I didn't see a topic on this anywhere. I'm looking to build a set for an upcoming film and wanted to see what you guys had to offer me in tips and links to people who have done it or HOW to do it! I think this will be a good topic for everyone that wants to tinker in making there own set.

What sort of set are you looking to build?

I suspect, in most cases, a general framing/construction book would prove of use.

Shaw's got the right idea... you don't want to try building a set without knowing a little something about framing - just to keep the risk of injury, destruction, chaos, mayhem, and ultimate lawsuits to a minimum.

As one of the few community theater actors who knows how to handle powertools, I've done my share of set construction. Here's a valuable tip - use lightweight materials whenever possible.

If you're building walls, your best bet is to use 2x4's for the frame and luan sheets. To keep things easy, we generally make the frames no wider than 48" - it makes it easy to tack them together for a finished wall without needing 4 stout guys to move!

Put a base coat of primer on the luan then paint to color. These "flats" will store well and can be used over and over.

Hope that helps somewhat...

Use screws instead of nails and don't scrimp, use the good ones. Screws are really easy to 'back out' and you can re-use, re-configure your sets much more easily.