Lightweight Theater walls
William...@gmail.com
church. I am looking for suggestions for the wall surface (panel)
material.
Background:
Here is what I need:
- The walls must be 12 feet high
- They must be lightweight
- They must be easy to setup and teardown and move to storage
- The walls should not warp while stored.
- The walls will be decorated will various things like paint, foam etc
as needed.
Here are my current thoughts:
- I am thinking of building walls in 12 feet by 4 feet sections. This
is a manageable size and materials are often sold in 4 by 4 or 8 by 4
foot sections so 12 by 4 should be easy to construct.
- I plan to join wall sections together so each section should easily
attach to neighboring sections.
- I am thinking of some sort of panel material attached to a frame.
The Frame
I think I have found satisfactory frame materials. Since wood tends to
warp, I am thinking of angle aluminum or "slotted" angle steel.
Slotted steel has many holes predrilled in it so it is quite light and
can be easily bolted to the neighboring sections.
The Panels
Here is where I need help. Normal plywood is too heavy. I have seen
corrogated plastic. This has some value but seems flinsy.
Can anyone suggest other possible panel material and how I can optain
it?
Thank you
Duncan Wood
> I want to build light weight walls for a theatre production at my
> church. I am looking for suggestions for the wall surface (panel)
> material.
>
> Background:
> Here is what I need:
> - The walls must be 12 feet high
> - They must be lightweight
> - They must be easy to setup and teardown and move to storage
> - The walls should not warp while stored.
> - The walls will be decorated will various things like paint, foam etc
> as needed.
>
> Here are my current thoughts:
> - I am thinking of building walls in 12 feet by 4 feet sections. This
> is a manageable size and materials are often sold in 4 by 4 or 8 by 4
> foot sections so 12 by 4 should be easy to construct.
> - I plan to join wall sections together so each section should easily
> attach to neighboring sections.
> - I am thinking of some sort of panel material attached to a frame.
>
> The Frame
> I think I have found satisfactory frame materials. Since wood tends to
> warp,
It may well be more economic to choose your timber carefully, then it
doesn't warp
> I am thinking of angle aluminum or "slotted" angle steel.
> Slotted steel has many holes predrilled in it so it is quite light and
> can be easily bolted to the neighboring sections.
>
> The Panels
> Here is where I need help. Normal plywood is too heavy. I have seen
> corrogated plastic. This has some value but seems flinsy.
>
> Can anyone suggest other possible panel material and how I can optain
> it?
>
> Thank you
>
Traditionally one uses heavy canvas. 3mm plywood isn't particularly heavy
in 12 x 4 sizes.
Jim Murray
> Background:
> Here is what I need:
> - The walls must be 12 feet high
> - They must be lightweight
> - They must be easy to setup and teardown and move to storage
> - The walls should not warp while stored.
> - The walls will be decorated will various things like paint, foam etc
> as needed.
Sounds like as good a description of a standard theatrical flat as I've
seen.
> Here are my current thoughts:
> - I am thinking of building walls in 12 feet by 4 feet sections. This
> is a manageable size and materials are often sold in 4 by 4 or 8 by 4
> foot sections so 12 by 4 should be easy to construct.
> - I plan to join wall sections together so each section should easily
> attach to neighboring sections.
> - I am thinking of some sort of panel material attached to a frame.
So far so good, nothing unusual there.
> The Frame
> I think I have found satisfactory frame materials. Since wood tends to
> warp, I am thinking of angle aluminum or "slotted" angle steel.
> Slotted steel has many holes predrilled in it so it is quite light and
> can be easily bolted to the neighboring sections.
This is where we'll differ. I can't speak for the others here but I
personally use wooden frames for flats. I find it much easier to work
with when building the flats and can be worked using standard joinery
hand tools (saw, hammer, screwdriver etc.) which is important if you
don't have a dedicated workshop available. I consider it easier to work
with when assembling and striking sets and as durable as metal but
others may have different opinions.
> The Panels
> Here is where I need help. Normal plywood is too heavy. I have seen
> corrogated plastic. This has some value but seems flinsy.
>
> Can anyone suggest other possible panel material and how I can optain
> it?
You have a couple of choices for this. You can build 'hollywood' flats,
which are hard-covered (usually with thin plywood) or standard
soft-covered flats (covered with muslin or canvas). There are benefits
and drawbacks to both options, though if you are planning to use these
long-term I'd suggest the hollywood style may be more durable if
slightly heavier. Be aware however that fabric covered flats are
preferred by many scene painters, so if you are planning to have scenes
painted onto the flats themselves ask the person doing the painting what
they prefer before building.
