Now that the weather is better I have to do some work off scaffolding about 20′ up (5×6 steel ladder frames). Looking at my 2×12 planks and thinking I don’t want to go up on those any more. I’ve been thinking about making up some platforms out of metal framing and plywood. Couldn’t find anything in my old FHB issues. Anyone got a good, speedy recipe?
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Replies
since its OSHSA regulated you not going find anything, liability wise.
Oh? What about FHB #160, Jan'04 "Simple Homebuilt Scaffolding"? That doesn't look OSHA-rated to me.
OSHA has no jurisdiction if you're working alone on your own home.
You're free to do whatever you please.
I would think that heavy-duty steel studs (forget the official designation) with plywood on both sides would work. Could probably get away with 1/2" on the top and 3/8" on the bottom. Screw at least every 6" (4" better) with good quality screws (maybe invest in GRK screws). Where sheets of plywood are butted, glue/screw a splicer to the underside, between the studs.
(But I've never tried this.)
What theslateman said is correct. How far are you going to span? For the time you'd spend and the material cost you could just about buy some aluminum walkboards (check your rental places - I buy used all the time) and if you don't want to keep them when you're done, sell them. Advice from a guy who's hit the ground from about 20' twice. If you're that cheap, call an orthopedist and get a ballpark price on getting a damaged vertebrae removed. A good walkboard is a bargain.
http://grantlogan.net/
the rated ones that you get for the pipe staging cost about $50 used.. about $75 new..
i can't see where screwing around making a set is going to pay off.....Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Amen man, amen.
But..them 10' ers Dale has, take some butt puckker to launch up a frame at a time. Once we set up the 7' after a big shake down of the 10', man they were like pillows.
I have a 20' wood frame like that shown in this issue, or 24'..OSB top. When it's in the north side of the house on the pumps, and wet..it weighs 2 x as much, as on the dry side...thats why I bought that extenda pic.
I think I need to be in the scaffold owners club , real soon, unless of course, the boom lift gets sidetracked by here on it's way back to you...(G)
DW keeps asking me why I buy extenda pics, and ladders, and truck racks...I guess she didn't notice I do this for a living, there is life beyond our house.Parolee # 40835
sawduster,
I'm probably the cheapest guy who posts here, but I buy planks or platforms from a scaffold service company.. Cheap doesn't have to mean stupid.. Now I do make box beams for materials I set on the scaffolding. Simple long boxs made of 1/2 plywood designed to hold materials.. I put a thousand pounds on them and they are nice and rigid and I even use them to break stones to fit into my walls.. But there is absolutely no way in the world you'd get me to trust my butt to them..
Yeh if they will carry a 1000pounds (guestimate) you'd think that they'd carry my butt, however it's simply not worth it in my opinion.. as I said cheap doesn't have to mean stupid..
sawduster,
I quite often have used 3/4 ply nailed to a 2 x 4 box frame.(frame measures 2' x 8')1 spreader in the middle of the box.
Heavy and hard to handle by one person but sturdy enough for 3 men to work off of.
We hand selected the 2x 4 for the frame work, if we were going to be working in one area for awhile then we used conduit clamps to secure the frames to the cross members of the scaffolding.
If you still subscribed to FHB, you could have a look on page 32 of the current issue.......
Tips from the Archives "Site built staging plank"
Joe H
I saw that, " site built staging planks"
The ones described were 20' long, I think. Has anyone used these? They don't seem stong enough to me, but would consider using them as they are easy to build and available in remote worksites.
Safety first though.
>>>>The ones described were 20' long,IIRC, they were 16' long. I can buy a new 16' pic for $275 or a 20' for $325. I'm all for DIY, but in this case, WHY?http://grantlogan.net/edit: I was recalling one from a long time ago - I haven't seen the new issue yet.
Edited 5/28/2007 11:17 am ET by seeyou
IIRC, they were 16' long. I can buy a new 16' pic for $275 or a 20' for $325. I'm all for DIY, but in this case, WHY?
For a 16"x 20' homemade pic you need 54' of 2x4 , 2 sheets of plywood , about $50 in material, and about 20 minutes to assemble.
I own 2 aluminum pics, but on 1 job I needed to have 4, so I built the 2x4 ones. They were plenty strong spanning 18', but I dont think I would trust them after they have weathered for awhile. I took them apart and used the materials for other stuff.
Wouldn't heavy-duty steel studs be stronger and lighter than the 2x4?
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Maybe, I know nothing about steel studs. Wood I can bang together quickly, don't even know where to buy steel. Wood I will reuse the parts, maybe you would with steel also.
If I needed a plank long term I would buy a rated one.
No,NO NO.
Steel studs are ONLY good in compression. And even then, need drywall to be stiff.Parolee # 40835
Even the heavy-duty ones?
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Unless you have some left over from a job, it would probably be cheaper to buy aluminum stages.
Structural steel studs are not cheap. That's why they are only used when code requires.Glamorous
Define HD? Hell I don't know enough to blab about them being bad or not.
We have PICS and scaffold walkboards, only. We work in places where OSHA can and will find you, so all of our stuff is pretty much compliant...saving a few bucks cobbleing up a stageing plank can eqaul a 30K+ fine...not worth the chance.
