Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2008 - 65

T

Manufacturing and Installation time
he manufacturing and installation times in figure 12
assume reasonably competent stage carpenters. All
times are listed in person hours; those tasks requiring more than one carpenter to complete-for example, installing 2x4-framed platforms, which are
too heavy to reasonably expect a single carpenter to
carry-would take less total time than the time listed: for example, two carpenters can install twentyfour 2x4-framed platforms in a total time of about
two hours, but since there are two of them working,
the cost is four person-hours of labor.
Assuming there are no stock platforms or panels in
existence, the manufacture labor required for the plywoodover-stud wall technique is dramatically less than that required for the other techniques: 13 person-hours for the
plywood technique, versus approximately 40 person-hours
for 2x4-framed platforms, and nearly 55 person-hours for
either stressed-skin or sandwich-core panels. However, the
installation time is somewhat greater: 8 person-hours for
the plywood technique, versus approximately five person-

hours for the 2x4-framed platforms, stressed-skin panels,
or sandwich-core panels. When one assumes a stock of
platforms or panels, however, the numbers begin to skew
wildly in the other direction, and what we all know intuitively becomes quantitatively clear: the more panels or platforms we own, the closer we approximate the efficiency of
using plywood right off the delivery truck (fig. 13).

A

reusability
s mentioned previously, plywood sheets do not
lend themselves readily to reusability; the 2x4framed platforms, stressed-skin panels, and sandwich-core panels all owe their cost-efficiency to
the very fact of their reusability. However, keeping
a stock of platforms or panels raises other efficiency questions: the weight of each panel must
be taken into consideration (a heavier panel
requires more labor to carry than a lightweight
one), as must the amount of storage space each
panel requires. Figure 14 lists weights and volumes of the
platforms and panels discussed here.

Plywood

2x4 framed
platform

4´x6´ stressed-skin
panel

4´x6´ sandwich core
panel

Manufacture Time
Surface
Manufacture Time
Stud walls

0 person-hours

36 person hours

48 person-hours

48 person-hours

13 person hours

5 person-hours

5 person-hours

5 person-hours

Installation Time
Surface

4 person-hours

1.5 person-hours

1.5 person-hours

1.5 person-hours

Installation Time
Stud walls

4 person-hours

4 person-hours

3 person-hours

3 person-hours

Figure 12. Manufacture and installation time by type of decking over stud wall layout.

No stock
6 stock
12 stock
18 stock
24 stock
32 stock

2x4-framed platform

4´x6´ stressed-skin panel

4´x6´ sandwich-core panel

36 person-hours
27 person-hours
18 person-hours
9 person-hours
0 person-hours
0 person-hours

48 person-hours
39 person-hours
30 person-hours
21 person-hours
12 person-hours
0 person-hours

48 person-hours
39 person-hours
30 person-hours
21 person-hours
12 person-hours
0 person-hours

Figure 13. Manufacture time by type of decking over stud wall layout, with existing stock.

64

theatre

design

&

technology

S P R I N G

2008
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Spring 2008
