| Here is a drawing for our current production of Mame. We will be building 6 Periaktoi columns. Check back as I am taking pictures of the process. 03/06/03... Our Periaktoi frames are built using plywood tops and bottoms. The middle triangles are custom built from scrap plywood and 1x3 furring strips. The notch is for the 1x4 pine boards that will stand the unit up. We've ordered the lumber at 10 feet.
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| The verticals are placed in the notch and then a couple of brads are air nailed into the plywood, through the 1x4 and into the other side of the notch. This virtually locks the piece together. |  |
| Remember to nail the thinner material into the thicker. In other words, we used 1/2" ply for the little triangles and we're nailing through the ply into the 1x3 stock. The staple gets more wood to bite into. Don't forget the glue!!! |  |
| Since we had to build 12 triangles, we made a jig. I took one of the regular plywood triangles, attached a small piece of ply on each side of the point. Then, we placed the little triangles atop the 1x3 and pushed it into place. Then stapled. Doing it this way made sure that each was the same. I'm sure you've run into a situation where you've tried to nail something in place where the thing you were trying to line up is on the bottom. |  |
| These hollow triangles serve more then just the money saving purpose. If the middle triangles were solid, we wouldn't be able to add the diagonal bracing. Since these units will be soft covered, we need to add the bracing on the inside |  |
| Setting the diagonal bracing properly is difficult. Getting the frame to be square, but in a triangle is tricky. I'll post how we did this after we figure out how! |  |
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| A Periaktoi is a triangular unit which is often made by one of two methods. The method you see here was via building a frame with three styles held together by three triangular pieces of 1/2" ply. One at the top and bottom with the third at the center.
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| This is a ground plan (top) view of one of the triangular pieces of ply with the 1"x3" furring strips inserted into each corner. Notice that if you were to draw a line from the very outside edge of the 1"x3"s, that line will not touch the plywood. When we cover the unit with muslin, the muslin will not touch the plywood. Thus concealing the framing. It will look just like a soft covered flat. |  |
| This is simply a side view of the assembled Periaktoi. Depending on the height of the unit, you can insert as many 1/4" ply frames as you need. Why Might you need more 1/4" ply braces? Think about what happens when you size the muslin. As the sizing dries, it shrinks. You don't want the open sections of 1"x3" to bow in. You'd end up with a big hour glass. |  |
