How do I Build a Car From Wood for the Stage?
The theatre is the ultimate illusion, and the scenery should back up the action of the story effortlessly without overshadowing. A cohesive style is the single most important element in a production design. The style of the accompanying backdrops and other elements should dictate the style of the car, or vice versa. For stage, simple construction, with as few parts as will tell the story, is best. A painted silhouette is one of the best ways to create a car for the stage.
Things You'll Need
- Plywood
- Car image
- Opaque projector
- Charcoal pencil
- Jigsaw
- Hinges
- Paint
- Paint brush
- Drywall screws
- Drill
- 2by4 lumber,
- Miter saw
Instructions
-
-
1
Choose photos or art pieces featuring a car in the style that your show requires as inspiration. Draw a side silhouette of your car, roughly to scale. One inch on paper to one foot onstage is a standard scale. Draw the outline as clean as possible with a bold, easily reproduced stroke from a black marker.
-
2
Project the image of your drawing onto a sheet of 3/4-inch plywood. Dim all light and position the projector to cast the image completely on the plywood. Focus by turning the ring around the lens. Trace the outline of the car onto the plywood. Trace in as many details as you can, such as headlights, bumpers and windows. Use a charcoal pencil to draw the outline. If the door is to be opened, draw the outline of the door cleanly.
-
-
3
Cut the silhouette of the car from the plywood with a jigsaw. Make your cuts as smooth as possible. Sand the edges of the car with a random orbit sander. Cut the front edge of the door outline. Position two 2-inch hinges along the line, two inches up from the bottom corner and down from the top corner. Drive a 3/4-inch self tapping sheet metal screw into the plywood through each hole in each hinge with a cordless drill. Cut the remainder of the door outline.
-
4
Paint the entire surface with a base coat of flat latex paint the color you want the car to be. Block in details such as tires, windows and bumpers with appropriate colors. Use a 1 1/2-inch angle cut, sash brush to apply the paint, washing it in soap and water between colors.
-
5
Attach castors to the underside of a standard stage wagon, approximately the length of your car and at least 24 inches wide. A wagon is a plywood-and-lumber-framed platform, typically available in most theater scene shops, in a variety of sizes. Use one castor in each corner and one under the center of the platform. Use 3/4-inch self-tapping sheet metal screws to attach the castors, placing one screw in each hole of each castor plate. Drive the screws with a cordless drill.
-
6
Place a scrap 1x4 on the floor alongside the wagon and stand your cutout car upright with its wheels on top, and the unpainted face of the car against the edge of the wagon. Drive 1 1/4-inch drywall screws through the plywood car into the edge of the wagon.
-
7
Cut 2 2x4 braces 24 inches long with 45-degree miters at each end, one right and one left, with a miter saw. Your pieces should have the form of an oblong trapezoid. Position the braces so that the top miter is flat against the unpainted face of the car and the bottom end is flat against the deck of the wagon. Place one at the rear and one at the front of the car. Screw through these using 1 5/8 drywall screws and a cordless drill to support the car cutout. Use two screws in each end of each brace.
-
8
Fill three empty paint buckets with sand and set them along the edge of the wagon, opposite the car, for counterweight. Roll the car across the stage. Add or remove sand as needed from the buckets to get the car rolling straight.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Build a wagon from 3/4-inch plywood the length of the car and 24 inches wide if one is not available. Cut 1x6 to fit the edges and attach with screws.
Test the tracking and adjust the weight carefully to prevent a plunge off the stage into an orchestra pit.
References
- Photo Credit construction ,measuring image by Greg Pickens from Fotolia.com
