DIY stage

[mattaudio]

Anyone ever built a DIY semi-portable stage? I have a barn wedding coming up and I'd like to get the band up on stage if possible.

My plan was 4x8 plywood (or maybe cut down to 4x4 sections) with a 2x4 frame underneath. Not sure how I'd support them... cinder blocks at first, maybe something else later on.

Suggestions?

[Jon Barnhardt]

I've played on something similar, only with 55 gallon metal barrels on end supporting the stage platforms.

[BoostFab]

I built a stage a while back for a concert, six 4'x8' platforms with 3/4" ply wood; the bottom was well supported with 2x4 evenly space out with cross pattern like trusses. it was quite heavy and sturdy. Each platform was bolted together at the venue.

it might be cheaper if you just rent one, if this is just a one time use.

[Dan30]

It's possible to do it cheaper, but it's not like you have to use a premium ply.

[James R]

Just rent one, will you ever use it again?

[mattaudio]

Rational people would have told me to just rent a P.A. a few times a year, but I chose to build my own BFM instead. Just sayin...

[LelandCrooks]

True. But people aren't standing on you speakers. Liability.

[Tom Smit]

gdougherty gave this idea a few years ago.......





Stage-Building a small mobile stage
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.

[Gregory East]

What's that in regular English?

[gdougherty]

The stage is a sheet of ply with furing strips around the edge to increase rigidity. The frame underneath is the same ply stood on end in a 2ft height making an interlocking box frame under the stage section. Look at the interlocking Christmas tree looking speaker stand Bill recommends and you've got some idea of how the frame fits together. 2 long pieces and 2-4 shorter pieces interlocking across the long length.

[basey]

I've built several stages for indoor venues before, but last summer I did an outdoor show for a neighborhood block party and the owner came up with a pretty good idea. He had two foot by four foot straw bales placed in rows under sheets of plywood screwed together on 1x4 studs. It worked really well. It was very sturdy and it didn't have any boomyness normal plywood stages do.

Probably not up to code But for a barn party it'd be perfect I bet.

[CoronaOperator]

There's your solution right there. Absolutely brillant for a barn party.

[mattaudio]

Should I paint the top with duratex? Lacquer it? Also, I'm trying to conform it to the corner of the barn, so I have a few different options. I'll figure out a way to tie all the pieces together underneath, and it will either be supported on cinder blocks or hay bales (as suggested above).

I'm trying to use as little space as possible, but it will be a cover band I play in (with a sub drummer):
-Drums -Keys -Bass -Sax -Fiddle -E. Guitar -Singer
so stages get a little crowded!

Here are the two options I am considering. The squared off one seems easier since it would be six pieces of plywood and only one diagonal cut.

[CoronaOperator]

I just came across this and thought it might give you some more ideas for your stage.

[mattaudio]

I don't know about the doors, but the buckets are a great idea!