Film set/Art Installation build [updated 8.26.15]

[ear3]

So when I came in yesterday I was told that actually the total number of flats had been miscalculated, and that we needed another 25.  As I was inspecting the ceiling pipes to find which one would be the best over which to swing a rope and hang myself, the art director came back and reported that actually, we were only 11 flats short.  So not so bad -- a half a day's extra work, but I'm really not looking forward to reverting to flat building after I thought I was done with it.  I've left it for when I go back onsite on Wednesday, and instead focused on starting the structure of the judge's bench and witness stand.

This part will be a real challenge.  I've never built anything like this, meaning, something that has to look tight and authentic AND be modular/disassemble-able.  Here's the (literal) back of the envelope sketch I'm working with in my head (though obviously it will be finished with paneling and moulding):

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So I think the best way to proceed is to break the structure up into individual MDF boxes, which will be joined together and then have pre-made panels fitted on top of their face.  The MDF box structure will be like so:

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I'm having the other carpenters build a 8" platform for everything to rest on so I can have a level surface to work with.

The tricky thing will be how to attach the panels together, which I will pre-assemble from 1/2" oak veneer ply with a 1x3 and inset moulding oak frame.  I think mitering on the flat (option 1) is out of the question, as there are two many things that could go wrong and I can't tie the joint together so much that it can't be disassembled.  So I originally thought about running the side panels long and have the front ones butt up against them, then hide the joint with an additional piece of case moulding (option 2).  Now I'm thinking though that I can build them so that they are stepped/rabbeted, and so fit together more snugly (option 3), and simply use clamps and the force of the screws attaching the panels into the MDF to secure a reasonably tight joint (option 3).  Here's how I've drawn out the three options:

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If anyone has any better ideas I would love to hear them.

So I went to work yesterday on assembling the boxes.  It's been a long time since I worked with MDF as a structural element (as opposed to a shelf or a, say, a top for my workbench).  So I had to dig way back to my early days working in museums and galleries as an installer, trying to remember how we put all those pedestals and display cases for the artwork together.  One of the cool things about MDF is the way you can integrate all the scrap and offcuts as supports.

So I started by making two large rectangles:

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Using glue and pneumatic staples I then added a strip down the middle at the same place on the interior of both rectangles for the two verticals to attach to:

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Then did the same thing along the sides, and attached the outer verticals to the other rectangle.  Fortunately you know that with MDF the size of your spacer block is the size of your actual piece, so it's just a question of getting the spacer block flush:

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Then put the two rectangles together with more glue and staples:

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Added a top and bottom and routed it flush with the 1010:

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And we have our first of seven boxes -- I'll probably do some cut outs later for hand holds and for access points to secure the boxes to the floor and to one another:

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[BMH]

Thank you for documenting this build it is fascinating

 

[ear3]

Things are starting to take shape.  The space has now become a warren of different sets made up of the flats I've built, which scenic is starting to decorate today:

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I've finished up all but one of the MDF boxes that will be the skeleton of the judge's bench/witness stand:

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after I put the finishing touches on the last one I'm off to Boards and Beams in NJ to pick up several hundred feet of moulding for wall paneling -- which is a relief, because I thought I was going to have to spend my weekend milling it myself.

For reference, here is where the courtroom will be.  You can see it already has the dividing walls in rough position:

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This is why I'm getting that Bosch GL2-20, so I can just set up a tripod in the middle and go around the room putting moulding at an even plane.

 

[nclemmons]

Great progress! 

 

[ear3]

Yesterday was a bit of a holding pattern -- there was a scheduling miscommunication on the truck so we are now scheduled to go to Boards and Beams today, rather than yesterday, to pick up the rest of the wood I need to panel the judge's bench and do the room paneling.  I did manage to move forward however on securing the structure of the bench in place.

