Stock Scenery Construction Handbook

Widely adopted as a college textbook, "Stock Scenery Construction Handbook" is one of the easiest to use, and most complete manuals on scenery construction. It has over 200 full-page drawings showing construction techniques for every conceivable kind of stock scenery piece, from flats (plain ones, door units, hardwall, etc.), to platforms and step units (including two kinds of parallel platforms and even folding-brace stairs), to all kinds of soft goods like curtains and drops.The second edition added a chapter on paint. This third edition includes updates throughout the book by Mike Monsos, professor of Scenic Design/Technology and Bill Raoul's colleague at University of Montana. preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix part 1 the basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 part 2 flats ............................................ 23 part 3 soft scenery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 part 4 Platforms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 part 5 steps and stairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196 part 6 shop math . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224 Part 7 shop talk, shop tricks, and shop-made tools . . . . . . . . . 248 part 8 paint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257 appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282 index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 1-1 Grading of White Pine Lumber (Table). . . 11 1-2 Knots and Other Blemishes . . . 12 1-3 Panel Boards . . . 13 1-4 Common Joints in Scenery Construction . . . 20 1-5 Less Common Joints . . . 21 2-1 Common Heights of Stock Flats . . . 24 2-2 A Suggested Stock . . . 25 2-3 Standard Flat Frames . . . 28 2-4 Plywood Fasteners – 1 . . . 30 2-5 Plywood Fasteners – 2 . . . 31 2-6 Shoes and Stock . . . 33 2-7 Nailing Patterns . . . 35 2-8 Measuring and Marking Devices . . . 36 2-9 Extra Tall Flats – 1 . . . 39 2-10 Extra Tall Flats – 2 . . . 40 2-11 False Proscenium – 1 . . . 42 2-12 False Proscenium – 2 . . . 43 2-13 Window Flat Frame . . . 44 2-14 Oversized Window Unit . . . 45 2-15 Openings Made with Flat Frame Plugs . . . 46 2-16 Window with Arch . . . 47 2-17 Setting In Sweeps . . . 48 2-18 “Permanent” Reveals . . . 49 2-19 Reveals – 1 . . . 50 2-20 Reveals – 2 . . . 51 2-21 Irons . . . 54 2-22 Door Flat Frame – 1 . . . 55 2-23 Door Flat Frame – 2. . . 56 2-24 Door Flat Frame – 3 . . . 57 2-25 Door Casing . . . 58 2-26 Stock Door Unit . . . 59 2-27 Folding Door Unit . . . 60 2-28 Fireplace Flat . . . 62 2-29 Irregular Flats . . . 63 2-30 Flat with Profile . . . 64 2-31 Profile Flats . . . 65 2-32 Saw Horses – 1 . . . 67 2-33 Saw Horses – 2 . . . 68 2-34 Leg Nipping Jig . . . 69 2-35 Covering Flats . . . 72 2-36 Covering Flats with Special Fabrics . . . 73 2-37 Hard-Covered Flats . . . 78 2-38 A Storage Rack for 75+ Flats . . . 79 2-39 Moving Flats . . . 80 2-40 Jacks and Holding Methods . . . 81 2-41 Keeper Hooks and Battens . . . 83 2-42 Folding Flats . . . 85 2-43 The Tumbler In Action . . . 86 2-44 ... And More Battens . . . 87 2-45 Picture Battens . . . 89 2-46 Lash Hardware Placement . . . 91 2-47 A Wall of Lashed Flats . . . 93 2-48 Inside and Outside Lashes . . . 94 2-49 Throwing the Lash Line . . . 95 2-50 Flat Hardware . . . 97 2-51 Lash Line Knots . . . 99 2-52 French Flats . . . 100 DRAWINGS 2-53 Some Hardware Used in Flying . . . 101 2-54 Painting on a Dutchman – 1 . . . 104 2-55 Painting on a Dutchman – 2 . . . 105 2-56 Hardwall Flats . . . 107 2-57 Typical Hardwall Flat . . . 108 2-58 Extra Wide Hardwalls . . . 109 2-59 Hardwalls with Unusual Openings . . . 110 2-60 Curved Walls . . . 112 2-61 Joining and Jacking Hardwall . . . 113 2-62 Hardwall Butts . . . 114 2-63 Hardwall Jacks – 1 . . . 115 2-64 Hardwall Jacks – 2 . . . 116 2-65 A Hardwall False Proscenium . . . 117 3-1 Soft Masking . . . 120 3-2 Drapery Mysteries Solved! . . . 122 3-3 Folding Legs and Full Curtains . . . 