# Supporting Flats WITHOUT Flying



## scolby (Mar 27, 2012)

Hello Control Booth! You might have seen my earlier post about where to buy 1x3 for some flats. Those flats have been built, and, of course, we have run into the next problem. Originally, the flats were going to be flown, but the university has decided that we can't do that for safety/insurance reasons.

So...now we need some way to keep the flats standing on stage. My first thought is to build a bunch of little "easels" out of 2x4. The design in my head is two L-shapes, with 4' upright and 4' going back, tied together with 3 lengths of 2x4, one at the top, one at the corner, and one at the back. I am still concerned about how to keep the bottom of the flat from kicking forward and whether the whole idea will be stable or not.

Does anyone have any comments or suggestions on this design or even an entirely different idea? I have never done anything like this before and we really only have one chance to get it right.

EDIT: I forgot to include that the flats are 4'x8' made from 1"x3". They are covered with painted canvas.


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## gafftapegreenia (Mar 27, 2012)

Look at the wiki for stage jack .


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## Van (Mar 27, 2012)

I just did a quick re-do of an "Improved Stage Jack" . I'll try and up load it, but sometime Win 7 doesn't let me up load to here. A " Jack" is what you are looking for. 

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## derekleffew (Mar 27, 2012)

gafftapegreenia said:


> Look at the wiki for stage jack .


Or, if the flat, Broadway s must strike/set during the show, the old geezer way: brace cleat, stage brace, stage screw. And, if the flats connect to each other, Lash-line hardware .


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## scolby (Mar 27, 2012)

I really like this stage jack idea, and it would be perfect if the flats only had one face. Unfortunately, they are covered with canvas on both sides and need to be turned during the show to switch between scenes. (Don't ask me how that was supposed to be flown...someone with very little theatre experience came up with that idea.) This essentially means that the stage jack/easel needs to be a separate entity from the flat.

EDIT: I've thought this over a little more, and came up with this idea. I could attach a stage jack style triangle to the edge of the flat with two hinges, allowing it to pivot and support from either the front or the back. Does anyone have any experience doing something like that?


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## derekleffew (Mar 27, 2012)

scolby said:


> ...EDIT: I've thought this over a little more, and came up with this idea. I could attach a stage jack style triangle to the edge of the flat with two hinges, allowing it to pivot and support from either the front or the back. Does anyone have any experience doing something like that?


That could work really well, but you'd need Folding Screen Hinges - Lee Valley Tools to allow the jack to swing in either direction.



The jack(s) is/are also likely to be visible, so paint it/them black (automatically invisible) or neutral.


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## josh88 (Mar 27, 2012)

derekleffew said:


> That could work really well, but you'd need Folding Screen Hinges - Lee Valley Tools to allow the jack to swing in either direction.
> View attachment 6738
> 
> 
> The jack(s) is/are also likely to be visible, so paint it/them black (automatically invisible) or neutral.



you could probably also attach them to the flats using a loose pin hinge, leaving part of the hinge on each side painted to match whatever is on that side of the flat so you don't see it. When it's time to rotate, pull the pin, switch the flat around and put the jack back and drop the pin on the other side to lock it all back in place.


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## mstaylor (Apr 8, 2012)

I would go with Josh's idea. A half hinge the will slide off is a possibility.


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