The floor is an absolute nightmare (the second floor of the building was originally built and for a few years functioned as a parking garage), and when I initially positioned the MDF boxes of the judge's bench together I found I was getting a lot of gaps because of the varying levels of the three parts of the platform.  So the other carpenter, Tim, -- one with much more experience building actual film sets than I -- graciously volunteered with his guys to tie the platform together and shim it to get as close to a single level surface as possible:

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He's been doing great work on some of the other scenes, like laying down this flooring in such a way that it can be disassembled in discreet 4x8 sheets:

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There was a little ridge left once the three 4x8 sections of platform were layed down, but it was nothing a few passes with the RO150 and 40 grit paper couldn't handle:

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The resulting plane was better than before, but there is still a little gap in the joint on the left side, which I will have to strategize about fixing/hiding (my boxes are perfectly square, so I know they aren't the offenders):

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The complication, of course, is that any adjustments I make to the paneling now (like running the paneling past the box and cutting the edge at an acute angle to cover the gap), will potentially screw things up when the unit is reinstalled at the gallery with a, presumably, different plane of floor.  I may just hide it with moulding, but I'll have to think more on this.

With the platform secure I started attaching them in place.  I cut access panels at the bottom and along the appropriate side with a 1/2" pilot hole and Carvex (with a heavy heart for having to mar the surface of what was previously a perfectly smooth and square box):

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I then used the right angle attachment on the T18 to countersink/pilot and drive the screws:

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As soon as I did this I slapped myself across the face.  I basically just guaranteed that, unless the deinstallation crew comes armed with a right angle drill (unlikely), or has a Festool (or new Bosch) drill with a right angle attachment (very unlikely), I will need to be present for the deinstallation to take out those screws.

With the three boxes of the judge's bench tied together, I then performed a very sophisticated strength/stability test:

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For the moment I'm just securing the actual judge's bench, which I will panel first and then add the side boxes for the witness stand and stenographer's bench.  This is to make the (de)installation process smoother, as I can build and install the full panel for each side of the judge's bench, then butt the side boxes against them, rather then piece in the side panels around the side boxes (if that makes sense).  In any case, if just the basic structure were all tied together, this is how it would look:

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Squaring everything up was really simplified by the Woodpeckers 26" square I just got in the mail from another FOG member after I posted a WTB notice in the classifieds.  Thanks [member=7943]wood pulp[/member].

So it's off to Boards and Beams in a couple of hours to spend more of other people's money.

 

[ear3]

Today saw a lot of strategizing and agonizing get done, though not much work to show for it.

First off, I want to say how amazing my trip was yesterday to Boards and Beams in Fairfield, NJ, my first time there.  Maybe all lumber yards outside of urban areas are like this -- these are the only ones I have to compare it to -- but I felt every cliche you could possibly feel when I entered: kid in candy store, died and gone to heaven, etc., etc.  A warehouse full of dimensional lumber, a zillion varieties of moulding in a dozen or more wood species, thick planks and live edge slabs stacked in piles.  What made the experience even better was the interaction with the staff (shout out to Tim and Dave) -- according to them they were short-handed (it was Saturday afternoon), and so I would have to help myself to what I needed.  This meant clambering up over stacks of boards into the loft, then sorting through bundles of different mouldings cached in bays arrayed down darkened rows, and when finding what I needed passing down the 12-14ft pieces to my assistant waiting on the ground floor.  The one requirement was that I had to be careful not to fall.  And the prices!  I had estimated, based upon figures for city lumber yards, that we would be dropping at least $1500 -- but the bill ended up only being $1100, and that even after I had thrown in some extra pieces for good measure.  So thanks to the FOG member who pointed this place out to me (I forget who it was) -- I will now be making the trip to Jersey as often as I can.

So today I started working on the paneling for the judge's bench/witness stand.  The main challenge, again, is that it has to be disassemble-able, and so the paneling cannot be permanently affixed to the MDF box structure.  So after thinking long and hard, I decided to work backwards, attaching the back end and leaving it proud so that the side panels butt up against it.

I spent a lot of time initially ripping all the 1x12s I had gotten at Boards and Beams into the narrower planks I'll be using for the paneling.  Since I don't have a table saw onsite, I just used the LR32 edge stops to set a consistent distance from the edge, and after a few minor adjustments ended up getting a perfectly even board:

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I then ran some of the thinner offcuts through the router to at least give them a slight profile -- even though few people will be looking at the back -- then attached them to oak veneered ply that I had measured to the thousandth of an inch so it would mate with the side panel.  I will be able to do some touch up with the sander and router if need be, but since I can't glue/nail things together, I want to get as much of the way there through precise measurement as possible.  It's operations like these that make you realize why you put so much time into getting the structural elements square.  I then used clamps and some of the 1/2" ply scrap I'll be using for the side panels to get them into position and tacked them in.

