Help me build a big ass wall safely!

fadingathedges

I need to build a free standing wall, 10'h x 26'w, for display. It will have a plywood 'face' with a banner mounted on it. Non-wall options for this are pretty much out.

We have some 10' 2x4s which are dedicated to this task. More materials (nothing crazy or expensive) could also be gotten. It needs to exist for about a week, indoors.

There is plenty of space behind the wall, but the plywood/banner face pretty much needs to be the front.

I'd love some "I'm a carpenter and..." advice that follows some general sense, if not specific to the codes in your/my area.



Requirements:

1) The wall should not kill anyone.


Thanks in advance PA!



e~ Oh - the basic plan for the wall body is to make 10'h x 5'w frame sections, then put them together. The main concern is keeping it "upright" and "murderless".

Ashaman42

As you've got some space behind the wall what about something like this:



the black lines being wood and the grey boxes being bags of gravel/sand/something heavy to stop the thing tipping forward.

Depending on how much room behind the wall you have the 'feet' could be shorter but would need more weight on them. Also I've just got a foot at each end and one in the middle but you could do more, particularly if this lines up better with your frame sections.

sligmasta

you could make a series of flats, which are basically lightweight fake walls they use in theatre.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5uRdVBprc4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

that seems like an alright guide. The good thing about flats are they are light so they are easily movable, and fairly sturdy in case you want to use them again.

Edit: and here's the wiki page.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flats_(theatre)

Edit2: this page has some good diagrams and a better explanation

http://www.ia470.com/primer/shop.htm

fadingathedges

Thanks for the input guys!

The vidja is what is already happening, except at 5x10 instead of 4x8.

Ashaman's image is what we were thinking of doing but it seemed like with nothing in front it could cause trouble. Maybe we'll stick with that plan.

Ashaman42

I think with a bit of weight it would take a fair effort to get it to tip forward. A couple of bags of gravel/sand on each foot would hold it I reckon.

Of course you could extend the feet forward of the wall as well but then you've got to worry about people tripping over them plus it won't look as nice.

A Dabble Of Thelonius

What kind of surface will this be sitting on?

Demerdar

Weights on the back end will absolutely keep the wall up, no problem (barring a tornado or hurricane, of course).

Skoal Cat

All theatre flats are weighted in the back. This is the proper thing to do. Consider coffin locks for locking the flats together into a single piece.

fadingathedges

A Dabble Of Thelonius wrote: »

What kind of surface will this be sitting on?

It will be indoors, but I can't recall if it's tile/smooth flooring or a low-nap carpet. It will have a sort of walk-in display laid out in front of it with the wall and banner forming the backdrop. No one will be going behind it.


Thanks again everyone for the advice. Those coffin locks especially look pretty smart.

Skoal Cat

They're amazing. They are used in bulk in every single museum and theatre around the country/world.