The materials for hollywood flats are readily available from any decent
hardware supplier - basically some 3x1" framing and sheets of 1/4" ply.
it's simply a rectangular frame of the desired height and width with one
or more horizontal bracing struts across it's width.
If you are building soft flats the frame is more critical as it's the
only structural strength the finished flat will have. You'll want to use
corner braces (triangular pieces of 1/4 ply screwed to the back of each
corner), a central horizontal bracing strut and possibly diagonal
bracing struts as well. You'll find reasonable diagrams and some
guidance here : http://www.northern.edu/wild/th241/sc92.htm
As for suppliers of canvas/muslin, I'm sure others will provide suitable
guidance - it's too long since I had to buy any for any advice I could
give to be relevant.
Jim.
--
Daniel Ungard
Hello.
My first concern is the idea that you want to use aluminum to make the
frames. I would highly suggest against this for two reasons. First,
aluminum would not be cost efficient. Second, unless you are planning
to bolt together the aluminum pieces, you will need to find someone
who can weld aluminum. Ultimately, going the route of aluminum would
be very difficult, and I wouldn't suggest it.
My suggestion would be to make a Broadway-style hard-covered flat
(Another person has replied who describes Hollywood vs. Broadway flats
as being hard-covered vs. soft covered (Muslin). He is not entirely
correct; Broadway vs. Hollywood deals with the frame, not the panel
material). Create these out of 1x4 and 1/4" Lauan plywood. First of
all, rip down the 1x4 from 3.5in to 3in (This will save some weight.
You can go down to 2.5in, but I would not suggest it for something of
long term use). Frame the frame with the 1x4 flat, NOT ON EDGE. I
would assume that you are going to use corner blocks and keystones to
frame it. Make sure you leave all corner blocks and keystones 1" away
from the edge of the flat. This way, if you ever make a 90 degree
corner with two of your flats, they will mesh flush and not have the
blocks and stones in the way. Use 1/4" Lauan to cover the panel. Be
sure to have a toggle at the seam where the 8' piece and the 4' piece
meet. Glue and screw (or staple) the Lauan to the frame.
Do not worry about weight. One strong person or two middle strength
people can carry one of these. Depending on the humidity, weather,
and how the flats are stored, warping may or may not occur. If you
pay special attention to the quality of wood you buy and the
construction of the flats, you should have little or no problems
storing them almost anywhere.
Duncan Wood
Or use 1/8" ply, & double skin the central 4' of the flat, very stiff ,
you can still clamp them together easily & lighter.
William...@gmail.com
>
> - Show quoted text -
All these posts are very helpful.
I did not know about 1/8 plywood Thanks for the tip.
Question: what do you mean by "double skin"
Brimmy
your flat. Instead of plywood you could also use 1/2" masonite, or
hard board one side finished. I have them fin the past for my flat
skins and I have found our flats to be a little bit lighter.
Paul
---
Roger T.
> your flat. Instead of plywood you could also use 1/2" masonite, or
> hard board one side finished. I have them fin the past for my flat
> skins and I have found our flats to be a little bit lighter.
1/2" Maso??????
It'll weigh a ton, even if you use 1/8" Maso and require half a dozen strong
men to pick up a 4 x 12 (Or 12 x 4 in the UK) flat. Besides, thin Maso is
a not very strong and is easy to punch holes into.
Use 4 x 8 (Or 8 x 4 if in UK) 1/8" doorskin/skin-ply/mahogany for the skin.
--
Cheers
Roger T.
Home of the Great Eastern Railway at:-
http://www.highspeedplus.com/~rogertra/
Latitude: 48° 25' North
Longitude: 123° 21' West
Duncan Wood
Apply the skin to both faces of the flat. It makes a somewhat siffer in
bending & far stiffer in torsion flat. If you're double skinning only part
of it then you need to recess the frame at that point if you want to clamp
them at right angles but it makes setting them up & taking them down far
easier.
Stuart Wheaton
>
> My first concern is the idea that you want to use aluminum to make the
> frames. I would highly suggest against this for two reasons. First,
> aluminum would not be cost efficient. Second, unless you are planning
> to bolt together the aluminum pieces, you will need to find someone
> who can weld aluminum. Ultimately, going the route of aluminum would
> be very difficult, and I wouldn't suggest it.