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This back panel is actually the one piece I can attach to the box permanently, since it will not be disrupted dislodged when the boxes are detached from one another.  So now I've got the backs done, and can start tomorrow putting on the sides, and pretty soon, the front.

It's just stressful, because I'm about to hit the point of no return, that moment in the job where any mistake you make becomes a major and costly waste of time and materials.

 

[Cheese]

Edward, I really enjoy this series of builds. What's striking to me is all of the effort and work involved just to make a movie/art set. I certainly understand with a house because it's "permanent" and you live in it, but these things come & go all the time. Thinking about it, there's probably a cottage industry out there focused strictly on building sets.  [cool]

[scratch chin]  Help me understand why the paneling cannot be fastened permanently to the judges stand and side boxes. The 2 boxes and stand would still be 3 separate boxes, it's just that they'd be "finished" for all practical purposes. You'd assemble the 3 "finished" boxes and then add some trim to the corners to hide the gaps caused by the deviations in floor height. The trim strips would be attached to the front but would be fastened from inside the boxes. Oversize holes for fasteners, would be hidden by the width of the trim and allow adequate adjustment. The wood trim strips could be attached with 1/4" threaded rod and wing nuts along with fender washers to speed up the assembly/disassembly.  [2cents]

 

[ear3]

My life just got a whole lot simpler yesterday.  A propos the comments of [member=44099]Cheese[/member] I asked myself why I couldn't simply leave the judge's bench/witness stand in three units (three boxes for the judge's bench, and two each for the side witness stands), rather than break it up into its constituent seven boxes when it had to be redone.  Meaning, I would leave the three boxes of the judge's bench attached, then assemble the two boxes each of the left and right witness stands, and push these against the bench, giving me three units in total?  This way I could permanently attach the paneling to the three sets of boxes, which could then be moved carefully as larger units.  I conferred with the folks who are going to be organizing the small army of movers when the show has to be disassembled, and after we did a few tests to see how many people it would take to lift up the three attached units of judge's bench onto some dollies, we realized it could be done.  So now I don't have to worry about having to remove the paneling, and can just focus on making things tight.  I'm lucky I decided to maker the boxes out of 1/2" MDF, rather than 3/4", because that might have changed the equation.  I'm also pretty confident now, because the boxes once tied together are so heavy, that I don't even have to secure them to the platform, so not even the paneling on the inside of the bench and stands will have to be removed, since I no longer need to get at the access panels I cut to tie the units to the floor.  Overall, I'm fortunate this is the sort of gig where I can learn on the job, so to speak -- the artists just want the thing done, and leave most of the details of how it gets done to me and the other builders. 

So I slapped on my fresh Tenyru Miter Pro blade for the Kapex, pulled out the Domino, and got to work on the panel frames.

Trying to economize the wood as much as possible, so I used the offcuts from the 10 foot 1x12 boards I had made to accommodate it to the 3000mm rail, and repeated the narrow stock rip procedure with the LR32 edge stops to get some of the short panel frame boards I would need:

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I then cut to size all the pieces I would need for the front judge's bench panel frame:

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This is precisely the sort of reason why I got the UG cart for this job, so that I could assure a consistent length for multiple pieces of the same size using the flag stops:

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Layed out the pieces using plywood scrap cut to ensure the inner boxes were square:

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Then marked the mortise positions and made 40(!) plunges with the machine.  With so many dominoes I was at the outer range of assembly time on the glue up, so I really had to work quickly as I got everything into position and clamped it up:

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After letting it dry a bit, I attached it (permanently with pneumatic nails!) to the front of the bench, leaving some excess on the top and sides that I'll rout flush later, and filled the nail holes:

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After moving through the grits up to 150 on the ETS, I'm pretty satisfied with the end result, into which I'll be placing squares of 1/4" oak veneer and rabbeted inset moulding today:

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The advantage of ripping all the frame pieces myself from wider stock, other than ensuring a consistent width and straightness for the frame members, is that I avoid the wild grain mismatching that can sometimes happen with oak.  All the pieces have the same grain pattern and color, and should look tight once the Osmo natural finish is applied.