125 3-4 Folding Borders . . . 126 3-5 Some Drop Basics . . . 127 3-6 Drop Tops . . . 129 3-7 Drop Bottoms . . . 131 3-8 Tripping Drops . . . 133 3-9 Roll Drops – 1 . . . 134 3-10 Roll Drops – 2 . . . 135 3-11 Roll Drops – 3 . . . 136 3-12 Netting Cut Drops . . . 140 4-1 Planning Stock Platforms – 1 . . . 144 4-2 Planning Stock Platforms – 2 . . . 145 4-3 Rigid Platforms . . . 146 4-4 Alternative Corners . . . 148 4-5 Basic Platform Construction . . . 149 4-6 The All-plywood Platform . . . 150 4-7 Curved Platforms . . . 152 4-8 Laminating Curves . . . 153 4-9 A Circular Platform . . . 154 4-10 The Step Leg . . . 158 4-11 Step Legs . . . 159 4-12 Bolt Hole Jigs . . . 160 4-13 Cross Bracing . . . 161 4-14 Legging Tall Platforms . . . 162 4-15 Caster Board Brackets . . . 164 4-16 Caster Boards . . . 165 4-17 Lift Jacks . . . 167 4-18 Caster Dollies . . . 168 4-19 Tracking Platforms . . . 170 4-20 Taper Jig for Table Saw . . . 172 4-21 Ramps and Rakes . . . 173 4-22 Ramps and Rakes Continued . . . 174 4-23 Adjusting Flats to a Rake . . . 176 4-24 Parallel Platforms . . . 178 4-25 Continental Parallel – 1 . . . 179 4-26 Continental Parallel – 2 . . . 180 4-27 Continental Parallel – 3 . . . 181 4-28 Standard Parallel – 1 . . . 186 4-29 Standard Parallel – 2 . . . 187 4-30 Standard Parallel – 3 . . . 188 4-31 Non-frame Parallel Platforms . . . 190 4-32 Tall Parallel Platforms . . . 191 4-33 Parallel Without Center Frame . . . 192 4-34 Covering Lids and Treads . . . 194 5-1 Stair Terms – 1 . . . 198 5-2 Stair Terms – 2 . . . 199 5-3 Common Stair Configurations . . . 200 5-4 Rise / Tread Formulae . . . 201 5-5 Figuring the Run . . . 202 5-6 Step Units . . . 203 5-7 Closed Carriage Steps . . . 206 5-8 Layout of Step Unit . . . 207 5-9 Framing Square Layout . . . 208 5-10 Rolling Stock with Steps . . . 211 5-11 Using Step Units . . . 212 5-12 Folding Braces . . . 213 5-13 Tall Escapes . . . 214 5-14 Avoiding Center Carriages . . . 215 5-15 Stairs with Balanced Treads . . . 216 5-16 Curtail and Commode Steps . . . 218 5-17 Flat Frame Carriages – 1 . . . 220 5-18 Flat Frame Carriages – 2 . . . 221 5-19 Lofting Up Curved Winders . . . 222 6-1 Bisecting Lines, Arcs, and Angles . . . 225 6-2 Erecting Perpendiculars – 1 . . . 226 6-3 Erecting Perpendiculars – 2 . . . 227 6-4 Parallel Lines . . . 228 6-5 Dividing Objects . . . 229 6-6 Reducing and Enlarging . . . 230 6-7 Squaring the Hippopotamus . . . 231 6-8 Copying Angles . . . 232 6-9 Triangles . . . 233 6-10 Right Triangles . . . 234 6-11 Pythagoras and the Golden Rule . . . 235 6-12 Squares and Circles . . . 236 6-13 Pentagons . . . 237 6-14 Hexagon and Octagons . . . 238 6-15 Multi-sided Polygons . . . 239 6-16 Finding the Center of Circles . . . 240 6-17 Tangents to a Circle . . . 241 6-18 Tangent Arcs – 1 . . . 242 6-19 Tangent Arcs – 2 . . . 243 6-20 Arcs into Straight Lines . . . 244 6-21 Involutes . . . 245 6-22 The Ellipse – 1 . . . 246 6-23 The Ellipse – 2 . . . 247 7-1 The Push Stick . . . 251 7-2 Two Trimming Guides . . . 252 7-3 Jig for Cutting Scarf Tapers . . . 253 7-4 The Hand and “V”-Block . . . 254 7-5 Tools for Curved Lines . . . 255 7-6 Folding, Portable Worktables . . . 256 8-1 Paint Tricks . . . 262 8-2 Brush Talk – 1 . . . 266 8-3 Brush Talk – 2 . . . 267 8-4 Lining Sticks – 1. . . 278 8-5 Lining Sticks – 2 . . . 279 PREFACE ix PREFACE Bores can be divided into two classes: those who have their own particular subject, and those who don’t need a subject. —A.A. Milne Scenery construction must certainly qualify as a subject, but I sincerely hope my digestion of it will not land me in either of Mr. Milne’s classes. For mo Instructions and clear line drawings showing construction techniques for every conceivable kind of stock scenery piece, from flats (plain ones, door units, hardwall, etc.), to platforms and step units (including two kinds of parallel platforms and even folding-brace stairs), to all kinds of soft goods like curtains and drops