>
>
OK, time to be the contrarian here. Aluminum (or steel) is a very good
choice for making theatre scenery. I should know, I spend 8-10 hours a
day and 4-5 days a week doing just that! Yes there are issues with
greater initial cost, but the stuff doesn't go bad over time and the
used metal has actual resale value that wood will never have. Yes it
takes a bit of special tooling and skill to use it, but in any
reasonable sized congregation I bet you can find a few welders, and
knowing welders, a little opportunity to get right with God for their
past behaviors might be welcomed! Metal does not rot, it warps in the
welding, but once straightened out it stays straight, and best of all,
Metal is inherently fire resistant. (yes both steel and Aluminum will
burn, but if you get to those heats, you won't have living people in the
vicinity).
For strong, lightweight stock flats, there is a lot to be said for a
metal frame. And if the cover gets beat up, pry it off, scrape off the
construction glue, and screw or pop-rivet on a new one! I recall Chris
Jahn was experimenting with the steel studs used for industrial framing,
I think it was looking positive. Those can be cut with tin snips and
assembled with screws, they are flimsy and sharp as individuals but with
good design and strong covers they would be an option.
Stuart
Christopher Jahn
news:3c44e03f-e158-42d4...@k13g2000hse.googlegroup
s.com:
> "Double skin" would mean putting Canvas or plywood on both
> sides of your flat. Instead of plywood you could also use
> 1/2" masonite, or hard board one side finished.
Which completely undermines any effort to make them lightweight.
--
}:-) Christopher Jahn
{:-( http://soflatheatre.blogspot.com/
Look out, you're gonna craaash.
Peter Herman
"Christopher Jahn" <cj...@actorsplayhouse.org> wrote in message
news:Xns9AA0D16...@216.196.97.136...
> Brimmy <pmcl...@gmail.com> wrote in
> news:3c44e03f-e158-42d4...@k13g2000hse.googlegroup
> s.com:
>
>> "Double skin" would mean putting Canvas or plywood on both
>> sides of your flat. Instead of plywood you could also use
>> 1/2" masonite, or hard board one side finished.
>
> Which completely undermines any effort to make them lightweight.
>
Masonite is indeed heaver than sin! My flat covering of choice is 1/8 luan
covered with muslin. When you are making 4'x12' flats, the muslin covers
the seam between the 4x8 and 4x4 pieces and provides a great painting
surface. It adds only marginally to the weight but the seam hiding and
better painting surface make the small weight difference worth while. For
the OPs application, I prefer Hollywood flats since they clamp together so
easily. Every user has to decide if that convience outweighs the storage
space loss.
Lately I have been having trouble finding 1/8". All our local lumber yards
have stopped carrying it in favor of 5.2 mm which is both too heavy and too
expensive. I may have to see if I can get the university and community
theatre to go in with me on a pallate if I can't talk Lowes or Home Depot
into stocking it again.
Peter
William...@gmail.com
To attach a theatre flat to those beside it, do you use:
- screws ?
- bolts ?
- other ?
- no attachement at all?
Another twist is placing 2 panels at a 90 degree angle. I would have
the frames an inch or so from the edge, to allow the panel edges to
touch. Then when the question is "How to you attach these 2 panels?"
Thoughts?
Jim Murray
> Ok, now I am curious about attaching the panels to each other.
>
> To attach a theatre flat to those beside it, do you use:
> - screws ?
> - bolts ?
> - other ?
> - no attachement at all?
For temporary sets, clamps work or you can do it the old way with ropes
& cleats. Stage braces & weights keep the flats vertical on stage. For
fixed sets that don't change during a production flats can be screwed
together with wood screws.
> Another twist is placing 2 panels at a 90 degree angle. I would have
> the frames an inch or so from the edge, to allow the panel edges to
> touch. Then when the question is "How to you attach these 2 panels?"
Frames are usually at the edge of the panel for strength. If the corner
won't be seen by the audience there's no need to worry about it. If it
will be seen, simply butt the two flats together and paint the joint to
match the flat. With fabric covered flats, the fabric normally wraps
around the edge so there's no difference in surface.
Jim.
--
David McCall
<William...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:da2bdcf4-ae51-47d5...@u6g2000prc.googlegroups.com...
Hollywood flats are usually attached to each other with C-clamps
or sheetrock screws. Bolts would work too.
Hollywood flats are built much like a box with 1"x3" sides and a
luan face (very thin plywood).
