I was looking around on youtube on some steady cam/dolly tutorial things and found this really cheap (0 $) tutorial that seems to work out really great to me! take a look 
Pretty cool idea, I wish I had another cheap-o tripod around, the one I use for my crappy vid camera doesn’t have removable bolts.
I saw that video when I was looking for a steadicam, but my tripod doesn’t have the removable screw. So instead I built the steadicam in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rTRbGXJvrA&feature=related
Here is my test video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ykOFXuMR38
I works quite well and was very cheap and easy to build.
Very interesting. They both seem to have acceptable results considering that they cost next to nothing. I would imagine with the pvc one that it would take a little while to learn how to use your arms the smooth out the vertical movement. I’ve never used a steady-cam before, and it would be fun to experiment with a cheap alternative. Looks like a trip to home depot is in my immediate future.
I made the PVC one, but I wanted to secure it in a way that it could be taken apart and folded at the handle joint to become more compact. But I’ve misplaced my huge bag of zipties!!! Project on hold until I can find them.
Looks pretty good kb1jki! it takes a bit of practice to learn how to “slide” walk and run though. Reducing impact of your feet, it’s all about the bend in the knees. Be like a ninja 
Thank you so much for this thread!
I will be filming my school’s “LipDub” in a few weeks, and really needed a way to stabilize the camera.
LipDub Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zcOFN_VBVo
My stabilizer:
ninja walking is harder trying to keep up with Brian on a 36er over undulating granite surfaces! I need practice.
Jesus you have massive weights on the end of your stabilizer, I just put smaller diameter pieces of metal pipe in the ends, and if I need more weight, I can just drop some sand in em and seal the inner pipe with duct tape.
Haha, they were the only weights heavy enough that I could find laying around. They are brass fittings that were on some pieces of rotting wood in my backyard.
It took FOREVER to figure out a way to attach them, and it turned out to be really complicated, but it is very solid.
In short, they are screwed to pieces of wood, threaded pvc couplers are bolted to the wood, and then are threaded onto connectors on the stabilizer.
Looks interesting! 