TomHoward Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 HiI'm just thinking about making up some flattage - it will be used for one set, and it may be stored or it may be scrapped, I haven't decided for certain yet.At it's highest it's 16ft but it has a steel deck behind at 8ft (for a practical upstairs window) so can be supported high. If I was thinking of making them of 20mm or 25mm steel box section, does anybody have any standard plans for a flat like that with bolting brackets / positioning sorted etc, or experience that it's a terrible idea to make them of steel? Or is timber still the most widely used? Timber always seems to wobble for me.. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImagineerTom Posted September 14, 2016 Share Posted September 14, 2016 Go for timber - you'll be able to cut them down, screw things to them, repaint them and they'll probably last longer than a metal set as well as being infinitely more usable; Wobble is as much down to design and manufacturing tolerance as it is materials used. Steel also corrodes much quicker and needs more active maintenance; steel flats with a drink spilled on them or left outside on a damp day will start corroding within a day or two (either causing staining or structural issues) and can be unsalvagable if left unchecked for a winter. Obviously if manufactured professionally and properly coated/treated steel flats are amazing and last decades but a DIY build will be more expensive and less durable than DIY wooden flats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomHoward Posted September 14, 2016 Author Share Posted September 14, 2016 Sorry, just to clarify, I'd still sheet them with timber, just thinking about the frame behind, unless you're talking of the frame? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Steel thin enough to not be heavy is usually bendier (is that a real word?) than timber framing, which with the usual flip out bracing on pin hinges is still pretty rigid. I found one show that came through with steel framed flats a nightmare because it was amazingly heavy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ImagineerTom Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Yes, I'm talking about the frame. The material you skin then with will make no practical difference at all to the wobblyness as that's all down to the deflection & manufacturing defects/tolerances in the frames you make. Wood all the way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitlane Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Think about how you will attach the facing timber to the metal frame. Then think about how you will hide the lump that the screw or rivet you just used makes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomHoward Posted September 15, 2016 Author Share Posted September 15, 2016 Thanks guysSounds like steel isn't the answer then and I should just stick with wood.Saved me the effort of finding out for myself.Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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