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I am gettin’ real tired of wrestlin’ with those old 3 X 14s I’ve been usin’ for scaffold planks for 15 years so today I left the job early enough to stop at the scaffold company to see what they had in aluminum planks. Whoooeee, those 20″ wide aluminum planks are sweet. Even the 14″ are really nice, but they seem a little narrow. Anyone have any advice on what type of planks are best for working on all day? Any downside to those aluminum planks? Do they get hot in the sun maybe? Thanks – Jim
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Jim,
The only downsides I can see are high first cost and can be hard to scrape the stucco off 'em. They are so much safer, lighter, easier to use...you need some.
Bill
*we've got two 20 inch x 24 ft and one 14" x 24 ft and one of those aircraft wing type light alminum with plywood skin... ...i can wrestle a 20 inch plank onto my racks, but set up is a two-man job..working on the 20's is like working on a sidewalk.. that with the alum-a-poles is really downtown...
*Hey Jim, If your going to be shelling out dough for aluminum planks check out the expandable one that Werner makes. I have 14" x 24's and a 20" x 20' but that expandable is great. It's 10' closed and goes out to 16' 9". It fits between ladder rungs and is the perfect plank to in fill around corners, inside or just if you need a custon plank. Sorry if this sounds like a late night infomercial. The thing is really sweet. Never can have enough staging. Matt
*Can they get hot?? - Oh, Yes! If you are working in shorts you will learn quickly. Do they conduct electricity? Oh, yes! Do they bounce? Yes, but no worse than what you use now. For no additional weight you get lots of additional width, easier set up and take down, and lots easier truck loading. They do cost some $$.
*Yeah, hey Matthew, that was gonna be my next question, if anyone had one of those telescoping planks. I really like the expandability but I'm worried that it might get real bouncy when extended since it's only rated for 250 lbs. Yes/no?Mike - that is one sweet set up there bro. BIG bucks, huh? You got what, thirty five huindred, four grand there? Nice.
*Mike, I like the banner-great marketing idea!I am concerned about the staging however. If I remember from my osha class, scaffold planks cannot cantilever more than one foot. Yours appear to be cantilevered four feet or more!Maybe theres something that I'm missing.Wanna send me the fine, or is there some reasonable explanation?blueps cash only please!
*say $600 for the 20 inch and $400 for the 14 inch and $250 for the net.. cause all that stuff was new..the poles were $500.. from someone on their way out...call it $2000 total, what yur lookin at...and the thing is... i wouldn't dream of not having them now....two weeks from now we'll go stage a 30 sq. roof two story .. with new gutters.. and 5 to 7 layers to strip..between me and a friend we can stage the whole thing, front and back....
*ya got me..mums the word..send me the text.. i'd be curious cause i can't tip that one.. even with me and mr. heavy standin on the end..r u sure that ain't fer 16 ft. planks ?hey tomorrow is JLC-live in providence.. i saw the dude that started alum-a-pole there a couple years ago.. he was some kinda surfer dude... only now he's a rich surfer dude.. i'll show em a pic. of that set up and see what they say..
*jim, really not much worse than a 14' micro. It does get a little slick when there is snow on it, like yesterday, uggh! Nice drizzle of sleet this morning! The alum-a-pole set-up is the way to go. Find someone who is dumping theirs' and you can pick some up on the cheap. I paid 2200 for four 18' poles(two 36'), four brackets, two jacks with work stations and two 14" x24' planks. think I got the expndo for 280 or something around there. Happy shopping, Matt
*I already own 4 scaffold jacks. They are fine for 20, 24 feet. Anything higher than that, you guys can do. I am definately gonna try to find some used planks though. Thanks for the advice.
*A week or so ago, a buddy e mailed and said he didn't want to put this online due to potential liability problems but he told me a way to make a "bomb proof" scaffold plank. I tried it and it worked great. I'm gonna make some more. Here's what I did- I picked out a couple straight grained 2X4s with real small knots. I layed a 2x4 flat under the center and clamped both ends to the deck creating a 1+1/2" camber and sheeted both sides with 1/2" CDX. I glued the plywood with Gorilla glue and nailed the socks off of it blocking the joints on the plywood. Stout is the word. The first one I made was 12' x 16" and one guy can handle it without too much trouble (handles screwed to the sides and ends really help). I'm gonna make some longer ones too. I guess that 12 footer took me about an hour to make and cost around 30.00 including glue.
