Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board: curved flats

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hannah
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Joined: 10/04/07
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Topic: curved flats
Posted: 10/04/07 at 7:03pm

Hi everyone!
How do you make a curved wall?? the whole of our set needs to be a big semi-circle!
thanks :)

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MartyW
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Joined: 2/02/04
Location: United States
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Posts: 555

Posted: 10/04/07 at 7:36pm

I would use massonite it bends easy and you can space supports behind it to match the curves.

Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

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Gaafa
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Joined: 3/21/04
Location: Australia
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Posts: 1181

Posted: 10/04/07 at 10:35pm

As Martyw suggest masonite would work, along with MDF or Ply. All can be framed up for support, but to what extent is the radius of the curve, stage dimenstions & height required?
Will determine what you may require to hold the curve & to jion the sheets.
A wee bit more info would be good, also is there any doors &/or widows Confused

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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Gaafa
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Location: Australia
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Posted: 10/05/07 at 10:09pm

Depending on the size of the curve, tou could use an extruded alluminium curved channel, they use for above ground swimming pools. This would set up your curve & the sheeting would slide into it.
If it's cheap enough it could be used as both a base & top capping.
The sheets could have pine timber attached to one side edge of each of the sheets, with an overlap to secure the next sheet to. leave enough space to allow the Alli curve to slip between the timber & the sheet.
Screw hindge the French Braces [Jacks] to the timber, as in the usual manner of Flats.
Never having used curve flats to this extent, I think it may be the best way to achieve it.
The alli can be painted to mask & substanail enough to keep the curve in place.
The curve it's self would be self supporting, but a few stage braces would stop it from walking.
The cheapest sheets would br MDF which comes in various thickness & size, In fact the are available in 3660mm x 1260mm off the shelf. Which may be a good for flats [12' x 4' aprox standard size available.
In theory you can get any size you need, but it would cost & be difficult to handle.
One thing with mdf is that it will absorb miosture over night & will exspand slightly, then contract as they dry out, but this would not be a drama in this case & probbably hardly noticable, only that the sheets would tighten up.

Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

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vickifrank
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Joined: 9/21/07
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 332

Posted: 10/18/07 at 10:12pm

Consider using a fabric. If you sew a fabric sleeve on top and one on the bottom, you can bend two pipes to fit the curve that you wish and use one pipe on top to suspend the piece from and the other pipe as a weight. This is very easy, but the fabric needs to be large, seamless and non stretchable. And you need to slit the pockets (sleeves) on top to allow you have several attachment points for cables on the pipe. If you don't want to slit the pockets you can put grommets in under the pipe pocket and insert ties/cables into the grommets to tie the pipe up.

Aluminum pipe bends easily and is light weight. Its more expensive, but worth it. To bend a pipe you can buy a 'pipe bender' from a hardware store inexpensively or find a post, tie one end of the pipe to it and pull or push the other end. Don't bend a pipe too far or it will crimp in the middle.

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Set Design and Construction
Community Theater Green Room Discussion Board :Producing Theater :Set Design and Construction

Author	Message
hannah Walk-On Joined: 10/04/07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 0	Topic: curved flats Posted: 10/04/07 at 7:03pm
	Hi everyone! How do you make a curved wall?? the whole of our set needs to be a big semi-circle! thanks :)

	IP Logged

MartyW Celebrity Joined: 2/02/04 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 555	Posted: 10/04/07 at 7:36pm
	I would use massonite it bends easy and you can space supports behind it to match the curves.
	Marty W "Till next we trod the boards.."
	IP Logged

Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 10/04/07 at 10:35pm
	As Martyw suggest masonite would work, along with MDF or Ply. All can be framed up for support, but to what extent is the radius of the curve, stage dimenstions & height required? Will determine what you may require to hold the curve & to jion the sheets. A wee bit more info would be good, also is there any doors &/or widows
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
	IP Logged

Gaafa Celebrity Joined: 3/21/04 Location: Australia Online Status: Offline Posts: 1181	Posted: 10/05/07 at 10:09pm
	Depending on the size of the curve, tou could use an extruded alluminium curved channel, they use for above ground swimming pools. This would set up your curve & the sheeting would slide into it. If it's cheap enough it could be used as both a base & top capping. The sheets could have pine timber attached to one side edge of each of the sheets, with an overlap to secure the next sheet to. leave enough space to allow the Alli curve to slip between the timber & the sheet. Screw hindge the French Braces [Jacks] to the timber, as in the usual manner of Flats. Never having used curve flats to this extent, I think it may be the best way to achieve it. The alli can be painted to mask & substanail enough to keep the curve in place. The curve it's self would be self supporting, but a few stage braces would stop it from walking. The cheapest sheets would br MDF which comes in various thickness & size, In fact the are available in 3660mm x 1260mm off the shelf. Which may be a good for flats [12' x 4' aprox standard size available. In theory you can get any size you need, but it would cost & be difficult to handle. One thing with mdf is that it will absorb miosture over night & will exspand slightly, then contract as they dry out, but this would not be a drama in this case & probbably hardly noticable, only that the sheets would tighten up.
	Joe Western Gondawandaland turn right @ Perth. Hear the light & see the sound. Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"} May you always play to a full house}
	IP Logged

vickifrank Celebrity Joined: 9/21/07 Location: United States Online Status: Offline Posts: 332	Posted: 10/18/07 at 10:12pm
	Consider using a fabric. If you sew a fabric sleeve on top and one on the bottom, you can bend two pipes to fit the curve that you wish and use one pipe on top to suspend the piece from and the other pipe as a weight. This is very easy, but the fabric needs to be large, seamless and non stretchable. And you need to slit the pockets (sleeves) on top to allow you have several attachment points for cables on the pipe. If you don't want to slit the pockets you can put grommets in under the pipe pocket and insert ties/cables into the grommets to tie the pipe up. Aluminum pipe bends easily and is light weight. Its more expensive, but worth it. To bend a pipe you can buy a 'pipe bender' from a hardware store inexpensively or find a post, tie one end of the pipe to it and pull or push the other end. Don't bend a pipe too far or it will crimp in the middle.
	IP Logged

Topic: curved flats( Topic Closed)