Watch a clip from the Practical Technical Theater program “Set Construction and Basic Theater Safety”. This program addresses basic theater safety, tool safety, and the construction and strike of common parts of a set.
DRYWALL SCREWS????? JIG SAW????? Try Deck Screws and a chop saw, or even nails and a circular saw. I have built many a platform and I use two four foot 2×4's and 4 7'9" 2×4's nailed together covered with 1/2" or 3/4 inch plywood screwed with deck screws. Oh and I also use Deck Screws to add 2×4 braces in the corners to attach the wheels. The only thing I have used a Jig saw for was Irregular shaped Church pew sides and some gingerbread for a Victorian house. The First tool I set up and last tool I break down is the Compound Miter Saw. I also start by buying new boxes of course thread deck screws. Due to space constraints I often have to take apart set pieces and I have found that Drywall screws are a B*^&* to remove and are always bent and strip out too easily.
The reason we used a jig saw was that if we used a chop saw, radial arm saw, or circular saw, we would have had to go into a rather extended safety section. In the lesson plans, we told the teachers that if they had safety procedures and certifications in place for larger saws, by all means, use them. Many teachers like to get the students working as soon as possible, and there are a limited # of instructional hours in technical theatre classes.
Drywall screws aren't designed to take shear stresses for more than maybe 40 in/lbs. Take a hammer to one sideways and they snap in half with very light swings. 16D nails are closer to 140 lbs. Drywall screws are fine for attaching the diaphragm to a frame, though. The force is distributed over a dozen or so screws, but the structural frame acts as a hinge with 8' of leverage.
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Is it me or has this video been truncated? is there another to complete the platform?
DRYWALL SCREWS????? JIG SAW????? Try Deck Screws and a chop saw, or even nails and a circular saw. I have built many a platform and I use two four foot 2×4's and 4 7'9" 2×4's nailed together covered with 1/2" or 3/4 inch plywood screwed with deck screws. Oh and I also use Deck Screws to add 2×4 braces in the corners to attach the wheels. The only thing I have used a Jig saw for was Irregular shaped Church pew sides and some gingerbread for a Victorian house. The First tool I set up and last tool I break down is the Compound Miter Saw. I also start by buying new boxes of course thread deck screws. Due to space constraints I often have to take apart set pieces and I have found that Drywall screws are a B*^&* to remove and are always bent and strip out too easily.
The reason we used a jig saw was that if we used a chop saw, radial arm saw, or circular saw, we would have had to go into a rather extended safety section. In the lesson plans, we told the teachers that if they had safety procedures and certifications in place for larger saws, by all means, use them. Many teachers like to get the students working as soon as possible, and there are a limited # of instructional hours in technical theatre classes.
Drywall screws aren't designed to take shear stresses for more than maybe 40 in/lbs. Take a hammer to one sideways and they snap in half with very light swings. 16D nails are closer to 140 lbs. Drywall screws are fine for attaching the diaphragm to a frame, though. The force is distributed over a dozen or so screws, but the structural frame acts as a hinge with 8' of leverage.
That's nothing… How about using really weak drywall screws to hold together the structural frame?