How to Make Stage Flats
- 1). Cut two pieces of 1-by-3 clear pine to 4 feet; one to 3 feet, 10 1/2 inches; and two pieces to 7 feet, 10 1/2 inches. 1-by-3 is generally 3/4-inch thick by 2 1/2 inches wide, but you may need to adjust your measurements if your wood is not these exact dimensions.
- 2). Lay these pieces out like a box on their narrower faces, with the 4-foot pieces forming the box's top and bottom, the long pieces forming the sides and the shortest piece in the middle, forming a brace called a "toggle."
- 3). Carefully drill pilot holes into the top piece of the wood for two screws on each end and attach the top to the sides with screws. Do the same for the bottom, then find the middle of the frame and attach the toggle across the middle. This completes the frame for your stage flat.
- 4). Squeeze a line of wood glue along the edges of the frame that are facing up and lay a piece of 1/8 plywood across the frame so it meets each corner. Have helpers to keep it in place as you attach the plywood facing with staples, starting in one bottom corner and working your way across the bottom with a staple approximately every foot. Staple your way up both sides and do the top last.
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