Stuart R
Member
Hello all -
I've poked around with the search bar but haven't found quite what I'm looking for.
Mostly work with middle schoolers, who are relatively light (when standing on a platform) and weak (when moving or lifting a platform).
Generally, none of the platforms we use are bigger than 4'x8', and the highest we've ever legged them is 4'-2" (LOW ceiling).
So, can I use 1x stock (maybe 1x6?) for the frames, with 3/4" ply lids? I'd put an additional 1x halfway down the length for more support and stiffness.
Next question: legging
When I build platform frames out of 2x stock, I like using "compression" legs (I think they're called), where two 2x4s are glued and screw together, with one of them under and supporting the rail, and the other a little taller so it goes up the inside of the rail almost to the lid. I also like to use two carriage bolts with nuts and washers to attached the (taller) leg to the rail. [I used to have a steel template I could stick in the corner and use to guide the drill but it has disappeared - it was nice because everything fit everything.]
Using 1x, I could I suppose use the same compression leg approach, but now the mating surfaces are much smaller, and 1x legs seem wobbly to me even if two are glued and screwed together. 2x4 on the inside and 1x on the outside? Some kind of hog trough approach? Bolts still good, or overkill = use wood screws?
So, advice for my platforms lite, which still need to be safe?
One more question, if you're already here reading this. The deck for our next show will be a bunch of different levels, none more then 6" apart, all topped with plywood. What can I do to create a more homogenous surface, short of putting down many many sheets of tempered hardboard? Could I, for instance, use muslin? I could see paint/glueing large swatchs of muslin, which would be a great surface for painting, but I don't want to ruin the lids of all of the platforms. Maybe there's a formula for adhering the muslin that will at the end of the day, simply peel off if done carefully?
Many thanks.
I've poked around with the search bar but haven't found quite what I'm looking for.
Mostly work with middle schoolers, who are relatively light (when standing on a platform) and weak (when moving or lifting a platform).
Generally, none of the platforms we use are bigger than 4'x8', and the highest we've ever legged them is 4'-2" (LOW ceiling).
So, can I use 1x stock (maybe 1x6?) for the frames, with 3/4" ply lids? I'd put an additional 1x halfway down the length for more support and stiffness.
Next question: legging
When I build platform frames out of 2x stock, I like using "compression" legs (I think they're called), where two 2x4s are glued and screw together, with one of them under and supporting the rail, and the other a little taller so it goes up the inside of the rail almost to the lid. I also like to use two carriage bolts with nuts and washers to attached the (taller) leg to the rail. [I used to have a steel template I could stick in the corner and use to guide the drill but it has disappeared - it was nice because everything fit everything.]
Using 1x, I could I suppose use the same compression leg approach, but now the mating surfaces are much smaller, and 1x legs seem wobbly to me even if two are glued and screwed together. 2x4 on the inside and 1x on the outside? Some kind of hog trough approach? Bolts still good, or overkill = use wood screws?
So, advice for my platforms lite, which still need to be safe?
One more question, if you're already here reading this. The deck for our next show will be a bunch of different levels, none more then 6" apart, all topped with plywood. What can I do to create a more homogenous surface, short of putting down many many sheets of tempered hardboard? Could I, for instance, use muslin? I could see paint/glueing large swatchs of muslin, which would be a great surface for painting, but I don't want to ruin the lids of all of the platforms. Maybe there's a formula for adhering the muslin that will at the end of the day, simply peel off if done carefully?
Many thanks.