Moving to Stock Steel Pieces

[Chris Chapman]

I have a shop teacher who is all about doing projects for me. I'm seriously looking at changing my Hollywood and Broadway flats to using square steel tube for framing. I m not a steel guy at all, and non of my books have any reference on steel framing for flats. Any suggestions on where I should look?

For facing steel tubed flats, would you just use self tapping screw going through the luan, or would bolting the skins on be better? I'm looking for lifetime concerns on the flats, so how many times can you retap the frames before you have to junk them? Once skinned, the only times they would need to be reskinned is due to damage, so maybe I'm over thinking this...

Besides flats, I'm considering steps, and some truss work. What other basic, stock stuff would you recommend going to steel for? Door frames. Definitely free standing steel door frames too.

 

[cmckeeman]

Why are you going to steel for this?

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Just about all of the shops I've worked at that regularly build steel scenery skin with either pneumatic T nailers, or if they're really progressive, Aerosmith nailers. Liquid Nails or your favorite construction adhesive is also an integral part.

If it's a shop that only occasionally skins steel, or for a special application, then yes they use TEK screws. But usually, for budgetary reason, they buy the drywall ones that aren't up to punching thru 18GA box tube. Wafer heads or nothin' man!



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[DRU]

In the book "Technical Design Solutions for Theatre" Vol 2, they have a write up about a steel-framed theater triscuit that you could use in place of 2x4 framed platforms. Vol 3 of the same title has a write up about using 1" 16g steel vs 1-1/2" 18g steel for flats that is quite interesting.

I haven't built many steel framed hard flats, but bolting the lauan to the steel would be excessive. TEK screws or a T-Nailer with a good construction adhesive works just fine.

 

[Chris Chapman]

Why are you going to steel for this?

Mainly to lengthen the lifetime of flats, and conserve storage space. I haven't done all the math, but the build up cost in steel for a flat ends up saving some money over the lifetime for having to rebuild stock Hollywoods. Also helps cut down on issues with flats warping over time. A skinned steel flat just need to be repainted, and the laun replaced if damage occurs. I would hope that welded tube steel would have a far greater lifespan than 1x4 pine.

Also, a free standing steel framed door flat takes up far less space than a wooden framed one.

Stock escape stair pieces also wouldn't have issues with treads cupping, etc. over time.

 

[Les]

Besides flats, I'm considering steps, and some truss work.

I wouldn't do any truss work, personally. You might look in to building some fixture bases, and maybe steel jacks for supporting the flats. Build a meat rack if you don't have one already.

 

[de27192]

Traditionally, you would choose the right material for the job; rather than trying to choose a job to suit the material.

All I mean is... steel is heavy. Very heavy, compared to the woods used in similar constructions. Don't use it just because you can, people will not thank you for it.

Wait for the job to arise. If you must do something, stage decks are probably the most common thing made of steel. Treads also. But your LX department will certainly appreciate some steelwork for cable hangars and lantern trolleys.

 

[kicknargel]

I think you have identified some benefits of using steel-framed flats: durability and storage size. (Weight may be a factor, but steel actually provides more strength per weight than wood, so if you go with small profile, thin-wall this is not a big factor.) A downside is just ease of use. Wood flats can be screwed together in whatever configuration you need. In steel, you'll probably have a standard bolting pattern, but what if you need to do something out of the ordinary? Still possible, but harder.

BTW, we use the steel-framed "Texas Triscuit" mentioned above, and like them. They have the same drawbacks of being more difficult to incorporated with wood-framed custom jobs.