Building a small mobile stage

[ben.in.salzburg]

Hi guys!

I have been asked to build a small mobile stage consisting of 6 elements 2m wide x 1m long and 50cm tall. Total stage area 4m wide x 3m deep
The stage is intended to hold small-medium bands, with their backline and monitors. This is intended for student productions, which is reflected by the budget - €500

The stage should fit into a vw van (t4) cargo area 1.4x 1.6 x 2.4m

Has anyone out there built a stage that works nicely, if so, please share your experiences!

Equally, have you seen a stage that went horribly wrong? It would be nice to avoid common pitfalls.

Thank you all!

Ben

[Israel]

I personally think that 4m x3m is a bit small drums only may take almost half of the stage

but search the net there are many stage manufacturers you can take ideas i think you can easy fit a 4x4m in that van i had a drum riser about that size that folded to be 1m³

[Gregory East]

Can you put a mic stand on a v-plate and not have it rumble away?

You know what I'm thinking!

[gdougherty]

You need 3 pieces of 4x8 1/2" chipboard to make each section of a 2ft tall design I liked. It packs pretty efficiently since everything is flat components that fit together. One piece is the surface that gets rimmed around the edge with inexpensive 1x3 furring strips standing on end to make a 3" tall rim under the surface. Glue and screw the rim to the surface. Paint and finish the surface if desired. The other two sheets get cut into four equal ~2ft x8ft sections. These get trimmed down so they fit within the length of the surface inside the supporting rim. The end result is more like 24" x 92". One of these longer lengths gets cut in half so it fits across the 4ft width of the surface. 1/2" notches are cut halfway across all the pieces so they interlock together and make a 2ft tall support frame when stood on end. This gives you 1/2" x 1ft notches about 4-5" in from the end of the 24"x92" pieces, and three 1/2" x 1ft notches 4-5" inches in from the ends and the third down the middle. The support is then two pieces across the short length out at the ends and three pieces down the longer lengths evenly spaced under the surface. The surface lays atop the support frame and sections can be clamped or bolted together for stability. With 4x8 sheets of chipboard costing about $9US each and furring strips running under $2 for an 8ft length, you can build a 12ftx16ft stage for under $200US. A decent sized 16ftx24ft stage would come in under $400. The lower support frame should easily lay flat inside each surface section for compact stacking of the entire stage. A 6 section 12x16 stage would stack in less than 2ft, and the 16x24 12 section stage would stack in under 4ft.

[ben.in.salzburg]

Gentlemen, thank you all for your ideas and help!

(was afraid I'd get pounced on, told not to do it for fear of lawsuits...)

[pwfirst]

Won't wood constuction be very heavy for a VW van? If wood is the only constuction option, conside using plywood for the braces, cut to the needed depth and lenght and glue and brace as needed. Drilling lightening holes say 1 1/2" every 6-8 inches will help cut weight too. Phil

[ben.in.salzburg]

(My T36 may be among the most expensive builds here thanks to)

my wood prices:

12mm Plywood here costs €30 per square meter
18mm chipboard costs €6 per square meter

If I go for 1 meter squares, and double up the chipboard, screw and glue it, what span will it be strong enough for?

Weight is not that great a concern, will have carts/dollies for transport and help loading/unloading

Ben

[more4me]

Have you checked out www.adamhall.com? If you have company/VAT number registered, you would be able to buy 12mm birch plywood around €15/square meter.
They also have some Alu truss stuff.

[Gregory East]

You need 3 pieces of 4x8 1/2" chipboard to make each section of a 2ft tall design I liked. It packs pretty efficiently since everything is flat components that fit together. One piece is the surface that gets rimmed around the edge with inexpensive 1x3 furring strips standing on end to make a 3" tall rim under the surface. Glue and screw the rim to the surface. Paint and finish the surface if desired. The other two sheets get cut into four equal ~2ft x8ft sections. These get trimmed down so they fit within the length of the surface inside the supporting rim. The end result is more like 24" x 92". One of these longer lengths gets cut in half so it fits across the 4ft width of the surface. 1/2" notches are cut halfway across all the pieces so they interlock together and make a 2ft tall support frame when stood on end. This gives you 1/2" x 1ft notches about 4-5" in from the end of the 24"x92" pieces, and three 1/2" x 1ft notches 4-5" inches in from the ends and the third down the middle. The support is then two pieces across the short length out at the ends and three pieces down the longer lengths evenly spaced under the surface. The surface lays atop the support frame and sections can be clamped or bolted together for stability. With 4x8 sheets of chipboard costing about $9US each and furring strips running under $2 for an 8ft length, you can build a 12ftx16ft stage for under $200US. A decent sized 16ftx24ft stage would come in under $400. The lower support frame should easily lay flat inside each surface section for compact stacking of the entire stage. A 6 section 12x16 stage would stack in less than 2ft, and the 16x24 12 section stage would stack in under 4ft.

Sounds great but no comprendez!

[gdougherty]

Sounds great but no comprendez!

http://billfitzmaurice.net/phpBB3/viewt ... f=2&t=2709
Look at the two stands at the bottom of the sticky. This is the same concept as the stage support except the stage takes 3 long sections parallel to each other and two short sections perpendicular to the long sections. This arrangement supports the majority of the stage surface.
The stage surface is just a full sheet with some sort of reinforcement around the rim. 1x3 furring strips on end are cheap and effective, giving 1" in contact with the flat sheet surface and 3" tall for strength against flexing around the lip. The support sections all 3D jigsaw together on the ground and the stage surface just lays over the top.

[ben.in.salzburg]

Is there a recommended span width versus weight capability chart somewhere? Would be very helpful, also for comparing materials.

[gdougherty]

Is there a recommended span width versus weight capability chart somewhere? Would be very helpful, also for comparing materials.

I'd imagine it may be similar to subfloor construction for commercial and residential buildings. Most of those are done in 3/4" ply around here with 16-18" spans. The one I originally saw and worked with was 1/2" construction and only had two long supports rather than the three I noted. The middle of each stage section felt somewhat flexible. The third long support down the middle should eliminate any of that. The installed stage at my church has joists running 16" on-center under 3/4"" ply and is super stable.