: Also with an internal beam, once you have the forms on, it is

: Sure you can adjust things, and twists are really no problem as long as the
: wood is stable. You simply oversize your cutouts a little to compensate
: for these things.

: As to having to take them all off to get at the center one? What do you need
: to get at it for? Even if your cutout is too small for the final
: alignment, reach in with a Japanese pull saw and 30 seconds later
: everything is A OK.

: Oh, a note about my experience building a box beam out of 1/2 oriented strand
: board to build the 20' Guillemot Double. It was much flimsier than the
: 2x4, cost 3 times as much, took several nights to cut, glue and screw
: together, and when I was done the gosh darned thing had more curves in it
: than by great aunts back (or the worst 2x4 I could find at the local
: lumber yard). I put it to use with a couple of partial forms to hold the
: deck up to the rafters of the garage while I worked on the hull. I also
: had to resize all of my cutouts as I had desinged them for a tight fit as
: I thought a perfectly strait beam (HA HA) would eliminate having to do any
: alignments.

: If money isn't an issue, but being straight and true is, use a steal or
: aluminum beam. What? too difficult to attatch stations? How about
: purchasing a laminated beam. They are very structurally sound and
: dimensionally stable and you can easily screw your stations to it.

: Me? I'm on a budget. A 2x4 is the cheapest route and you can make it work.

: Oh, as someone mentioned, fasten your stands to the floor. (This can also
: affect some of the external systems) One bump with your tow and the past
: two hours of alignment just went down the drain. (or in my case, 10
: hours?) Oh its such a great learning experience!

: Hmmmm. I think I will try an external strongback on the next project. They
: really should make alignment quicker. Oh, I have to build it
: first.....back to the 2x4 and get this puppy rolling.

: Tom
I just pinned the form to the wall and ceiling with 2x2 struts till had a bit of the strips on and the system got very ridged.
Don