This time around I made a simple wooden tripod with a parallelogram extension arm.  It was difficult to adjust the height on my old tripod, so I solved that problem with the counterweighted extension arm, which has the added benefit of reaching over tools & work surfaces for some interesting angles.  Watch the videos below to see how I made it, and if you like, you can download a Sketchup model of the tripod & extension arm at the link below the video.

Part 1, making the tripod:

Part 2, making the extension arm & iPhone mount:

If you want to make one yourself, or just take a closer look at the construction, you can download a free Sketchup model below.  To view this, you will need Sketchup, which is a free 3D CAD program.

Download model: Wooden tripod.zip

Note: The .zip file above contains a Sketchup (.skp) file, so you will need to un-zip and extract the .skp file before opening it. You will need Sketchup in order to view this model.