# building columns



## itie (Apr 15, 2010)

hey guys,

so im helping out a a middle school with there show and i told them i would handle all there tech needs. then i asked her about what she was planning on doing for the set and after talking to her i offered to build her set. she told me what she wants and it easy to do but i want to take it to the next level by adding in some columns. i was wondering if anyone new of a good way to build columns thats was fairy cheap. im not getting paid for this show and im also buying the wood. i dont mind doing it or spending the money but i would like to not spend more then 200 dollars. but my real question is how to build them i have a basic idea of it but cant think of a good way to make the round part. i was thinking of using muslin but if there is a better way i would like to do that. 

thank you
giovanni laucella


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## Footer (Apr 15, 2010)

SONOTUBE® Concrete Forms, SONOVOID® Concrete Voids & BlastMaster? Blasting Tubes




Any lumber yard will carry them.


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## josh88 (Apr 15, 2010)

sonotubes are the way to go. build a cap to fit the top and bottom, and there you go. quick easy columns.


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## jonliles (Apr 15, 2010)

Giovanni-

Go to Yahoo Groups and look for "atlantatheatre", sometimes known as the "ATML" (Atlanta Theatre Mailing List). Post a question. There is bound to be someone in the atlanta area you can borrow columns from w/o spending a fortune.


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## BrianWolfe (Apr 15, 2010)

Armour

These 10' columns can be rented or purchased. We can also sell the vac-formed caps and flat fluted sheets that get wrapped around a wood core and you can do the assembly yourself. Comes with the Doric cap shown or Corinthian or Scamozzi.


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## jwl868 (Apr 15, 2010)

There are also corrugated cardboard columns that can be purchased. I’ve been using a set for several years now (for dance recitals). (Upstage and out of the way. Strictly ornamental.) Not as sturdy and rugged as sonotubes, though. They were purchased maybe 15 years ago, and the only place I can find them on line is here. (I am surprised how much they cost.):

Pedestal & Columns, Ancient Greek Toga Party Decorations - Stumps Prom


Joe


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## scenerymaker (Apr 15, 2010)

I used a 1" core box bit (makes a 1" wide x 1/2" deep round-bottomed groove) to put flutes in a piece of 1" thick foam, then wrapped and glued it around a Sonotube. Worked great.


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## kicknargel (Apr 15, 2010)

You can use plastic corrugated roofing wrapped around plywood disks.


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## littleowl (Apr 17, 2010)

I second the sonotubes. I just helped with a set last week where we used those. They are easy to just tape and screw together to make them longer, they are thick enough to stay in place and just all around really convenient.


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## rmartin (Apr 17, 2010)

I have used carpet cores. Depends on the thickness you want but usually they are free from any busy carpet stores.


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## zddh13 (May 7, 2010)

sonotubes works really well
corrugated PVC also works

I was lucky and found a styrophome plant nearby that donated 2 10' collums to me (when I went to puck them up they had only 1, so they cut the second in less then 5 minutes)

I was scenic artist on Grease and Inherit The Wind at my school a while back, the designer wanted the bubble tubes from a wurlitzer jukebox, we used 1x12 and the corrugated PVC then back lit them with LEDs 

took them apart for strike and used the same PVC for Inherit

sonotubes 24" diameter and 19" diameter
to form tappered collums then covered with the PVC spliced to form the tapered ends. All was covered with muslin and painted. The top caps were made from syrophome bottom was made from wood.


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