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  • 1.  Connecting flats

    Posted 09-14-2017 23:44
    I want to connect two 8 ft flats to create a 16 ft flats and the flat from the batten. 

    What is the best way to connect th e two flats? Screws? Corner braces? 

    They are Hollywood flats made with luan & 1x2's.

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    Jeana Whitaker
    Theatre Director
    Mesa AZ
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  • 2.  RE: Connecting flats

    Posted 09-15-2017 06:44
    Generally for safety I would connect them every way I can think of.

    I would screw them together via the frame.

    I would also connect them with corner blocks.

    And I would put a "stiffener" using a 1x4 on the back along as much of the length as I could. This would keep it from folding during installation and help hold it together when suspended.

    Incidentally, we are in the process of doing this for our upcoming production of MEMPHIS.
    --
    Mark A. Zimmerman
    Theatre Director,

    Akron School for the Arts
    Firestone High School
    470 Castle Blvd
    Akron, Ohio 44313

    330-761-3275

    FirestoneTheatre.com






  • 3.  RE: Connecting flats

    Posted 09-15-2017 08:03
    For the basement and the bedroom scenes in Grease (yuch) we bolted the hard flats together with nuts and bolts and added a board in the back to keep them flat. We were able to fly them in and out with no problems.


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    John Perry
    Drama Instructor
    Atherton High School
    Louisville KY
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  • 4.  RE: Connecting flats

    Posted 09-15-2017 08:31
    You can use repurposed keystones if it's a short term deal. If they need to uninstalled and reinstalled, I would suggest using removable pin hinges and using a long nail bent into an L at the top instad of the pin.

    --
    Troy Hubbell

    Theatre Arts
    Clute Intermediate & Freeport Intermediate
    Brazosport ISD
    Ext. 25209

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  • 5.  RE: Connecting flats

    Posted 09-15-2017 09:30

    Use 1 5/8" dry wall screws. Screw them together starting at the bottom spacing them out about a foot/foot and a half and zig-zag them (first screw close to the face, 2nd away from the face and so on). How do you plan to hang them from the batten?

     

    Thank you,

     

    Ms. Ashley Fant

    fanta@stpiusx.org

    Fine Arts

    St. Pius X High School

     






  • 6.  RE: Connecting flats

    Posted 09-15-2017 13:54
    Hi,

    1x2 as described may lack the durability, regardless of the joinery method, due to how thin they are. I would consider at least 1x4 or better still, metal flat frames welded to size. If wood, consider rated bolts and wood screws rather than drywall screws. Much of this has to do with the next paragraph.

    The other issue is the rigging. Will they be static or will they move during the show? You will need to know this in that each carries its own design factor (5:1 for static, 8:1 for dynamic). In regard to hardware used to fly them, be certain that it also complies with safe practice (grade 5 or grade 8).

    I know all of this seems unnecessarily tedious but having done some pretty sketchy things in the past, this is safer. 

    Thanks,

    Dana

    ------------------------------
    Dana Taylor
    MSD of Mt. Vernon
    Evansville IN
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  • 7.  RE: Connecting flats

    Posted 09-16-2017 09:34
    We did something similar for our production of "Cinderella" a few years ago.  We connected the flats using metal straps and some luan straps.  We also ran an L shapped "stiffie" the entire length of the entire flat.  We then used bottom hangers and ran eye lags to guide the wire rope.  We also had D straps at the top.  It was a heavy unit.  The stiffie and guide points for the wire rope is super important! Make you can safely load your arbors for counterweighting!!

     Good luck!!



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    Rachel Ferrari-Engel
    Pittsburgh Brashear High School
    Photography/Theatre
    Pittsburgh Pa
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  • 8.  RE: Connecting flats

    Posted 09-16-2017 16:32
    I would highly suggest getting a copy of Bill Raoul's Stock Scenery Construction: A Handbook

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    Michael Johnson
    Trinity NC
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  • 9.  RE: Connecting flats

    Posted 09-19-2017 20:37
    Hi Jeana, 

    Are you talking about joining them from the backside? If so, go to Home Depot or Lowe's and ask for a joining plate or a mending plate, or a metal strap. They should be able to point you in the right direction. These are metal pieces with holes in them so that you can screw them into both of the pieces you want to join together. Use screws, not nails or they will wiggle out. If you can find something that will cover the corners it will be more stable. 
    OR - simply cut a few triangles from a piece of plywood and attach them to the back of the flats with screws.
    Make sure the screw are long enough to go through the connector and get a good hold on the flat - but short enough so they don't poke through the other side. They will become a danger to the kiddos:)
    Hope that helps!

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    Sheri Templeton
    Valley Christian High School
    Chandler, AZ
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