 

 

[Cheese]

[member=37411]Edward A Reno III[/member]
My question for the day is have you checked to make sure these cabinets are transportable not only in their present location but to/in their future location? Entry door and internal room door widths, freight elevator sizes, stairways if elevators are not available... [unsure]

 

[mike_aa]

[member=37411]Edward A Reno III[/member],
If you find that you'll need the ability to partially disassemble the cabinets for future transportation issues, you might consider standard bolts or bolts combined with threaded inserts to hold them together.  That would also make it easier to unbolt with a regular socket set.  That way there's no worry of having to have a right angle drill to remove screws.  Also, the bolts would allow for some extra torque and adjustment.

Additionally, if you don't plan on attaching the cabinets to the platform, you might consider two or three locating pins in the platform with corresponding holes in the cabinet bottoms.  That way even if someone manages to push against the cabinets, they will not move out of place.

Really nice work so far!  This thread is a very interesting read and I'm learning quite a bit.  Thanks!

Mike A.

 

[ear3]

Yes, fortunately.  This won't even be the heaviest/bulkiest thing going over.  I think we're planning on moving the walls, for example, in 12 foot sections.

[member=37411]Edward A Reno III[/member]
My question for the day is have you checked to make sure these cabinets are transportable not only in their present location but to/in their future location? Entry door and internal room door widths, freight elevator sizes, stairways if elevators are not available... [unsure]

 

[ear3]

Thanks -- good suggestion on the bolts and reference pin for location.  The director came in today and pointed out that the bench would probably have to be pushed back further to frame the shot so that the top of the 8 foot wall is not visible.  So at this point, I think I'm just going to leave it unsecured to the floor, because I'm sure there will be more changes of mind about location/position. 

[member=37411]Edward A Reno III[/member],
If you find that you'll need the ability to partially disassemble the cabinets for future transportation issues, you might consider standard bolts or bolts combined with threaded inserts to hold them together.  That would also make it easier to unbolt with a regular socket set.  That way there's no worry of having to have a right angle drill to remove screws.  Also, the bolts would allow for some extra torque and adjustment.

Additionally, if you don't plan on attaching the cabinets to the platform, you might consider two or three locating pins in the platform with corresponding holes in the cabinet bottoms.  That way even if someone manages to push against the cabinets, they will not move out of place.

Really nice work so far!  This thread is a very interesting read and I'm learning quite a bit.  Thanks!

Mike A.

 

[Cheese]

Yes, fortunately.  This won't even be the heaviest/bulkiest thing going over.  I think we're planning on moving the walls, for example, in 12 foot sections.

Good for you, you survived yet another day in the art world. They're a tough bunch.

 

[ear3]

My internal panic clock started ticking yesterday -- we're supposed to start filming next Tuesday, and counting up all the work that remains to be done, I'm not sure how I'm going to finish the courtroom by then.  The filming will be staggered set by set, so it might be possible that I can continue working on little stuff even after the cameras start rolling, but I really have to figure out how to finish all the cutting and building by then.  I haven't quite reached the "screw it, good enough" stage that we usually hit a couple of days before an opening, but that time is fast approaching.  I'm trying to think of ways to delegate as much of the work as I can to my assistant and interns, but there's a limit to what I can hand over to others and still be comfortable with the quality.  It's going to be some late nights over the next week, and I also have to fit in my wife's birthday one of those days.  So we'll see.

Some progress today on the bench.  I first made some 1/4" oak veneer squares to back where the inset moulding will be.  Remarkably this was the first time I had needed to set up the MFT -- because it's been mainly sheet goods or long stock, I haven't yet needed the xtra-wide cross-cutting capabilities of the MFT or it's clamping/assembly assistance:

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Then started tacking them in over the MDF inside the frame squares: 

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In the meantime, I tacked in the frame members for the side panels, which I did before doing the moulding so that there would be no obstruction to the router when it flush trimmed:

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I worried a little bit about how plain/elaborate to make the side frames, but since most of the attention will be on the front, I'm just recycling the classical wainscoting profile bit to form a large square, which in any case has to be pieced in at the bottom to accommodate the witness stands at either side.

