DIY boom base?

[chouston]

I am going to be trying something a bit different with our high school show's lighting this coming school year. To make a long story short, we do not have a permanent performance facility, so we set up our entire production in an open atrium type area in our school. This includes stage, lighting, sound, etc... We basically build the theater along with the show. Anyway, I want to take advantage of the second floor this year and set up 8' tall pipes near the railings to hang all of our lights from rather than the normal truss and crank uprights that we normally use at floor level. This will free up audience space and make hanging and focusing of lighting a bit safer and more efficient. However, I have a distinct poverty of boom bases in order to accomplish this. I would like to purchase more, but they are a bit spendy and finding them locally so I don't get killed on shipping is a challenge. I've been thinking of making some. I have two ideals. One is to makes wooden boxes about the size of a [HASHTAG]#50[/HASHTAG] base and filling it with about 50 lbs of sand with a Speed Rail flange on the lid. The other is to start with a 3/4 ply about the same size, attach the flange to it and just set a couple of 35 lbs dead baby seals on each one for weight. Looking to make about 10 or 12 of these things and wanted to get some opinions on whether or not this is really a good idea. I'm a bit on the fence since I just did a 10 hour OSHA training session at USITT back in March. Thanks for any advice on this.

 

[np18358]

Do you have access to welding facilities and metal, or is there a local steel fabricator who can work with metals for you??

 

[LavaASU]

and just set a couple of 35 lbs dead baby seals on each one for weight.

Um, that got wierd...

I've considered making boom bases with old tires filled with concrete before. Hadn't quite figured out the flange attachment. Was thinking about doing a steel pipe with an ID slightly larger that the 2" Sch 40 in the center of the concrete so the 10' pipe slides into the permanent pipe, but never did this or really thought through the whole thing, so no idea if it would work.

 

[Les]

Um, that got wierd...

A Dead Baby Seal is a sandbag made from an old tire inner tube.

As for the base plate idea, there are a lot of ways to build one but I'm hesitant to give a lot of specific advice. LavaASU's concrete-filled tire idea is a good one - they can be incredibly stable and only cost a few bucks each to make. My old elementary school used them extensively to hold temporary volleyball nets, etc and each base probably held at least one 80# bag worth of concrete.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

I'd feel better about your box with sand if the flange was in the bottom of the box and went through a hole in the lid. Just not comfortable with the 8' lever arm on the bolted connection of flange to wood.

Since no floor is really flat, consider some "feet" - like three - so it isn't tippy. Probably easier to store using the seals or tube sand from a big box store.

 

[n1ist]

I made one by bolting a pipe flange to a 2x2 square of plywood. I then placed a 50-pound plate (bench-pressing type) over the flange.
/mike

 

[len]

1. Renting isn't an option?
2. Can you attach to the railing? Seems to me it's about as safe (i.e., not very).
3. Don't build any higher than you absolutely have to. Get your fixtures 4' in the air and that should be plenty.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

http://www.controlbooth.com/wiki/?title=sandbag

A "Dead Baby Seal" is a sandbag made from an old tire inner tube.

As for the base plate idea, there are a lot of ways to build one but I'm hesitant to give a lot of specific advice. LavaASU's concrete-filled tire idea is a good one - they can be incredibly stable and only cost a few bucks each to make. My old elementary school used them extensively to hold temporary volleyball nets, etc and each base probably held at least one 80# bag worth of concrete.

Add it to the wiki, Les!

 

[ship]

Rent, safety cable and if wanting to get something don't build it. See what you get in renting and work with them in if a long term solution what you can buy or have made for you. Huge liability and just doing something isn't always the best safe solution.