Here at home, I can get away with a 2x4 if I am dumb enough to walk out on it..(G)Parolee # 40835
I don't know the official terminology, but the standard studs are about the thickness of a tin can, while the heavy-duty ones are 3-4 times thicker. Would be more expensive than 2x4, certainly, but should be lighter/straighter/stronger.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
I still can't take the chance of anything not approved by OSHA.
My WC insurance would climb outta the sky if I got tagged for a violation like useing a structural Verticle member in a horizontal application..I think, I don't know and don't wanna find out the hard way.
They have 2 sets of penalties, "willful disregard" is a BIG MO FO fine..like doing that.
Forgetting your saftey glasses being ON while they hang from a keeper strap around your neck, can be overlooked..you didn't flagrantly commit a violation...being in our boom w/out being tied to the basket, would constitute "willful" and you can expect a 20K fine at least.
I've heard from other guys around here, just last week as a matter of fact...OSHID will cost you something if you see them...no way can you be totally compliant all the time, it takes a RAT to send them looking at you, unless you are high profile and are subject to Inspections on a basis.Parolee # 40835
Clearly, if you're a pro, and especially if you're not a one-man shop, you want to stick to approved stuff.I thought the original query was for personal use, though.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Sorry, yup..I got ahold of Frappochino's today, after being away from caffiend for a few months..I am jiggy with it..new satellite highspeed, new memory in the work box, new keyboard wireless like..and reading BT on my TV screen...in really large fonts, while I have the desktop moniter on the same as per given resolution on that .
I really think if I have to mess around with the resolution from 1024 , I will , will de-rail...they added a bunch of exponents beyond the 1024 I format...
I am about to go back to shamanism clarity. Qat Least Sam Tyler is there, and he knowes it.Parolee # 40835
If I was gonna do it myself, I'ld use a ladder frame made with box beams made with structural metal studs and tracks. I'ld deck it with 1/2 Advantek.For additional strengh, I'ld add a heavy strap to the bottoms of the rails. Pretensioned.Knowing that the deck will always be in compression, I'ld fasten the middle piece first, the squeeze the ends to it as I fastened them.I would then test it down low to the ground.You should test it to destruction by loading it with something like bags of cement. Then rate it at 1/10 of that.1:240 = 1" sag
1:320 = 3/4" sag
1:480 = 1/2" sagMy gut suggests that with nominal 2x4 rails and a 14ga strap, two men in the middle would give less than 1:240. Bump it up to 2x6 and a 10ga strap, and I doubt 4 men would get even 1:320.For a 32" - 48" plank I would want the 2x6 setup with a third rail and a third strap on the 48"er.SamT
Praise the Corporation, for the Corporations' highest concern is the well being of the public.
They make steel joists, too. Different guage than the light steel studs, of course, but they're out there. Too much work finding those for a temp. scaffold plank though.zak
"When we build, let us think that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone." --John Ruskin
"so it goes"
Reason I'd consider using them is I got rid of my full size van for a mini-van. Kinda light roof racks, these I could fab on site, good for doing work at the cottage.
The length from the archived article was neither 16' nor 20'. It was 24'. He started with a 24' 2 X 8 and ripped it in half. The deck was one full sheet of 3/8th plywood ripped into thirds.
That's the one I was thinking of. I knew it was an even increment of 8'. Thanks.http://grantlogan.net/
Did anybody see this in the current FHB? What do you think?http://www.t-brace.com/product.html
Looks like a good idea, in principle. Question is how easy is it to use?
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Would a T-shaped plank made from a 2x6 on edge glued and screwed to the bottom of a 2x12 be pretty stiff? Why do you need the metal T braces?
Yep, that would do it. The T brackets simply make it easier to put up and take down, and allow you to use the planks without bracing if desired.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
I wondered about ripping that 24' 2x8. Skinning only one side with plywood gave him the diaphragm and additional strength, but there is no way to know if he went way below grade stamp level with that rip. Lumber grades in the 2x ranges are based a lot on knot size and location (both edge, field and distances from the ends) as well as species, MC, and edge condition.
I don't know enough of the engineering to figure what that board may carry,but it would have certainly been better with graded lumber.
Dave
Everything you say is true. The author mentioned that in selecting the 2 X 8, "I look for straight grain and as few knots as possible".
Self grading, I guess.
the orignal question was you was looking for infomation on building. My answer was that since OHSHA love scaffold. I really doubt there would be any printed information on scaffold. That doent mean people dont do it.
I myself use 2 x 12 and I also have some aluminimum walk boards. Another idea , weld up some angle iron and just replace the wood part when needed. Might get= you in trouble with ohsha tho.
I've thought about this too, and I imagine that lots of people on this board did. After all, we work with wood. How hard can it be, right? Thought about it again after I saw the new FHB with the old idea.
Then I thought about a buddy of mine that used to have a long scaffold -24' IIRC. It was made of a pair of 2x10s, but he stretched a 1/2" cable underneath it from end to end, under a 2x4 in the middle to hold it up. Only problem was moving it. Between the weight of the wood and the little extra from the cable and the connections, it was a workout and a half. I had the job of dragging the pieces to the dumpster after it got old and rotten.
My vote is for aluminum. How much is it worth to lug that big wooden platform around? What about the cost of the construction and the time to try to even find good 2x4's for the bottom? You need to decide, how much are your time and body worth?
Don K.
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