Traditional flats are built flat like a picture frame except that the
corners are butt joints and not usually mitered. They always used
to be covered with muslin (heavy fabric just short of canvas).
Now a lot of people cover them with luan for a more rigid surface.
Some of the really hip folks cover them with luan and then cover
that with muslin.
Traditionally you would use thin rope to secure the flats to each other.
You will have to look for pictures on the web to explain how this works.
I can't easily put it into words.
Another option for attaching the pieces together is to use hinges.
Regular door hinges will work, but we normally use what they call
loose pin hinges. Instead of a pin like you use on a door, the
loose pin hinge uses a stiff piece of wire to hold the halves together.
This makes them easier to take apart.
Muslin makes a better surface for painting. Another advantage is
that you can apply a dutchman to the seam between flats and the
surface material will match. A dutchman is a strip of muslin about
3" wide that is lightly glued over the joint between flats to cover the
crack. you probably won't do that because you want to reuse the
same set year after year.
Another poster said that you usually wrap the muslin around the
edge of the flat. I disagree with that. I think it is better to apply the
muslin a bit oversize to the surface and then trim off the excess
after the glue dries. Usually you would trim it about 1/4" back
from the edge.
You only glue the muslin along the edges and leave the fabric
snug, but not tight like a drum. You then paint the fabric with sizing.
The sizing causes the fabric to shrink a little and tightens it up.
If you start with it too tight, the sizing can actually cause the tension
too get too tight and break the frame.
On flats with a hard surface you want the frame to be flush against the
edge of the surface. If you set the frame back, your edges will get
damaged more easily, and it will be difficult to create a straight wall.
Of course you can use welded steel frames too and bolt or hinge
the pieces together. I'm personally more comfortable with wood,
but I might feel different if I knew how to weld.
This must all sound pretty confusing, but it really isn't too bad if you
know what you are doing. Perhaps you should find someone that
has experience with creating scenery to help or at least guide you
through the process.
Good luck
David
Christopher Jahn
news:da2bdcf4-ae51-47d5...@u6g2000prc.googlegroups
.com:
I think it's time you bought a book about how to build scenery.
It's not that I'm not willing to help, but that this is a very
inefficient way to learn how to build scenery. Once you've read
the books, you'll be able to ask better questions. You'll have
diagrams and explanations right there, and you'll have something
specific to refer us to; "On page 12 of 'Scenery for the
Stage,' I don't understand the diagram.'"
Rich Dionne
wrote:
> WilliamMLov...@gmail.com wrote innews:da2bdcf4-ae51-47d5...@u6g2000prc.googlegroups
I agree with Christopher; try Bill Raoul's _Stock Scenery Construction
Handbook_--it should cover the basics of everything discussed in this
thread so far.
Best of luck,
Rich
Brimmy
person...I was also using 1x3 pine for the rails and stiles.
If you can find a copy of "The Stage Crafe Hand Book" by Daniel A.
Ionazzi, it is a great guide book for stagecraft, and how to build a
basic flat.
Duncan Wood
Well 8'*4' of 1/2" masonite is 84 lbs, 3.2mm ply is 14lbs.
Christopher Jahn
9906-f6a...@2g2000hsn.googlegroups.com:
> Actually the flats are very light weight, and can be moved by
> one person...I was also using 1x3 pine for the rails and
> stiles.
But 1/2" masonite still weighs about 85 pounds, which I don't
consider light.
--
}:-) Christopher Jahn
{:-( http://soflatheatre.blogspot.com/
Thou shalt not misspell thine neurotransmitters.
Duncan Wood
<cj...@actorsplayhouse.org> wrote:
> Brimmy <pmcl...@gmail.com> wrote in news:9e9b8296-f553-4438-
> 9906-f6a...@2g2000hsn.googlegroups.com:
>
>> Actually the flats are very light weight, and can be moved by
>> one person...I was also using 1x3 pine for the rails and
>> stiles.
>
> But 1/2" masonite still weighs about 85 pounds, which I don't
> consider light.
>
>
Maybe we both need to work out more.....
David McCall
David
Christopher Jahn
$H91.7@trndny09:
It's certainly alot heavier than lauan or even plywood.
--
}:-) Christopher Jahn
{:-( http://soflatheatre.blogspot.com/
Ignorance can be cured -- but stupid is forever.
William...@gmail.com
will find a book on scenery construction.
