Replies

1. 
   IMERC | Apr 30, 2006 06:43pm | #1

   if yopu already have 2 ladders.. ladder jacks and a plank..

   Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

   WOW!!! What a Ride!

   Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

2. 
   davidmeiland | Apr 30, 2006 07:24pm | #2

   A good rental yard will have scaffolding frames 5' high, plus probably some that are 6'4", and some that are 2' and 3'. Figure out how high you want to stand and then go rent what you need.

3. 
   JohnSprung | May 02, 2006 03:55am | #3

   Have a look at:

   http://www.biljax.com

   http://www.scaffoldingdepot.com

   There are lots of ways to choose from. 

    

    

   -- J.S.

    

4. 
   rfarnham | May 07, 2006 06:40am | #4

   You can rent scaffold, but unless you are pretty fast, it will really cost you.

   I highly recommend Mike Guertin's homemade scaffold (FHB 160, Jan 2004, and several books). They are easy and cheap to build, rock-solid if you take a second to level them out, and fold up so you can put them away and use them again. We built 4 before we built our house and have used them extensively.

   Ironically, the best picture I have of them shows me on a ladder instead (too high for the scaffold). You can stand on the top step, but putting a plank on the top step of two of them is a little scary. These should work well for 12' high soffits.

   They only took about a half hour each. I have had them for two years now and they have lived outside the whole time. If you plan to do the same I recommend Gorilla Glue. It takes a little longer, but as a test when I built these I did two with Gorilla Glue and two with the new "waterproof" Titebond III glue. The titebond has since failed, the Gorilla Glue has not.

   If you don't have the issue or want more info on building them, e-mail me.

   -Rich

1. 
   RRooster | May 09, 2006 05:24am | #5

   Is that a High Country News t-shirt?

   I subscribed for close to 10 years and when Bush got elected, I dropped it (impending doom).

   I've also seen some scaffolding, home built that leans up to the side of the structure and planks go over top of two of them.  They are extendable by adding on to the legs.  (I'm sure with such a great description, you'll be building them yesterday!!) 

   Grunge on.  http://grungefm.com

    

1. 
   rfarnham | May 09, 2006 06:37pm | #12

   No, good eye though. High Country News is a good read, but the shirt is from High Country Outfitters, an outdoor store in Atlanta that I worked for many years ago.As for the scaffold discussion, I'll stand by the home built option. The original poster didn't sound like a pro, so this is likely a project that will occur over several weekends. By the time is is scraped, sanded, primed, and painted for how many coats, they could have bought the steel scaffold ($$$!!) for as much as it will cost to rent it. It will be far cheaper to build some scaffold out of 2x4's and 1x8's.-Rich

2. 
   DoRight | May 09, 2006 07:50pm | #13

   How tall of a pair do you think you could safely build/use?

   Do you think it would improve the design to have the base (ie first step) wider than the top?  For stability.

1. 
   rfarnham | May 10, 2006 04:47am | #21

   The ones I built are just shy of 8' tall so I can maneuver them around inside (they double as drying racks). You could build them taller I suppose, but they would get pretty cumbersome. They are 3' wide which helps a lot with the stability issue in your other question, but that means they are just off the ground when I carry them. Adding 2 or more feet of length would probably make it too hard for one person to easily deal with. They are surprisingly heavy.As for stability, the biggest issue I have had is the Titebond III failing and introducing some wobble. The gorilla glue ones are fine. If I take a second after moving them to kick the feet into the ground before climbing up, they feel very solid. I think the issue you would have with the tapered design is the pivot at the top. I think it would bind.-Rich

3. 
   zak | May 09, 2006 09:05pm | #15

   Rich-

   I like your scaffolding.  Seems like it might be a good idea to have a rope tied between bottom rungs though, to keep it from splaying out.zak

   "so it goes"

1. 
   rfarnham | May 10, 2006 04:48am | #22

   I have done that when I use them inside on the plywood floor, but it isn't an issue outside. Leave the corners square on the 2x4 ends and they bite well into the ground.-Rich

5. 
   Dinosaur | May 09, 2006 06:57am | #6

   Standard pipe-scaffolding frames are 5x5; you can get cross braces for either 10' length or 7' length. You can also get 30" half-height frames which can be used in conjuction with the full-size frames. Two frames with two cross braces equals one section. Two sections stacked is referred to as two layers high. Going sideways, once you have one full section in place, you only need one additional frame (plus two cross braces) to add another section.

