Production Carpentry

Hinge techniques

The decision as to whether to use a backfl-ap hinge or a but hinge to hang a door/window is made by looking at the way the door opens: up stage, down stage, both ways and the size of the door surround.

If the door opens on and up stage (the audience will see the back of the door and hinges) you will use a but hinge which sits neatly into the door and looks nice and tidy.

If the door opens on and down stage the audience wont see the hinges so it is unlikely that you will spend the time putting in but hinges that need chiseled out and take time to get right you will use back flap hinges which are quick and easy.

If you are setting a hinge into the stage foe a cellar trap or tying to hinge something 'invisibly' then counter hinges might be used, the require being sunk into the material and possibly even being covered over so that even the screw heads disappear. The material on either side of the hinge has to be cut straight or the door will not open easily or might get stuck.

Sheeting rostra

Ideally when covering a rostra in ply/mdf sheeting the surface of the rostra or steel deck will have been cleared of screws,nails,staples etc standing proud of the surface. The ply or mdf that you are sheeting with will be bigger than the size of the rostra and therefore over-hang the edge. Any sides that are being added should be installed before sheeting begins.

Fixing flats to the stage

This is the most common job you will do in a fit up. There are many ways to do it depending on what the flats are doing throughout the show.

Some things to think about when deciding on a method:

1) How does the flat get on stage, is it preset, part of a scene change, fly in, trucked on?

2) Is it permanent or does it leave the stage at any point?

3) If it is involved in a scene change how fast does it have to be set in place/removed?

4) What access have you got to the flat for placing or removing it – is the space tight or fairly open?

5) How sturdy does it have to be? Do actors lean bash against it?

6) What is the structural integrity of the flat like – is it hollow, does it have weak points? Therefore where is the best play to fit hardware?

You will find these questions fairly easy to answer, and will have a lot of this information without knowing it. But it is worth keeping in mind when planning and fitting hard wear as there is nothing worse than doing a job twice and nothing that makes you look more like a prat than having to take off and move the point you just put on.

There are 3 main ways of fixing flats together:

1) Hinged – Back flap / pin hinge Quick and easy, pin hinges are good for quick changes or flying pieces that need secured (NB they need removed before the piece can go back out). Back flaps are commonly used on the bottom of scenery in conjunction with another method to stop the scenery wandering or to hold the base in line and to join flats end to end which are then braced.

2) Cleat Line A line that zig zags between two flats pulling them together; very difficult to throw and fairly noisy so not the best for quick or silent scene changes.

3) Plated Same idea as a back flap hinge but slightly more solid so better for extra support.

There are other ways too depending on what the show calls for and what kind of scenery you have but you will find one of these or an adaption or one of these will usually fit the job.

There are many many different ways of supporting a flat the most commonly used are:

1) Braced – French / adjustable held by Stage Weight / Set Screw / Stage Screw and Boss Plate The most common way of supporting flats usually held by stage weights unless they are going to be permanent for the whole show in which case they would be Set or Stage screwed.

NB On a raked stage or if a brace isn’t set right it will wonder out of position and the flat will become unstable

2) Zip or Pick Up Line The scenery is put in place and then a steel is grommeted up the back of it and the slack taken up till then line is taught so the flat stays upright. This is a good method if you need as much space as possible back stage.

3) Flown The scenery is flown and then if required hinged to the ground and tension taken up by flying the bar out and/or tightening turn buckle.