Creating Braces for a 10' x 4' flat

[decoocoo]

Hello All,
I have inherited 4 flats that were used in a previous production. They measure 10' x 4'. I want to attach the four together to form a solid background for our play. I also need to stabilize the flats (brace them). I am not a carpenter or stage designer but must figure out how to do this myself. I've been reading up on French braces and standard braces but don't understand the terminology. Can anyone break it down for a non-technical person as to how to construct bracing for these flats? The flats are soft (made with wood and canvas) and have three cross beams supporting the frame. I'm sure that's not the technical name but that's what they look like to me. Any advice would be highlly appreciated and I thank you in advance for you kindness and patience with me. D.

 

[Van]

This is a good back to basics question! No such thing as a bad question in my book.

Here's a quick sketch of a simple way to accomplish wat you are talking about.

The Jacks are merely 1x4 the dimensiona are 3' wide at base 8' tall. it's important to run the hypoteneuse on edge as shown as this provide the structural integrity for the jack. if you run it flat it becomes necessary to add another piece of framing running from the back to the 8' upright to kock it in. The Hog Trough at the top it simple two pieces of 1x4 glued and stapled at right angles to form an "L" this is a Stiffener which will cut down on the flexing of the wall. Each flat can be joined to the next with a scab. the scabs can be short pieces of 1x4 or ply or even 1/4" ply. several screws through the scab and into the Stiles of the flats will hold them together. I prefer to have at least three scabs along the length of the stile. Make sure you use screws that don't pole through to the front of the flat. Hope that helps some. Check the Wikki on here for the terms Flat, Broadway, etc. as this will help you understand other Scenic Carpentry terms you may run across. I'm attaching a copy of the SketchUp file that this Jpg came from so you can D/L it and look more closely. If you don't have SketchUp you can D/L it for free from Google.

 

[gafftaper]

I like to use a combination of scabs and Rosco 2" hinges to join flats together side to side. The hinges are great for holding the flats together really tight... clamp then then screw the hinges on. Then I use scabs to stiffen the wall.

 

[thatactorguy]

In addition to Van's post, it would be a good idea to secure the jack to the deck (the stage floor). Can you screw into the floor? Some theatres don't allow this, while others have tile flooring (I know, right?!?). If this is the case, use sandbags or something heavy to hold the jacks to the floor so the flats don't fall forward. I built a set for a local high school that had tile decking, so we used rip rock for jack weights...

 

[Footer]

had tile decking,

I don't even think you could call that decking. I don't even want to guess the color. The sad thing is it probably cost them 4x as much to put down industrial tile then Masonite would have cost.

 

[thatactorguy]

I don't even think you could call that decking. I don't even want to guess the color. The sad thing is it probably cost them 4x as much to put down industrial tile then Masonite would have cost.

The show took place in the *newer* elementary school, built in the 80s maybe. Pretty standard gymnatorium setup. It has an older Strand (I think- this was toward the end of the huge ice storm in Kentucky, and I've slept since then in between other projects) lighting system consisting of 6 Fresnels and 6 Ellipsoidals, which is the only reason the teacher for whom I did the set chose that location. The high school- a block away- had the same gymnatorium style stage, but the deck was T&G. I would've preferred it, but there was no lighting, other than four sets of PAR38 strip lights overhead. And yes, the only way to control them was via breaker switch *CLICK!!* *CLICK!!* *CLICK!!*

The tile, btw, was that black marble-ish 12 X 12 squares, which made things interesting when we dropped drywall screws on the floor