CONTACT JOHN KAES 561+309%%9290

Please visit my curent web site at projectdraftingdesign.com

[The link bar feature is not available in this web]

Have designed 10 turntables, endless, hydraulic, portable, dc driven.

   Have designed 30 hoists,  stage winch,  deck winch.

 Have designed 9 elevators, pneumatic, chain, cable and hydraulic.

Have designed 10 scenic treadmills.

Have project managed numerous special mechanical effects.

Scenery consultant.

prg, scenic technology, and  feller precision have used my designs.  scenery, and automation a specialty.  The best in theater equipment in the palm beaches.  Need deck winches?  Track systems?  Please contact me.   PRG  production resource group was an out growth of the old fellers scenery studio,  PRG Is a overall mamagment company, scenic technology is ther scen shop in NY.  PRG  is one of the largest in the us.   prg Iowned by Jere Harris and Fred Gallo anung others.  PRG seems to be a holding conmpany for a number of other shops.  Scenic technology was origionally fred fellers shop. Have worked for See Factor, Feller Precision, Scenic technology,  support the palm beach theater guild and the royal poinciana playhouse, summer stock at the cape cod melody tent, head electrician for a number of tours,    enjoy theater and scenery.  scenic services at any level..  PRG started with fred gallo and jere harris (and some others) and prg has become the biggest international theater scenic company.  When it started it bought out several marginal comnpanies that the owners needed to partially cash out.  PTG let the owners operate their companies after the infusion of cash.  Hudson scenic built the body of the car shown above.

When we look at the history of elevators in the theater we see machinery like the radio city music hall water hydraulic lift to the present day spiral lift, lock chain, ball screw,, cable and oil hydraulic.

Spiral lifts are a design like a slinky where a spring is extended and supported by a second flat spring.

Lock chain is a chain that only bends in one direction and is guided by a vertical support. Ball screw elevators are post like ball screws that rotate and screw the platform up. Cable elevators have a cable at each corner of the platform and are basic hoists. Hydraulic lifts are single cylinder, often seen in standard elevators or multiple cylinders which are often synchronized by a gear rack on each cylinder and a tube with pinions connecting the cylinders. Some of the newer hydraulic systems have servo valves and position sensing on the cylinders. Some of the more production oriented lifts have been the Cats elevator which launches an actor by releasing counterweight, or in one show where an actor was lifted by a pneumatic cable cylinder.

For high speed and high loads hydraulics are often preferred and maintenance can be minimal.but they often  consist of additional construction expense as pits are formed in the slab for the cylinders and the components are quite expensive.

For cost the other systems compare more favorably.

Cable elevators may need secondary locks because of stretch in the cable but can be the least expensive-normally used in a production but not normally a permanent installation.

Most elevators have over travel limits, normal limits, tape switch, and emergency stops.

Often elevators are single speed and fairly slow.