# Chesbouroughs?



## Squeegee (Feb 26, 2007)

Have you guys heard of them. I don't know if I've spelled it correctly. Chesborough maybe? Anyway, they're these circular clamps that fit around a pipe in order to extend a pipe.

We have a pipe that we use to hang cyc lights on, but it's too close to our cyc, not giving us an even wash throughout. The solution is simple, bring back the pipe but in order to do that we need to get these things called Chesbouroughs (sp) that attach to the pipe and have a little screw-in hole where you can attach another pipe and in theory basically bring your existing pipe back however long you want it.

My question is have you guys ever heard or used them? Do you think this will work? Any other ideas (besides groundrows) that you guys can suggest?


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## Van (Feb 26, 2007)

Chesburroughs, < or Cheesburgers, or just plain "burgers"> are a mainstay of rigging around here. Your best bet for finding them, if you need more, is to call a scaffolding company. Yes you can by them all over the place at different hardware and even theatrical suply houses, but you'll pay through the nose. Find a local company that sells or rents scaffolding, ask to by some used cheeseburgers. Often these will come with a light coating of concrete or paint, a little time with a hammer and a wire wheel beats the heck out of paying three to four times what you would buying them new.
BTW they are availible in two flavors; "rigid" or "fixed" and "swivel" <burgers or swivel burgers> The fixed will be 90 degree models and the swivels are free rotating. Wonderful piece of hardware.


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## gafftaper (Feb 26, 2007)

Any theater supply place should have Cheeseburgers for around $15-$20 each. Van's suggestion is a little more work but will probably save you some cash. There are several places you could order them from on line and have them on your porch in a day or two.


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## Footer (Feb 26, 2007)

I don't know what I would do without them. Be aware though, that when you hang them on a batten they can cause the batten to spin a bit. They are great for any type of tough lighting situation. Unless you feel you need the swivel, go with the fixed. Having a few swivel laying around is greats, but you usually have to put two on a pipe to keep it rigid, and even then its not to rigid.


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## wodden (Feb 27, 2007)

A neat trick to prevent spinning is to take several side arms..... attach c clamp side to pipe at a cable pick point, with the arm part straight up. most battons have six points... I usually use at least 2 side arms if not 3. Once the c clamp is tight right next to the pick point, take some tie line and tie the side arm pipe to the pick point cable. If you do this it should help stop the spin problem.


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## fosstech (Feb 27, 2007)

We have a bunch of swivel ones for our black box. The grid is arranged in sort of a spiderweb pattern radiating from the center, so when we need to hang pipes that are straight with the stage, we need the swivel capabilities. Otherwise, go with the fixed.


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## Brilliant2007 (Feb 27, 2007)

First off, can you move your cyc upstage at all by putting it on a different lineset, this would be the simple solution if possible.

If not, sounds like you just need to breast either the lineset you are using for your electric or for your cyc a few feet! Forget the cheeseboroughs (which can be bought from Production Advantage for $12-$14). Why mess with hardware, pipe, wrenches, and the like, when you could just use rope!! Just use rope to breast one of the sets, I would recommend breasting the lineset with the cyc on it upstage a few feet. You’ll need two lines, one for stage left and one for right. Tie the rope just onstage of the offstage lift line with a clove hitch (always finish with a half hitch) and then use the ropes to pull your cyc upstage a few feet. Use a truckers hitch to tie the ropes off to something. On the rail side, a piece of t-track works great, on the opposite side look for a beam. As usual, there are a few variables here that might prevent you from doing this. Just an idea.

Furthermore, a groundrow wouldn't hurt either!!


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## Squeegee (Feb 27, 2007)

Jeez, now I know why I keep coming here... you guys are amazing! You never let me down!

So first some background (which should respond to a lot of these) Our cyc is right up against our backwall. There isn't anymore further upstage we could put it. We have no fly system so we use a track and we literally slide it across the track and then we put a long pipe on the bottom of it to keep it taught (yeah ghetto, right?)
Second, we don't have a lot of money. This is highschool theater, anyway and most of our highschools funding goes towards our shitty football team...

I laughed so hard when I heard they're called cheeseburgers. That's brilliant! And I think we're better off buying them because we aren't going to rent them and we don't want to wait a few days to get them, but I do appreciate the suggestions!
We can't afford groundrow, unfortunately, though it would help tremendously with balancing out the throw that our houseplot puts on the bottom portion of the cyc...
Anyone want to donate to the "Buy Squeegee new toys" foundation?


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## Van (Feb 27, 2007)

Only if we start a, "Buy Van a Real Scene Shop" fund as well.


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## icewolf08 (Feb 27, 2007)

Chesboroughs, their real name is scaffolding clamps. They are not rated for any load bearing situation. If you are going to be extending pipes out from your existing batten to hang units on you should be using either Rota-Locks or GridLock clamps, both of which are rated for load bearing situations. I will admit, when I was in highschool we used chesboroughs all the time, but that was well before I learned that it is really not so safe.


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## Van (Feb 27, 2007)

icewolf08 said:


> Chesboroughs, their real name is scaffolding clamps. They are not rated for any load bearing situation. If you are going to be extending pipes out from your existing batten to hang units on you should be using either Rota-Locks or GridLock clamps, both of which are rated for load bearing situations. I will admit, when I was in highschool we used chesboroughs all the time, but that was well before I learned that it is really not so safe.


 
Where do you get that ? I would trust a Steel Chesborough over a Rotolock in a heartbeat. 

Edit- here's a link to one companies certification rating tests. http://www.clampsunlimited.net/images/certs/scaffold_right-angle_coupler_cert.pdf


Chesborough is a trade name. No different than Kleenex. If you said Scaffolding clamp to ten Stagehands they'd probably look at you like you were from mars.


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## icewolf08 (Feb 27, 2007)

Van said:


> Chesborough is a trade name. No different than Kleenex. If you said Scaffolding clamp to ten Stagehands they'd probably look at you like you were from mars.


Yeah, i know that it is a trade name, I also love how no matter what theatre you walk into Chesborough is pronounced differently.

As for my info on load bearing, it is what I was taught in rigging when I was in school. This data may be out of date now, but I was taught that if you have the option, Rota-Locks or GridLocks should be chosen over Cheseboroughs.


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