step 2 – The upright supports

Cut two pieces of the 1×3 plank to 3′ long. These pieces will attach to the base and will make the bottom section of the upright supports.  Mark the location of the holes and drill.  Test that you are able to pass the bolts through the holes.

Next, cut two 4′ pieces of the 1×3 plank.  These pieces will make the top part of the upright supports.  They will attach to the bottom supports using bolts that will pass through a slot that is cut in the bottom supports. (I’ll show this in part 2)  Drill two holes in the upper supports at 4″ and 8″ from the end to be used to connect to the lower support.  At the other end of the top supports, mark and cut a notch at a 45 degree angle for the glass.

Thats it for today.  I’ll post again as soon as I continue work on this project.  The next step will be to build a shelf for the laptop to rest on and then assemble the whole thing together.  I’ll probably paint it as well.