Cut the inset moulding to size using the fresh Tenyru miter pro blade.  This blade on the Kapex leaves a really sick finish -- mirror shine on the edge and no chatter marks, something my Bosch CMS + Forrest Chopmaster was not quite able to do:

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The only drawback is the projectile offcuts that get violently hurled at what seems like 100 mph from the saw when cutting off an end piece.  Fortunately the offcut side when I start a fresh board of moulding faces left, so the only thing being hurt by the missiles coming from my saw is the wall.  Don't have time at the moment, but a zero-clearance fence just shot to the top of my post-project to do list.

I ran into trouble once I started putting in the moulding.  It has a 1/2" rabbet for the inset, and I figured that once I sanded the board up to 150 I would have removed enough to make up for the extra 1/32 I lose with the nominal 1/4" oak veneer ply.  But for a variety of reasons (thicker boards, frame not sitting totally flat on the MDF in every place), I discovered that the distance between the face of the oak frame and the inset 1/4" oak veneer panel was as much as 9/16" in some places, thus throwing off the miter joint on the moulding, since you have to cut it sort of like you cut crown.  So I pulled out the Rotex 150 and started to sand.  Initially I thought I would sand down the whole frame, but soon realized this would be quite a chore with 100 grit, since I brilliantly skipped over the 80 grit paper when packing my abrasives (and I wouldn't dare jump from 60 to 100).  So I took my first major short-cut of the project and decided to just sand the inner edge of each of the squares with the RO150 and 150 grit, taking as much care as possible not to form any major scallops.  It cost me about 4 sheets of paper from catching it on the corners, but it worked in the end, and any nicks/scallops are now covered up with the moulding:

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I'll probably have to repeat this operation today, as I'm doing the same thing on the front of the witness stands.  Off to work now.

 

[nclemmons]

Great progress, Edward.  Thanks for all the detailed photos.  Learning a lot!

 

[AlexThePalex]

I also like to see this, very interesting. Keep 'em comming.

 

[ear3]

Yesterday was almost the first day on the courtroom build where everything I did was familiar -- no problem solving or work arounds, just continue the process that I've already established.  Rinse.  Wash.  Repeat.

So no new build photos, rather, just a pic of the progress on the judge's bench, which I'm hoping to have close to finished today:

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I did have a moment of second guessing my aesthetic choices on the paneling, however.  Not that it means anything at this point, because there's no time left to change anything now.  If you compare the frame and inset moulding pattern of the actual judge's bench with that of the left and right witness stands, you'll see that the bench has 9 smaller squares and the stands 4 larger ones each.  I wanted to establish a visual hierarchy, whereby the judge would sit in the place with the greater workmanship.  But maybe I'm thinking about this too much as a carpenter, and instead, what asserts a stronger visual presence is simply the larger size squares -- so the way I have it configured actually creates an imbalance, since the witness stand might have a stronger visual presence than the judge's seat itself due to it's larger frame squares.  No one has said anything about it, but it's a detail that I began to second guess yesterday.  Oh well.

No one is freaking out yet about the progress of the courtroom, since everyone is scrambling to finish their own tasks and put out other fires.  But today really is a make or break day for me, which is why I plan on heading to the space right after I finish this post (it's 5:44am).  Once I complete the bench and witness stand, these are the steps I have left to finish the courtroom how'd I'd like to do it:

-sand 900 square feet worth of wall paneling (1/4" oak veneer) in 1 pass at 150 grit
-Cut and hang 300 feet worth of astragal panel moulding squares on the walls
-Mill (from larger stock) AND rout a profile on AND cope 30 battens (240 feet total) to cover the wall seams
-Cut and hang 120 feet of crown moulding -- without a ceiling no less!
-Cut and run 120 feet of base moulding 
-apply 2 coats of Osmo to the entire courtroom

And all this by Tuesday, with a day off to celebrate my wife's birthday.

The other carpenter, Tim, who has done such great work building the other parts of the set, has fortunately been retained for the next week, so I'm sure I will be calling on his assistance very, very soon. 

In the meantime, a few photos of other parts of the set:

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[semenza]

    I like your choice on the two square sizes for the paneling on the bench / witness stands. Same style ties it together but different size separates. Also I think if they were all the small size it would look too busy.

Seth

 

[nickao]

Oh my gosh Edward it seems like you need to stop posting and get to work!

Everything looks great and probably too good for anything other than HD close up work. It looks like a nice job and that they gave a pretty good budget for that room. That's all union work around here.

 

[GhostFist]

Wish I caught this sooner. I work professionally in the film industry building sets.