Recent content by DRU

How steep is the rake? How big of an area is it? Is your platforming inventory more triscuits or something else?Triscuits are acceptable for building a raked platform. Unless you have a very steep rake, any weight or force would still be on the stud wall and minimally on the fasteners. If...

Permanent or temporary?

If you find your skills lacking, it never hurts to invest in knowledge.Just to clear things up about welding certifications: there is no general "welding certification". Even a diploma from a welding school like I have isn't considered a certification. Certifications are usually issued by...

1. 2" foam with Lauan on both sides should be fine to stand up straight without sag. In building construction, these are called SIPs (structural insulated panels). They are made out of thicker foam and thicker wood, but they work as a stressed skin panel to provide great strength for their...

For stock stairs, I would make them out of 3/4" ply and have the carriages square off to the floor so that they can stand without legs. I would build 2' wide units of 2, 3, and 4 steps. Build them 8" rise and 10" run, and close both the tread and the riser. Glue and screw all edges.If they...

Some additional details, like from Ron's post, and/or pictures would be helpful.Depending on the desk size/type, you might want to go with pneumatic lift casters or pneumatic brakes.

Are you building brand new flats for each show, or are you pulling any from a set of stock flats?Are you flying these flats, putting them on the ground/on wagons, or both?

I will admit first thing that I have a bias against using cardboard as a scenic material unless the design calls for it. I would prefer, and have had better experiences with, foam.I worry about putting the foam directly to the 1x frame. In the past, if I had a flat with foam on it, I would...

My first thought was to buy these along with some threaded stem casters, pop off the old cap and pop the new ones on, but on second thought I would think that the cap wouldn't be strong enough to take a lateral load. I've used them before to add levelers to the bottom of legs, but not with...

What is the distance between the two wood beams? How is the Unistrut currently attached to the wood beams?Unistrut P1000 is pretty strong. A 5ft span has a max uniform load of about 600lbs. By the picture alone I would be only worried about the connection to the wood beams, mainly a lag...

Look into Creative Conners and their automation systems. You can either buy their system or rent it for just this show.

What other scenery pieces are around this platform? How tall of a platform do you need? How big are the wagons? Are they 2x framed, or some other method?My thought would be to make an MDF false floor big enough to cover the US-most and DS-most extremes of the platform, plus a bit for a step...

First thing is that you need to use a good wood glue. Staples are there to hold the wood together until the glue dries, instead of having to clamp the entire piece. They provide little to no extra strength to the joint. I used in the past Titebond II. Don't use Gorilla Glue. That's a...

You are most likely going to need them to be custom made. I doubt you'll find an off the shelf solution.I recently made similar points made of 3/8" material that were two pieces, engineered to go into concrete beams, to hang battens. I'm pretty sure we can manufacture these for you. If...

The company Automation Fx (afx.bz) have pneumatic brakes and lift caster systems for sale. You can also purchase pancake cylinders, casters, or pads from McMaster-Carr and go a custom route if you wish.