DIY Cell Phone Periscope

Introduction

• See above the heads of people in front of you.
• Quickly mount your cell phone camera at the top
• Film for long periods of time without shaking or arm fatigue
• Maintain proper framing of your video or photographs while the camera is over your head

WARNINGS:
    * Follow all safety procedures when using power tools, including eye protection.
    * The edges of the glass mirrors are sharp - handle with care and tape them up.
    * Caution when using outdoors: the Sun can reflect into your eyes or the eyes of others.

Buying the materials

    I bought all materials at my local hardware store for about $10.  Have them cut the mirror glass for you, as they have the proper tools and experience to do small pieces without damage.  Sometimes there is a minimum charge or a charge to do the cutting.  Of course, if you have a table saw and some wooden trim lying around you can cut the wood from stock.  I found that 3/4" square shape is comfortable in the hand and provides a good sense of grip. 

Getting a nice 45 degree cut

    Despite the settings on table saws, if you just dial in a 45 degree setting and cut into the wood the mirror doesn't always line up correctly with the shaft.  This is due to differences in the thickness of the cut versus the thickness of the mirror and misalignment of the dials or warp of the wood.  So it is best to start with 3' section of the wood and make an initial cut and test it.

    Line up the wooden piece with the saw and make a cut just halfway through the wood (about 3/8" deep).  Make this first cut near one end of the wood, as it will be discarded after it has been aligned, and you may have to make 1 or two more cuts before getting it right.  Insert the mirror into the cut as shown.  Hold the mirror in place while you raise the wood and the mirror up to your eyes.  When the wood is perpendicular you should be able to look into the mirror and see the wooden pole as it rises in the air.  If you can't see the pole rise then adjust the mirror and make a mark about how to adjust the next cut to make a better alignment.

Making the cuts

    Cut off the section of the pole used to make your test cuts.  Then cut the remaining piece into a 30" length.  Make the top angled cut about 3" down from the top of the wooden pole.  Make the bottom angled cut 15" below that, leaving about 12" of pole below the mirror.  The amount of pole below the bottom mirror determines where your arm will naturally be resting while the mirror is in front of your eyes.  You may trim some of the bottom part off to suit your body size. Sand the corners of all of the wooden pieces so that they are smooth to the touch (not too much).

Mounting the mirrors

    Insert the smaller mirror (2" x 4") into the bottom cut so that one edge is flush with the edge of the wood, extending out to the left side of the pole.  (If you are left-handed, you might experiment with having the mirror extend to the right side of the pole).  You might have to use a bit of paper or duct tape shim to get a good fit, but once it seems to fit snugly, you can glue it into place.  I used a tube of Goop glue.
    Insert the larger mirror (2 1/2" x 4 1/2") into the top cut so that one edge is flush with the edge of the wood, extending out to the left side of the pole (unless you are doing the left-handed version).  Glue it into place.  Set the assembly aside for the glue to dry, making sure that the mirrors are all lined up properly.

Making the Cell Phone mount

    You will need a piece of 1/2" plywood or other scrap wood to make the cell phone mount.  Basically anything that can start out as a 3" x 5 1/2" piece of wood is fine.   Cut the wood to a 3" x 5 1/2" rectangle.

    Drill two pilot holes into the 1/2" ply about 3/8" in from one end and about 2" apart.  These will be used to screw the plywood piece to the pole.  The top of the plywood should line up with the bottom edge of the top (larger) mirror so that the mirror can reflect the entire cell-phone width.  You can line this up by hand, holding the plywood in place while checking the view from the bottom mirror using the periscope.  Make a pencil line where you want to place the plywood.

    Before attaching the plywood, you might want to make an angled cut to reduce some of the weight of the plywood and make a more pleasing shape (see picture above).

    Screw the 1" drywall screws into your pilot holes.  Make sure that the plywood is attached to the Front of the pole (not the side with the mirrors sticking out).

    On the back side of the plywood, screw in a 3/4" screw and washer such the the washer extends above the top of the plywood.  In the picture above I've used a small piece of plastic instead of  a washer.  This helps the cell-phone stay flush with the front surface of the pole.

    On the front side of the plywood, screw in a 3/4" screw near the outer edge (not directly aligned with the back side screw you just attached!).  This will be for the rubber band to attach to. 

    The rubber band will wrap around the top of the pole and stretch across this screw to hold the cell phone in place.  Screw the other 3/4" screw at the end of the cell phone mount as shown.

Test the fit

    Mount your cell phone on the cell phone mount using the rubber band.  You might have to adjust the position of things so that you can still reach all of the buttons that you need to access for photography and video without removing the phone from the mount.

    As you look into the bottom mirror at the cell phone (or without the cell phone into the view out of the top mirror), take note of where you naturally want to hold the pole so that it is comfortable.  You can cut off any excess wood from the pole below this point.

    Take your Sugru or duct tape and carefully and cleanly cover the exposed edges of the mirror glass so that nothing will get cut.  The Sugru should be left to dry fully before the periscope is used.  If you use duct tape take a sharp razor blade and trim the edges for a clean look.

OPTIONAL 1/4" Threaded Insert:

At the bottom end of the long pole, drill a 7/16" hole, centered on the shaft.  Screw in the 1/4" x 20 insert into this hole.  This will allow the periscope to be mounted to a tripod or monopod, if desired.

Last Update: 15 May 2014

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