*Details please Jim.Were the 2xs on the flat?did you flip it and recamber it to do the second side?blue
*Hey blue The 2x4 frame was up on edge. I'll try to "say" this, but I have my doubts. I placed a 2x4 flat under the exact center, smeared glue, placed sheathing over the frame and clamped down both ends to create the camber. I then nailed off that side. Then, I flipped the plank over and put a 2x4, flat, under each end and asked the missus(could have really used aunt Tilly for once) to stand in the exact middle of one 2X4, and I clamped the other down (I built it on the edge of my deck) while I nailed off that side. Worked great and holds it's camber just fine. Todd and I were both wokin' off of it the other day, with no bounce at all.Now I'm not sayin anyone else should try this. I'm just sayin' my buddy said he built one like this 16' long and the thing was "bombproof". And the 12 footer I built to check it out worked great and I am plannin' on buildin' a 16 footer too...FOR MY OWN USE...NOT ON ANY COMMERCIAL JOBS BY ANY EMPLOYEES...THERE WILL NEVER BE AN L+I CLAIM AS A RESULT OF THESE PLANKS...I'LL PROBABLY NEVER USE ONE OVER 3 FEET OFF THE GROUND...EVEN THEN I'LL HAVE GUARD RAILS AND MAKE SURE TO WEAR MY FALL ARREST GEAR...
*Hey jb; I made a couple of these myself with a slight twist- I used 2X4's laid wide side down (for a total finished plank thickness of 2 1/2"), put OSI const. glue `till oozing out, laid 1/2" OSB over the frame, then arched it and 1 5/8" drywall screws every 6" staggered along the perimeter. The bottom side I flipped over and used the same method, only I cut out the center (hollow) of the bottom OSB panel to reduce weight and give something to hold on to. I let them set up for 2 days before I tested them. The strength is unbelievable, Im 210lbs, and these things dont budge. Although you were right, I will never use these higher than 3' with fall lanyard, full hand rail and DOT approved padded helmet. better yet, I think I should throw these planks on the burn pile. Anyhow thanks for the inspiration.
*How long are your's, Tom?
*jb- I have a 14' by 16" and I made 3 24" by 8' planks for some older 7' by 5' scaffolding. I bought some 1 1/2" EMT conduit clamps to secure them to the scaffold.
*tom... and the stilts are for ?
*well, that definately looks lighter than mine and with the 2xs turned flat, would take less room in the old van too...you say they don't flex at all?('scuse me Mike, didn't mean to butt in there, nice to see you again)
*No, I was on the 14' one today, with only supports at 1ft in from each end (12ft span), with a helper and some tools, it might have came down 1" from the camber but it was pretty solid w/no sign of stress on the plank. I was thinking (after the fact), maybe plywood is lighter than osb? I bet 3/8ths" would have sufficed on the shorter ones, but it might be pushing it on a longer plank, heres a side & bottom shot of the 24" X 8' in the corner of house. The stilts (didnt think anyone would notice) are one of many toys strewn about the site when we arrive each morning. I'd like to start filling the dumpster up with their bratty-butt crap.
*I didn't do this. Used 2-16ga 3-5/8" metal studs 14 ft long and applied 1/2" ply to one side only. Wood blocks every 2ft. Very lite and rigid. Little bounce. For more pc. of mind, I woulda shoulda used metal joists. But necessity is the mother. For not doing it, it probably worked well only 3FEET OFF THE SOFT GROUND WITH ALL SORTS OF GUARD RAILS, BELTS ETC. However, the 24" alum. pick is the thing for all day with complete confidence. A little goofy when you work with another and you stay out of step.
*calvin.. i no wat u mean... my buddy has the 24 foot pics like yurs... bouncy... bouncy...the ones that alum-a-pole sells cost more but its like workin on a sidewalk...even with four guys and their gear and material...hey.. on those home made planks... have u thot of some destructive testing... like settin them on two 6x6 and loading them until they deflect or fail ?you no? like with four 100 pound bags of cement or five 80 pound bags of quickcrete ?i'd like to know what the limits are before i started trusting themb but hey, whadda i no ?
*Mike, this weekend, Im gonna drive a D8 across mine.
*Yeah, but don't actually use these planks, Mike. We just think they are handy around the house washing windows and stuff. But that's a real good suggestion and when I get time to build my 16 footer, I just might build 2, and test one. I'll let you know.
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I am gettin' real tired of wrestlin' with those old 3 X 14s I've been usin' for scaffold planks for 15 years so today I left the job early enough to stop at the scaffold company to see what they had in aluminum planks. Whoooeee, those 20" wide aluminum planks are sweet. Even the 14" are really nice, but they seem a little narrow. Anyone have any advice on what type of planks are best for working on all day? Any downside to those aluminum planks? Do they get hot in the sun maybe? Thanks - Jim