Need an ultra cheap hanging/trussing solution

[muvment]

Just booked a show at an odd venue. Ceiling are only 9' and no place to hang anything whatsoever. Budget is limited and none of my trussing can be mounted anywhere. I need to fly 8 trackspots, 4 technobeams, some emulators, and other various gear. But I may cut the show down to 6 fixtures on 2 universes. Whats the cheapest way to go about this?

Doesn't need to be in code, but I dodn't want to spend $250 renting stands if I can buy some junky stands for cheap or build something from home depot parts. Must be free stanging. I could put 2 trackspots per stand and maybe 1 technobeam per stand. Budget is priority.

[pudgeo2]

If I was going to do this, I would probaly start with purchasing some 6x6 lumber and using those as your booms. Of course you would need to make a base that would be no less than 2'x2', and secure the 6x6 to it with angle braces (not angle iron, a 3/4" plywood cut at 45 deg angles attached to the 6x6 and 3/4" base). Then get some sandbags and weigh down each base. You would want you base to be at least 1.5 time as heavy as what you are putting on the tree. Then to attach the fixtures I would look into through bolting it some how. I'm not sure how that would work, but that should give you a solid start.

[soundlight]

Purchasing enough 6x6 to make the necessary stands is going to cost at least as much as renting some T-stands.

You might look in to renting two nice t-stands and some sch. 40 pipe to put between them.

[soundman]

Umm I wouldn't tell the cleint your putting the budget ahead of saftey.

That being said boom bases and sch 40 pipe with side arms would be my bet. Or if you own truss you could rent some floor bases for it and stand it on end.

[pudgeo2]

I agree that 6x6 would be expensive, but if you were going to use wood I probaly wouldn't do any narrower for the uprights. You could probaly get away with 2x6 for the cross, but then you only have 1.5" to attach anything to.

[derekleffew]

Oh, how my hackles bristled at the title of this thread, and still do, somewhat. The words in the title have no business being next to each other.

But your least expensive solution is going to be to rent/buy 50# boom bases, rigid cheeseboroughs and 1.5" Sched.40 BIP. With a 9' ceiling, the room can't be that big, so just distribute your booms against the walls and call it a day. Single booms, or goal posts, whatever works. Without lagging your Technobeams into the ceiling, they'd be too low for overhead use anyway, not to mention the tiny beams you'd get from an 8' throw. Hang your scanners "mirror up" for highest angle.

You're near Seattle, right? Maybe a guy named Mark has some brand new iron he can rent to you. There's lots of theatres in Seattle, maybe one has some bases and pipe they're not using, and would like $50-$100 for their slush fund?

[len]

Sometimes you just have to say "no" if budget is that big an issue. Is your reputation and the safety of the guests more important than saving a few bucks? Either do it safely or don't do it at all. I agree with Derek. Pipe and base are probably the lease expensive option that would still be relatively safe.

[muvment]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

Oh, how my hackles bristled at the title of this thread, and still do, somewhat. The words in the title have no business being next to each other.
But your least expensive solution is going to be to rent/buy 50# boom bases, rigid cheeseboroughs and 1.5" Sched.40 BIP. With a 9' ceiling, the room can't be that big, so just distribute your booms against the walls and call it a day. Single booms, or goal posts, whatever works. Without lagging your Technobeams into the ceiling, they'd be too low for overhead use anyway, not to mention the tiny beams you'd get from an 8' throw. Hang your scanners "mirror up" for highest angle.
You're near Seattle, right? Maybe a guy named Mark has some brand new iron he can rent to you. There's lots of theatres in Seattle, maybe one has some bases and pipe they're not using, and would like $50-$100 for their slush fund?

You have a point and also struck the 'dumb' chord in my brain. I work for a theater, i'm sure there's gear in storage that will fit my needs. I have no idea why this didn't occur to me earlier. (I rent them all of my intelligent fixtures when not in use, I've just never bothered borrowing their gear because I usually don't have a use for it). I'll spend next week going through our unused gear.

[derekleffew]

Glad Control Booth was of service. If anyone has found this advice helpful, consider donating today.

[Pie4Weebl]

Originally Posted by derekleffew

Glad Control Booth was of service. If anyone has found this advice helpful, consider donating today.

as long as your donation doesn't come out of the rigging budget....