Just a note on metal framing. If you get angled aluminum or angled
steel you will not need to do any welding. You can get it in 12 foot
lengths and if you look at one end it looks like an L. A product that
Home Depot calls "Angled Slotted Steel" is also predrilled with many
holes so it is lighter than solid angled steel. That way it can be
attached to a panel and attached to neighbouring sections. By using
bolts, it is easily attached and detached with normal tools and does
not damage the frame (like screws in wood).
Duncan Wood
The torsional stiffness is very low though.
William...@gmail.com
Hmmmm.. Not sure I agree with that but I have no numbers.
I suspect that 12 foot slotted angled steel would have higher
torsional stiffness than 12 foot x 1 inch x 3 inch wood (mentioned
earlier)
Duncan Wood
It may, but if you attach it to the edges of a sheet of ply the lack of
stiffness in the corner joints makes it softer than a properly jointed
wood frame.
Christopher Jahn
news:3fbf740b-b625-45e8...@p25g2000hsf.googlegroup
s.com:
You'd be wrong. BTDT. The angled steel has very poor tortional
performance in this application. It also buckles much more readily
than 1x3. U-shaped steel does much better. Try it with paper, and
you'll see why.
And as Stuart Wheaton mentioned, I've built flats with steel stud;
the tortional strength at 12 feet is quite good if you've skinned
one side in 1/4 lauan.
--
}:-) Christopher Jahn
{:-( http://soflatheatre.blogspot.com/
The charms of a woman are directly related to the speed of her
passing.
Brimmy
low here in Canada it is cheaper just to buy plywood now.
Paul
On May 21, 4:39 pm, "Duncan Wood" <bodged...@dmx512.co.uk> wrote:
> On Wed, 21 May 2008 21:23:42 +0100, Christopher Jahn
>
> <cj...@actorsplayhouse.org> wrote:
> > Brimmy <pmcla...@gmail.com> wrote in news:9e9b8296-f553-4438-
> > 9906-f6a0a6c77...@2g2000hsn.googlegroups.com:
>
> >> Actually the flats are very light weight, and can be moved by
> >> one person...I was also using 1x3 pine for the rails and
> >> stiles.
>
> > But 1/2" masonite still weighs about 85 pounds, which I don't
> > consider light.
>
Roger T.
> low here in Canada it is cheaper just to buy plywood now.
1/4 Masonite and 1/8 should be avoided for two reasons.
1) It's bloody heavy, even 1/8"
2) It is fragile and shatters and cracks easily.
Gentle kick a 1/8 skin-ply/doorskin covered flat and not much will happen.
Do the same thing with 1/4 Masonite and you'll put a hole in it and it will
crack.
Milo
whose basic flats were 12' tall sheetrock on aluminum frames, as would be
used in most commercial construction. The sheetrock is more heavy than luan
but it comes in that 12' length so solves the seam problem. And it's not
hard for two normal people to work with a 4x12 section. Obviously takes
paint well. Sheetrock is, I believe, a bit less expensive than luan also.
They had an end of season party where they removed the old sheetrock and
installed new. Always kept a couple around that designers were welcome to
cut into but on most that was a no no.
"Roger T." <roge...@highspeedplus.com> wrote in message
news:8c00d0aad1160bf5...@grapevine.islandnet.com...
Stuart Wheaton
> I'm sure this will be regarded as heresy, but I once designed for a group
> whose basic flats were 12' tall sheetrock on aluminum frames, as would be
> used in most commercial construction. The sheetrock is more heavy than luan
> but it comes in that 12' length so solves the seam problem. And it's not
> hard for two normal people to work with a 4x12 section. Obviously takes
> paint well. Sheetrock is, I believe, a bit less expensive than luan also.
> They had an end of season party where they removed the old sheetrock and
> installed new. Always kept a couple around that designers were welcome to
> cut into but on most that was a no no.
Very little is heresy in theatre! I would guess the framing was really
light gauge steel, that's the commercial material, but you might have
had aluminum. The biggest drawback to sheetrock is weight, if you can
work with or around that, it is a pretty surface. I wouldn't want to
fly it. As long as the covering is used in a way that works for the
user, go for it. What works for one group will bomb for another. I
wouldn't store sheetrock flats in a midwest basement, they'd be very
mushy when you went to get them.
Stuart
Christopher Jahn
news:e9008$48406ca9$d0660e36$30...@FUSE.NET:
I can't imagine they'd survive many trips from the scene shop
across town to the theatre and back. And I can't imagine setting
them up and breaking them down in the span of a scene change;
probably adequate for a box set that you install and leave.
