Unistrut as scenic element framing

[IcarusProductions]

Hey guys,

I'm working on a production of Charlotte's Web and the design has a couple sets of giant tracking barn doors. (Not for lighting fixtures).

I'm looking into the possibility of framing the doors with Unistrut and facing them with 3/8" Ply or 1/4" Luaun. The Doors are rather large 12'x20' (WxH).

I was wondering if anyone has done a similar thing with Unistrut and has any suggestions or helpful hints. Or, if you have any other reasonable suggestions as to how I might accomplish this design!

Part of the reason I am considering unistrut is that they produce trolley carriers that can be incorporated into the pieces, all from the same manufacturer.

Cheers,

-Sean

 

[kicknargel]

Could work, but sounds expensive and heavy. I'd consider an old-fashioned muslin-covered broadway flat. You'd ideally do a scarf joint to make the 20' members.

 

[AYT93]

I agree with everything that knicknargel said, especially the weight problem. Those are large doors and adding all that extra weight is only going to put more stress on those wheels in the track.

If you like the idea of using steel i would say looking to a low weight steel tube that you could weld together, if you have the tools available to do that. If possible maybe even look into aluminum framing. I have used Unistrut to build scenic elements before but mainly it was for pieces that needed easy adjustments like the chassis of a car i once built for Grease.

As far as the trolly carriers go you can get tons of carriers from McMaster that can be safely applied to steel, wood, or aluminum framed doors just as easily and probably less expensive than the Unistrut carriers.
The Unistrut works great for the actual track that the carriers attached to the doors are riding it by the way.

Hope that i helped.
Good Luck!

 

[jglodeklights]

Broadway flats will certianly work. Just make sure to choose an appropriate type of wood, framing style and face treatment (mus covered or not, type of compount for seams) for your location and budget. If you cheap out too much, the flats will bow and twist, possibly causing cracks in the compound applied to seams. You can use unistrut, it does come in Aluminum, doesn't distorty due to climate and doesn't require welding. Otherwise, 1" tube may work as long as the framing is done correctly and won't have the warping issues wood will have. However, either unistrut or tube will be significantly more expensive.

Either way, depending on the time you have available, you may be able to construct the doors as (3) 4'x20' flats that are scabbed (for wood) or bolted (for metal) together. Using a proper compound over the seam will allow you to get a clean surface (if you need it) and the ability to use them as stock masking, portals etc in the future.