Hollywood vs Broadway flat construction part names

I have been build sets for many years for theatre and known the main parts to be stiles, rails and toggles. Doing my first blockbuster movie and the people constructing the flats are calling the parts by their carpantry names, studs, noggins and plates.

Just for my on educations do both styles have different names or is the Broadway flat named parts been simplified to make it easier for new carpenters to relate to what they know?
 
And the comma, Oxford.
Millions have ridden on the lack of an Oxford comma. Comma in boldface below.

"My estate is to be divided equally among my heirs Tom, Francine, Martha and Jerry" * E = T + F + (M + J) * gets interpreted differently than ".... equally among... Tom, Francine, Martha, and Jerry." * E = (T + F + M + J) . In the first example Tom and Francine would each get 1/3 of the estate, with Martha and Jerry splitting the other third, for 1/6 each. In the latter, each heir would receive 25%.

BTW, other than the names the above has actually happened.
 
I've found that not many people use the term 'toggle'. Top rail, mid rail(s), bottom rail. Maybe that's because I typically see flats built with rails and toggles at the same length, and the stiles full height. In school I was taught that the top and bottom rails cap the stiles, and the toggles fit in between the stiles. In practice, the rails and toggles are the same length to avoid confusion during assembly and to avoid moving the stop on your chop saw.
 
I've found that not many people use the term 'toggle'. Top rail, mid rail(s), bottom rail. Maybe that's because I typically see flats built with rails and toggles at the same length, and the stiles full height. In school I was taught that the top and bottom rails cap the stiles, and the toggles fit in between the stiles. In practice, the rails and toggles are the same length to avoid confusion during assembly and to avoid moving the stop on your chop saw.
The reason Rails are supposed to be the width of the flat is so the Flat can easily slid along the floor. If the stiles extend to the floor you could hit a bump or snag a nail in the deck causing the stile to pull away from bottom rail and weaken the joint. It's Old school from the days of moving 20' flats around the shop with two men. Doing it now days is just lazy. First film I worked on I thought all the wally would be built with Hollywood's Turns out every thing was constructed like stud walls. Blocking was installed by swing nailing and every 2 feet. Everything was referred to in standard construction terms: Header, Footer, Stud, and Blocks. (Hey, @derekleffew I got an Oxford comma in as well!) Since we call it a Header I'm not surprised that Aussies call it a Noggin; they have a penchant for giving cute names to things: Brekkie for breakfast, Mushy for Mushroom, Barbie for Barbeque, and Chrissy for Christmas.
 
The reason Rails are supposed to be the width of the flat is so the Flat can easily slid along the floor. If the stiles extend to the floor you could hit a bump or snag a nail in the deck causing the stile to pull away from bottom rail and weaken the joint.

The top & bottom rails should ALWAYS ovelap the stiles so that when running the flat you don't split pieces of the stiles off.
That's what I was taught, and I don't do it that way anymore lol. Easier to draw, simpler to build when they're all the same length. Maybe, depending on your company's needs, the traditional way is better. But I haven't seen flats being slid around on their bottom rails for a while, everybody tips them over and hooks a shoulder under them. Maybe you jostle around a couple inches to get it lined up before you drive a screw. But long gone are the days of sliding walls around during intermission and lashing them together.
 
...Since we call it a Header I'm not surprised that Aussies call it a Noggin; ...
But WE don't call it a header. What they call a noggin (in stud-frame construction), we call blocking, fire-stop, and so on.

OT, watching too much HGTV...
If houses are no longer allowed to have, dare I say it, a M@ster Bedroom, are the terms king stud & jack stud still allowed, or a certain-to-be-cancelled perpetuation of monarchy?
 
But WE don't call it a header. What they call a noggin (in stud-frame construction), we call blocking, fire-stop, and so on.

OT, watching too much HGTV...
If houses are no longer allowed to have, dare I say it, a M@ster Bedroom, are the terms king stud & jack stud still allowed, or a certain-to-be-cancelled perpetuation of monarchy?
No, now it's a "They bedroom", " Dom Jack", and "Bottom Jack".

(Please don't kill me Zoomers. I'm using humor to point out the ironic reluctance to Change often displayed in the older generations. 'Cause, See, Derek and I are both old and ok with it.)
 
The noggins are usually mid stud to keep the studs running true. they are usually not a structural element. Top plates and bottom plates for stud walls. Noggins can also be run between roof beams for the same purpose as walls.
A noggin is also slang for your head. "Get that through your thick noggin"
Regards
Geoff (From the land downunder)
 
bobgaggle: Teach tour crew to read a rule! We used to build things when 1" finish 1x3 stock was 7/8" x 2-7/8" and 5/4 stock was 1-1/8" thick.
@JonCarter These days they carry several rules with a variety of blade widths: 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4. 1. & 1 1/4 '. We're teaching them to lay them parallel and add them up for wider measurements.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
The noggins are usually mid stud to keep the studs running true. they are usually not a structural element. Top plates and bottom plates for stud walls. Noggins can also be run between roof beams for the same purpose as walls.
A noggin is also slang for your head. "Get that through your thick noggin"
Regards
Geoff (From the land downunder)
Yeah, to me those are Breaks or Blocking. In movies not only do they act as a spacer but the Grips and prop builders love to climb them when rigging fixtures or Wilding walls and ceilings. See, I would call a header or top plate a noggin and between roof beams or rafters or in Loft beams we call it compression bracing. I've never heard a cute name for compression beams.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back