--
}:-) Christopher Jahn
{:-( http://soflatheatre.blogspot.com/
Everybody looks brave holding a machine gun.
William...@gmail.com
> You'd be wrong. BTDT. The angled steel has very poor tortional
> performance in this application. It also buckles much more readily
> than 1x3. U-shaped steel does much better.
This is excellent, This exactly what I am looking for. A real life
story.
Please describe the construction?
Frame:
- Did you use 12 foot angled steel (angled slotted steel?)
- Did you bolt the frames together at the corners? or only attach them
to the panels.
- Were they 12 x 4 foot frames?
Panel:
- What material did you use.
Now the BIG Questions:
- What failure happened where torsional performance is needed? Did the
failure happen during setup or during the performance?
Thank you
Mark Lovell
Christopher Jahn
news:5706e52f-5109-482b...@t54g2000hsg.googlegroup
s.com:
>
>> You'd be wrong. BTDT. The angled steel has very poor
>> tortional performance in this application. It also buckles
>> much more readily than 1x3. U-shaped steel does much better.
>
> This is excellent, This exactly what I am looking for. A real
> life story.
> Please describe the construction?
> Frame:
> - Did you use 12 foot angled steel (angled slotted steel?)
Yes.
> - Did you bolt the frames together at the corners? or only
> attach them to the panels.
Bolted them at the corners
> - Were they 12 x 4 foot frames?
Yes.
> Panel:
> - What material did you use.
1/4" lauan
>
> Now the BIG Questions:
> - What failure happened where torsional performance is needed?
They wobble and twist. There is effectively no torsional
performance. They also tended to buckle at the seams while we were
moving them around the shop.
> Did the failure happen during setup or during the performance?
They never made it out of the shop. I refuse to put something so
inherently unsafe on a stage. They were not only wobbly, they were
cumbersome to move into position.
Not a technology suited to use on a theatrical stage.
But here's something you might find useful:
http://mywebpage.netscape.com/xjahn/Stagecraft.html
--
}:-) Christopher Jahn
{:-( http://soflatheatre.blogspot.com/
Specialization is for insects.
Rob
wrote:
> WilliamMLov...@gmail.com wrote innews:5706e52f-5109-482b...@t54g2000hsg.googlegroup
I saw the pictures- I've used these studs too, but used 2x3 blocks,
like i'd seen framers do, in corners for stablity.
You didn't and had good torsional strength? That's great news because
one drawback to steel studs for me was the extra cutting of the corner
blocks. Another was the sharp edges. But on the whole is this a
technique you would use again?
Christopher Jahn
news:7b2444c7-9ca6-4876...@m73g2000hsh.googlegroup
s.com:
> On Jun 2, 11:47 am, Christopher Jahn
> <cj...@actorsplayhouse.org> wrote:
>> WilliamMLov...@gmail.com wrote
>> innews:5706e52f-5109-482b-a201-14d65a35331c
> I saw the pictures- I've used these studs too, but used 2x3
> blocks, like i'd seen framers do, in corners for stablity.
> You didn't and had good torsional strength? That's great news
> because one drawback to steel studs for me was the extra
> cutting of the corner blocks. Another was the sharp edges. But
> on the whole is this a technique you would use again?
>
They were mildly flexible at the corners until final assembly.
Traditional corner blocks can make them completely rigid, as can
skinning the back of the piece. In fact, if you need double-sided
flats, this technique produces an extremely stiff and lightweight
unit. But for box sets, we didn't bother with corner blocks; they
were plenty rigid when fully assembled.
The shop stopped using the technique when I moved out of the shop
and into management; this technique doesn't forgive slop, and our
carps kept wanting to skip the clamping. That resulted in poor
fastening. They also had problems mastering the art of screwing
the skin to the frame; it takes a deft touch to do it quickly.
It's not the same process as stapling and gluing. I could build
them in about the same amount of time; my replacements took nearly
twice as long as conventional framing.
Factor in the fact that steel prices leapt ahead of lumber prices,
and it just made sense to go back to lumber framing. They do still
use the technique when they're flying pieces.
I think the technique is useful, and it's certainly greener, but
ultimately traditional lumber framing edges it out in terms of
practicality and labor costs.
--
}:-) Christopher Jahn
{:-( http://soflatheatre.blogspot.com/
The Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt not get caught.