   For your 12' height application, I would recommend you rent two layers of 5x5 frames. You won't need to put the staging planks on the very top of the scaffolding that way, and for those not used to working on staging, it's somewhat comforting to have that one or two feet of extra frame height around you while you work.

   If your house has flat, hard ground under the eaves, you could consider renting a set a wheels for one section x 2-layer staging and then just wheel it on down the line as you finish each 10' length of soffit. That will save you both the money and trouble of renting enough gear to scaffold down the entire length of your house at once.

   Work platforms are more comfortable to stand on than standard staging planks. But you need two people to shift a platform (because of the hooks). A plank can be shifted by one person if necessary.

   Dinosaur

   How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
   low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
   foolish men call Justice....
   

   

1. 
   Notchman | May 09, 2006 08:30am | #7

   I agree with everything Dinosaur says and would add this:  rent 7' planks rather than 10's.  Their a lot easier to handle.  And I prefer wood planks over aluminum (the "wood" planks have aluminum frames with plywood decking).  The aluminum planks are hard on the knees if you have to kneel at all and they feel a lot less stable if you're not used to working on staging.

1. 
   DonK | May 09, 2006 03:04pm | #9

   Notchman - I'm confused.

   You say rent 7' planks. Most scaffold is 8'. How does that work?

   Don K.

   EJG Homes      Renovations - New Construction - Rentals

1. 
   Notchman | May 09, 2006 03:44pm | #10

   My own scaffolding is 7' (plank length);  I've rented a lot of 10'.  I've never seen 8'.

2. 
   jonblakemore | May 09, 2006 05:31pm | #11

   Don,As best as I can remember the scaffolding I've used has been 7' spacing. I also seem to remember being able to transport the diagonal braces in the back of a p/u bed which you could not do if the spacing was 8'.Since we started buying Alumapole equipment, it's been a while since we've set up any staging though. 

   Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA

3. 
   Dinosaur | May 10, 2006 04:41am | #20

   Don--

   Scaffolding width varies a lot by region; I remember being surprised the first time someone on BT mentioned 7' width, as the standard up here is 10'. But I checked, and my yard does have a small pile of cross-braces sized to space the end frames 7 feet apart. This enables one to use 8' staging planks instead of the 12-footers needed for 10' frame spacing.

   It's also worth mentioning that 7' work platforms are much easier to shift alone than 10-footers. The 7' spacing can come in handy when you have to scaffold up from an 8' deck, not an uncommon deck width.

   Theoretically, if you size the cross braces correctly, you can space the end frames any distance apart that you need. Once when I was stuck, I made up some cross braces out of EMT to space them 5' apart. A little Pythagorus goes a long way....

   As I mentioned, the local yard has half-height frames (5' wide by 30" high), which are real useful for 'stepping up' a slope. There are also some half-width frames that are 5' high by 30" wide that can be handy if you have to work off a 4' balcony (but they sway and wobble horribly; you have to tie on even for two layers).

    Dinosaur

   How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....

1. 
   DonK | May 10, 2006 05:23am | #25

   Dino -

   The sections I have been using (actually have set up on the side of this job now) are 10'.  I never used 7's or paid attention when somebody had 'em on the job. I know a few years ago I was looking to buy a bunch and what they were selling around here were 8's.

   Don K.

   EJG Homes    Renovations - New Construction - Rentals

2. 
   Dinosaur | May 10, 2006 05:37am | #26

   Assuming the frames were the same size and the pins in the same places, you could have mixed them in with your 10' stock and only used the 8' cross braces when you needed to get into a small corner.

   That reminds me--last year I got a bad surprise when the rental yard delivered me two very slightly different types of end frames for the same staging. The pins were the same distance apart--hence the frame spacing was still 10'--but they were not located at the same heights on the vertical pipes on the two different makes. I had to make sure all the frames of one type were in one layer, as they wouldn't mate with the other type. Real PITA....Dinosaur

   How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....

2. 
   junkrobbins | May 09, 2006 08:10pm | #14

   Have you ever had to replace the plywood on the aluminum/wood planks?  If so, what wood did you use?  Also, is there a problem using the ladder rungs instead of the 'beefier' top rungs on the ladder frames to supprt the plank to give more varied working heights?  Sorry to jump in with more questions.........

