• Manufactured by Flex-Ability Concepts
• 866-443-3539; www.flexabilityconcepts.com
• Cost: $95 to $120 (24 lin. ft.)
Flexible-steel tracks are a great way to frame curved walls and ceilings. But because the majority of houses still are being framed with wood, Flex-Ability Concepts wanted to find a way to achieve the same results without requiring builders to rely on a different set of tools. Wooden Quick Curve Plates were the answer.
These plates are built from three layers of oriented strand board (OSB), cut into 7-in. segments and joined together with wooden dowels to allow each joint to pivot. The plates can be curved to an outside radius of up to 12 in., and transitioning from a straight wall to a curved wall is easy because the plates are 3-1/2 in. wide, just like a normal 2×4. Once the plates have been set to the desired curve, a nail or staple is fired into each segment to lock together and hold the three pivoting layers. The plates are sold in boxes of twelve 2-ft.-long sections, which can be linked together on site with the included wooden dowels.
