# Building a Self Supported Flat



## pengrat (Feb 23, 2010)

I need to build a soft flat for a middle school play...utilyse both sides of it..and supports itself...help .. 10 yr olds will be moving it around the stage


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## FatherMurphy (Feb 24, 2010)

Building a soft flat is easy, building a double sided flat is easy, self standing flats often aren't easy at all... Do the flats need to fit side-by-side seamlessly, or are they independent background items? If they're completely separate and independent from each other, you could attach a plywood triangle about 2' wide (or wider) at the bottom on each side for the flat to act as a front/back kickstand base for the flat. This would be fairly stable and look the same from both sides, but will be visible to the audience at all times (might get by with a slightly wider triangle on one side only).

Another option would be booking two flats together with double-swing hinges. This would let you fold the flats together to turn them, then swing the two apart like opening a book. Leaving them at a 90-ish degree angle to each other (like a half-open book) allows them to stabilize each other. The double swing hinges (think wild west saloon doors) would let you book them in either direction.

Another thought, if you have room onstage and in the budget for a little more carpentry, is making three flats into a triangle shape (known as a 'periaktoi'). No hinges to flip, no kickstands sticking out, you can butt them up against each other fairly tightly, you can mount them on wheels to spin them, or use handles or straps to lift them and turn them manually.

If the flats stay in one location and just have to spin, sometimes it works to mount a vertical pipe to the floor and slide the flat down onto the pipe via holes drilled through the center of the flat frame. However, getting a sufficiently rigid connection to the floor can be a challenge (ceilings usually aren't low enough to help for bracing), and this construction in general is a bit more advanced.

10 year olds for crew? I see your interest in light weight construction. There should be plenty of articles here about soft flat construction, and you might think about corrugated cardboard as well, if it's a short run, low budget show. Refrigerator boxes are one option, plus if there's a packaging company near you they might have large sheets of unfolded cardboard (I've been able to get a large quantities of misprinted boxes for free from such places) Foamcore would be another option, but pricey for large sheets.


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## curtg (Feb 25, 2010)

I have used Extruded Styrofoam attached to a heavy wooden base (2x8) foot. Essentially, I get the center of gravity as low as possible so the flat supports itself. The Stryo is taped to metal lath for stiffness. Metal Lath is lighter straighter than wood and easier to work with.

I tape cheap masonry trowels on for handles. Kids need handles. 

For big complex shapes I will use thicker foam.


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## Van (Feb 25, 2010)

Throw out a few more particulars please. Size ? shape? orientation?


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## jowens (Mar 1, 2010)

We make essentially make columns for our middle school kids.

4' wide by 8' tall by 30" deep.

We start with a dolly type of base, attach wheels to the bottom, put a support frame of 2x4's. Cut 2x4's down by about 4-6" to account for the dolly base and the wheel height. Face them with Luan or cardboard 4x8's (Cardboard 4x8 can be purchased at uline.com.
These rolling pieces work really well as flats that move, and multiple pieces can be painted to work as a backdrop if you have limited fly space. If you make them 4x4x8, then you can face all 4 sides with standard sheets and essentially use the same one for 4 different pictures.

It works great with our middle school kids and high school kids.
I'm just about to make 12 foot carts for the h.s. show, to make up for the lack of flyspace we have. I'll probably buy some latches and hook them together to minimize the seams that may appear.

~Joe


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