On Sep 29, 6:41*am, Mike rock wrote:
On Sep 29, 1:29*am, RicodJour wrote:
On Sep 28, 8:43*pm, Mikepier wrote:

I have an ongoing project in my basement and was considering framing
out my HVAC ductwork. I was considering using furring hat channels
like this.http://www.phillipsmfg.com/images/pr...chan/78DWC.jpg

The furring strip is only 7/8" thick. My main concern was fastening
these directly to the ductwork using small "zip" screws. Are there any
drawbacks drilling into the ductwork? Are these furring channels a
good idea? I figured it would be a lot easier framing than using wood
for framing.

Check out the USG web site for their online drywall manual. *It will
give you a lot of ideas.

I just checked out the USG Gypsum manual and it did not seem to cover
the method I mentioned. It was covered in earlier editions of the
manual - I haven't checked it out in years. Nevertheless, hanging the
soffit using the drywall is a good technique.

The standard way is to screw some angle or track to the ceiling and
hang vertical pieces of 1 5/8" steel stud from it. *The bottom can be
finished with either angle or track. *If the span is not too great,
you might not need any horizontal framing under the duct at all - the
drywall will span 24" with 5/8" board.

It is also possible to just use angle/track at the ceiling and hang
the drywall with no "studs" with some more angle to attach the drywall
under the duct. *You should allow a bit of room so the framing won't
contact the duct so it doesn't pick up the duct vibration and turn the
soffit into a drum.

Thanks for the info.

You suggested hanging track from the ceiling with no studs, just
attach drywall. Does that mean the drywall holds up the entire
structure with just sheetrock screws?

Yep. Seems odd, but it is a suggested construction.

http://books.google.com/books?id=k9-...age&q=&f=false
The picture shows the fully framed method of building a soffit, but
the text describes what I mentioned.

Only caveat - if the soffit might be subject to abuse, I'd frame it as
it would be stiffer and less likely to get damaged, but those aren't
really major concerns in most instances.

R