In the December issue of Stage Directions Rich Dionne and Heather Hillhouse discuss three ways to attach legs to standard, 4'x8' stage platforms. They discuss the standard way of screwing in legs, compression legs and using studwalls. To supplement the piece, throughout December Rich and Heather will be blogging here about the advantages and disadvantages of those techniques and discussing staging in general and all things decking. So here's the space to share your thoughts and experiences, trade anecdotes and generally kibbutz about staging and platforming techniques!
Jacob Coakley
Check out Rich's latest post about this topic here!
http://theatreface.ning.com/profiles/blogs/platform-structure-design
Dec 2, 2011
Rich Dionne
The first thing to remember about rigid-framed platforms (any stock scenery, really) is that they don't last forever! There comes a time in any hard-working platform's life when it deserves a relaxing retirement. How can you tell it's time?
If you can say yes to any of the above, it's time to let that poor platform go to its final rest.
Let's talk about fasteners for a minute: drywall screws are cheap. But they aren't always the safest option. Drywall screws are strongest when carrying an axial load--meaning they don't pull out easily. They are not strong when resisting a shear load--how many times have you swung a hammer into a screw that's poked through the material to break it off? If it's that easy for a load from the side to break the screw, why would it make sense to build a frame in such a way that screws are under constant shear load? Use drywall screws for securing the lid to the frame if you must. For building the frame, use nails (which have the advantage of being able to be pneumatically-driven, hence faster) or wood screws, which are better at handling shear loads. (Screws will help the framing stay together longer than nails, though a good application of glue in the joint will help with either fastener.)
One last thought: screw tips or nail ends into fingers hurt--especially if those tips are pushing the equivalent of 30 pounds into your finger, which can happen when you're carrying a platform and manage to grab that one spot where a screw or nail has driven through the material and out the other side. Use properly-sized fasteners, and remove those that drive through the frame at weird angles and consequently stick out of the material. Your hands (and arms, and legs, and sometimes even faces) will thank you!
Dec 16, 2011
Rich Dionne
Al Sundby asked a great question about flammability, toxic outgassing, and polystyrene foam, in response to last week's post about sandwich-core panels. Check out our conversation here.
Dec 27, 2011