So kewl! Do you do anything different in the size of your cleats or number of screws? I was extracting this from a past exposure to the technique from 1997 so I wasn’t 100% sure I remembered everything correctly. Does this technique have a name? My next priorities of videos to make are cross bracing, stage jack construction, and hard flat construction. So no I don’t have an in depth one on cross-bracing yet. I do have this short video hitting some basic concepts in relation to some questionable legging and cross-bracing examples. Problematic Platform Cross-Bracing th-cam.com/video/Ygon59ImUqA/w-d-xo.html But I need to do something more comprehensive.
10:48 Bill Raoul has described this legging technique as stepped leg in his book Stock Scenery Construction Handbook. In his example he describes using 1x material for the platform frame with 3/4 decking and 1x material for the legs and "cleats/scabs" except he shows to bring the "cleat/scab" to the floor essentially making a rabbet on a 2x4. He also describes using bolts to fasten the "cleat/scab" to the frame instead of using screws and using a steel plate for a pattern to mark the bolt hole location on the platform and leg, which sets up for a consistent position allowing for different length legs to be used as needs change and the system doesn't marry the legs to the specific platform.
Thanks for the info and the reference! His stepped leg method does seem very similar in concept, and provides a method that can be used with 1x6 platforms. It's different enough though that I'd call it a second bonus method for legging stage platforms! The lap joint makes it the equivalent of a 2x4 frame resting on a 2x4 leg. Though I think the method would be stronger if the inside lap portion were made of 3/4" plywood instead of 1x3. My personal preference is to avoid bolting methods for any platforms under 4'-0" high, so I am not fond of adopting a standard bolted leg. But I definitely approve of this as an alternate method!
@@calstatelaalproductions2358 You're welcome, I'm curious what he would have said about using ply for the cleats his book also talks about adding additional 1x to each side of the leg to give additional stability so i would think that budget plywood wouldn't take screws as well as 1x. Just curious, why do you avoid bolts under 4'?
Just for speed if installation. Drilling and bolting is always much slower than screwing legs together. And slower at strike. With hog’s-trough legs and the right cross bracing, I’ll go up to 8’ and still use screws only, with platforms and stairs where all the internal structure is not visible to the audience. I actively avoid carriage bolts in almost all instances. Had too many failures to fight with at strikes when I was younger when we were using carriage bolts. And I got tired of chasing threads on carriage and machine bolts from people knocking them out of platforms with metal hammers.
I may have to try this. I'm just always leery of connecting legs with ply, worrying about lateral forces, even with diagonals in place. Usually I'm more about the old fashioned carriage bolted under-the-deck method, or something similar to that I call jack legs, with a regular 2x leg plus a 2x under the frame, like a jack stud under a header in a wall. Sometimes we'll also use knee walls, if it's a long enough run of similar height platforms, the same way you'd use knee walls under triscuit platforms.
I was planning on including pony/knee/cripple walls as another legging method. But it didn’t fit with these ones. And I’ve mostly used them to support raked stages. But definitely needs a mention and eventually a demonstration video.
And was’t familiar with the triscuit platform term but have made stressed skin structures which are the same kind of principal. Might do a stressed skin video demo one day.
do you have a video on cross bracing? We are using the leg design shown on this video where we use cleats.
So kewl! Do you do anything different in the size of your cleats or number of screws? I was extracting this from a past exposure to the technique from 1997 so I wasn’t 100% sure I remembered everything correctly.
Does this technique have a name?
My next priorities of videos to make are cross bracing, stage jack construction, and hard flat construction. So no I don’t have an in depth one on cross-bracing yet. I do have this short video hitting some basic concepts in relation to some questionable legging and cross-bracing examples.
Problematic Platform Cross-Bracing
th-cam.com/video/Ygon59ImUqA/w-d-xo.html
But I need to do something more comprehensive.
10:48 Bill Raoul has described this legging technique as stepped leg in his book Stock Scenery Construction Handbook. In his example he describes using 1x material for the platform frame with 3/4 decking and 1x material for the legs and "cleats/scabs" except he shows to bring the "cleat/scab" to the floor essentially making a rabbet on a 2x4. He also describes using bolts to fasten the "cleat/scab" to the frame instead of using screws and using a steel plate for a pattern to mark the bolt hole location on the platform and leg, which sets up for a consistent position allowing for different length legs to be used as needs change and the system doesn't marry the legs to the specific platform.
Thanks for the info and the reference! His stepped leg method does seem very similar in concept, and provides a method that can be used with 1x6 platforms. It's different enough though that I'd call it a second bonus method for legging stage platforms!
The lap joint makes it the equivalent of a 2x4 frame resting on a 2x4 leg. Though I think the method would be stronger if the inside lap portion were made of 3/4" plywood instead of 1x3.
My personal preference is to avoid bolting methods for any platforms under 4'-0" high, so I am not fond of adopting a standard bolted leg. But I definitely approve of this as an alternate method!
@@calstatelaalproductions2358 You're welcome, I'm curious what he would have said about using ply for the cleats his book also talks about adding additional 1x to each side of the leg to give additional stability so i would think that budget plywood wouldn't take screws as well as 1x. Just curious, why do you avoid bolts under 4'?
Just for speed if installation. Drilling and bolting is always much slower than screwing legs together. And slower at strike.
With hog’s-trough legs and the right cross bracing, I’ll go up to 8’ and still use screws only, with platforms and stairs where all the internal structure is not visible to the audience.
I actively avoid carriage bolts in almost all instances. Had too many failures to fight with at strikes when I was younger when we were using carriage bolts. And I got tired of chasing threads on carriage and machine bolts from people knocking them out of platforms with metal hammers.
I may have to try this. I'm just always leery of connecting legs with ply, worrying about lateral forces, even with diagonals in place. Usually I'm more about the old fashioned carriage bolted under-the-deck method, or something similar to that I call jack legs, with a regular 2x leg plus a 2x under the frame, like a jack stud under a header in a wall. Sometimes we'll also use knee walls, if it's a long enough run of similar height platforms, the same way you'd use knee walls under triscuit platforms.
I was planning on including pony/knee/cripple walls as another legging method. But it didn’t fit with these ones. And I’ve mostly used them to support raked stages. But definitely needs a mention and eventually a demonstration video.
And was’t familiar with the triscuit platform term but have made stressed skin structures which are the same kind of principal. Might do a stressed skin video demo one day.
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