Need Help with Turntable, Revolve, Rotating Stage...

We are doing a production of Les Mis and I've spent the last 3 months researching and designing a 24' turntable for our show. And we ran into the very same problem. The 2 HP motor and 20:1 speed reducer have no problem moving the turntable at 1 RPM with 20 actors. We ran a load test last week with 50 teenage actors on the turntable from a dead stop and the chain started slipping. I came on the forum today to look for advice on how to solve the slipping problem with the chain in the "oreo cookie" slot. Thanks for the advice on the traction tape and screws. We used a porch swing spring and a turnbuckle to tention the chain it works very well.
 

Attachments

  • turntable motor-drive.JPG
    turntable motor-drive.JPG
    33.3 KB · Views: 4,135
We just closed a show that used my 25' turntable for the first time. With 55 to 60 people on the table, My chain slipped, too. I thought the rough surface of the OSB I made the rim from would give enough bite. I was WRONG! So I used the non-skid tape stuff already talked about here. The sticky back wouldn't stick very well so I thought 3/4" staples would hold it. I was WRONG. When I held it on with roofing nails, I thought sure I had a winner. I was WRONG. (The chain ate through the tape in 4 rehearsals) I thought a spray-on urethane coating like they put on truck beds would be non-skid. I was WRONG. Anybody see a pattern here? With opening night coming like a freight train, desperation finally lit up the brain and I covered the chain track with tight-weave carpet that worked wonderfully. I finished it 11 minutes before opening the doors. The show and my sanity were saved. When things calm down, I want to show some pictures and a time-lapse video of the load-in.

By the way, you might want to cover that chain. That looks like a wonderful place for an actor to catch a costume or some anatomy. Tech folks will know better than to catch something important, of course.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the tip on the close weave carpet for the chain track. Are you referring to thin pile (commercial grade) carpeting, or outdoor stuff used on a deck or patio, maybe 1/4" thick? I'll keep this in by back pocket, we open on Friday night, April 24.

By the way, the motor & chain are completly covered by a box bolted to the floor. The crew are not allowed to operate it without the cover. The cover was removed for the photo.

Thanks again for the tip.
 
We use an endless cable for ours (not a chain just because it is cheaper.) and apply a layer or two of roofing rubber to the revolve to make it like a tire. I have never had it slip even though we use a cable and not a chain.
 
1. I used tight weave commercial carpet with a fairly heavy backing.
2. I couldn't see how to use a cable because I had no idea how many revolutions I would have to turn in one direction. The script was thrown out and started over twice while I was building it! All they really knew was that they wanted a multi-sided set. With more than 1 revolution, I thought the cable clamps would get in the way, so I just went with what I thought I knew.
 
just watch the grip tape, after we did more research, we found that this is very bad for the chain, it slowly grinds away at it over time.....we ended up using 3 inch finishing nails like teeth on a gear....didn't take many, probably 1 every 2 feet or so, worked great!!!
 
I am so glad that I had found this sight, it was crucial in the making of our show and I wanted to take a minute to thank all of you who helped with ideas....we used it first for Annie then we transported it to the other school I work at for Les Mis this past weekend...never a problem, worked great the entire time, a few quircks here and there, durring the build process, but thanks to my engineering student, all was fixed no problem. We did 4 shows this weekend, every one had not just one standing ovation, but one durring intermission and another at the end....every night!!! We even had a dad who wanted us to wait for strike so that we could do an encore presentatio this weekend, but alas, the pit was not available, they are on their way to Canada.....Now that the show is over, when I get caught up on my full time job, I will get some picts and videos posted, so thanks again to everyone.......

Joe
 
Just a follow up to my earlier posts, we ran three shows last weekend with the traction tape in the chain slot on our turntable. No problems. Three more to go.

When I first found this site back in January I had never built a turntable (revolve) before. I want to thank all of you on this site for your suggestions and the benefit of your experience. We could not have done it without you! We are going to store all the pieces of the turntable for use in the future. I've already had other schools ask about renting the turntable for their shows.

If you are interested, our production of Les Mis got an excellent review in the Pittsburgh paper yesterday.

PG East review: Gateway High School's 'Les Miz' soars

Hopefully, I can help some of you in the future.

Thanks again.
 
We just closed a show that used my 25' turntable for the first time. With 55 to 60 people on the table, My chain slipped, too. I thought the rough surface of the OSB I made the rim from would give enough bite. I was WRONG! So I used the non-skid tape stuff already talked about here. The sticky back wouldn't stick very well so I thought 3/4" staples would hold it. I was WRONG. When I held it on with roofing nails, I thought sure I had a winner. I was WRONG. (The chain ate through the tape in 4 rehearsals) I thought a spray-on urethane coating like they put on truck beds would be non-skid. I was WRONG. Anybody see a pattern here? With opening night coming like a freight train, desperation finally lit up the brain and I covered the chain track with tight-weave carpet that worked wonderfully. I finished it 11 minutes before opening the doors. The show and my sanity were saved. When things calm down, I want to show some pictures and a time-lapse video of the load-in.

By the way, you might want to cover that chain. That looks like a wonderful place for an actor to catch a costume or some anatomy. Tech folks will know better than to catch something important, of course.
where di you get your motor from and how did you set it up
 
Hello I am building an 18' diameter revolve and at a loss how to set up the drive system. How is a manual one with a chain set up?? or what size and type of motor should I use. I keep getting bogged down in math and load and stuff and I just want some this that will work. So what type of motor?AC or DC? How much HP? what helps create variable speed? Is a friction drive better. How do you set up a chain? what pieces do you need to set it up? any advice would be greatly appreciated
 
This is the drive for our revolve. Its a friction drive to the edge of the actual turntable. The turntable is getting on for 18' across, and runs on a circular track (visible in the photo), with hard rubber tyred wheels on the track. The centre bearing has an encoder, and the motor is reversible and speed controlled, so you can set up positions and by a single button push the revolve will move to the same position every time at a preset speed, or the revolve can turn continuously under manual control. The load capacity is about a ton, I guess - I'd have to check. We've certainly had a small van sitting on it as it went around and it wasn't even trying.
 

Attachments

  • 20220315_200332.jpg
    20220315_200332.jpg
    565.2 KB · Views: 124
Last edited:
This is the drive for our revolve. Its a friction drive to the edge of the actual turntable. The turntable is getting on for 18' across, and runs on a circular track (visible in the photo), with hard rubber tyred wheels on the track. The centre bearing has an encoder, and the motor is reversible and speed controlled, so you can set up positions and by a single button push the revolve will move to the same position every time at a preset speed, or the revolve can turn continuously under manual control. The load capacity is about a ton, I guess - I'd have to check. We've certainly had a small van sitting on it as it went around and it wasn't even trying.
cool what is the motor? what type? where did you get it?
 
I'd need to look up details. It's a three phase motor. It was supplied by Unusual Rigging and was installed something like 20 years ago, possibly a little longer.
It has a gearbox on it to reduce its speed (increasing the torque) and turn the output through 90 degrees. We've had some seriously big sets turning on it.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back