1. 
   JohnSprung | May 09, 2006 10:14pm | #16

   Per BilJax, their ladder frames are intended to support planks on any rung.  

    

   -- J.S.

    

1. 
   peteshlagor | May 10, 2006 01:26am | #17

   But Biljax's Contur pipe staging wins hands down!

   I bought mine since my projects take so long.  One would think storage would be an issue.

   Right now, I've got four 4.5' pipes forming a 36" wide workbench in the back basement.  The 10' pic serves as a nice temporary work top at waist high.  But since I have 3 pics, I've got two shelfs below.  On and under these shelves, totally out of the way, I am storing 30 more feet of staging complete with angle braces, safety rails, ladders, 8 legs, 3' and 5' cross brackets - the full complete staging to run 36 high, or 2 stacks, 18 feet high.

   Plus 2 Baker racks and 2 workmates - all under the workbench.

   Try compact storage like that with the 5' wide by 6' high frames of regular scaffolding.

    

    

1. 
   KirkG | May 10, 2006 01:34am | #18

   Lets see a picture of that storage, please.

2. 
   JohnSprung | May 10, 2006 09:34pm | #27

   I'm a little scared of using staging as storage, except maybe as you do for storing more staging.  My concern is that it would probably work so well and end up so full of stuff that I'd be tempted to leave it alone and buy more staging when I need it, instead of disturbing all that storage....  ;-)  

    

   -- J.S.

    

2. 
   Dinosaur | May 10, 2006 04:20am | #19

   Have you ever had to replace the plywood on the aluminum/wood planks?  If so, what wood did you use? 

   I don't own any work platforms; in fact, I only own one section of scaffolding, a set of wheels for it, and two standard madriers (certified wood staging planks). If I need more than that, I rent.

   Rental here is fairly affordable; I think the current rate is $8 per week per section. Individual pieces (extra frames, etc.) are proportionally priced. Plus, if I'm willing to pay $25 extra, I can have it all delivered to the site and picked up when I'm done. 5x5 frames do not fit in a pickup with a cap on it....

   But to answer your question, you need to use ¾" exterior grade plywood to re-wood a platform. Some new ones have been coming on the market using mdf, but it's gotta be some special grade that doesn't care if it gets wet. I don't know what it is.

    Also, is there a problem using the ladder rungs instead of the 'beefier' top rungs on the ladder frames to supprt the plank to give more varied working heights?

   I actually don't know the legal answer to that question. I have a feeling it's against the 'rules' to use the ladder rungs in the frames, but I do it all the time, and so does everyone else I know. Only on large commercial sites will you find scaffolding set up with all the legally required bells and whistles. My local rental agency got fined by the CSST last year for not providing the banana clips to lock stacked frames together, so now they insist on supplying them, and make us sign that we got them. No one uses them, tho.Dinosaur

   How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....

1. 
   junkrobbins | May 10, 2006 05:11am | #23

   Thanks - I actually got a reply from someone at Bil-Jax as well on the plywood: "the plywood is an AC exterior grade plywood, 5 ply".  Getting a response was a suprise, most websites that have a site to send in comments/questions never seem to go anywhere.  Maybe because Bil-Jax has a bunch of "Made in the USA" stickers on it means the email didn't end up in India....... 

   As for the banana clips (I'm assuming these are the "snap-pins" or whatever Bil-Jax calls them), my co-worker told me to not forget to use them.  Apparently when he was younger and up on a tall scaffold working on a corn-crib roof, the wind picked up.  He had the plywood work planks, properly latched on the rungs, and felt the scaffold frame shift up.  Now he didn't think the sail effect of the plywood planks would have been enough to lift the section off of the one below it, but it lifted enough to make him get down, go back to the shop and get the pins, & pin the frames together; and I'd hope, wait for the wind to stop before going back up.

1. 
   Dinosaur | May 10, 2006 05:23am | #24

   I'll use the clips since they give them to me if I go up four or five layers. But by the time I'm up three layers, I tie the whole set onto the building with pipe strap and lag screws. I'm not afraid of working up high, but I don't like the bloody thing wiggling around when I move fast (it spills the paint, dammit!).

   Years ago, I once deliberately tried to make a 3-layer staging topple over (I had a safe place to stand on the roof while I did this). I was amazed to see how difficult it was to do.Dinosaur

   How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....

6. 
   Taylor | May 09, 2006 02:12pm | #8

   OSHA information.