So BCITO (who im doing my apprenticeship through) have changed the way in which they assess you. With majority of the work now done online. I thought to make it easier i will use this blog to pretty much submit my work! This way you guys can see what ive been doing AND maybe learn something too. Plus there website is very limiting, so this way i can share exactly what i need to so i can show how much i understand. I will start with a few images, followed by a detailed explanation. 

Ceiling Framing: The two most commonly used framing options are Rondo or timber ceiling batten. I will comment about Rondo below. 

When setting up the heights of which your ceiling framing is to be set, we usually take the overall height of the wall (floor to top of top plate) We then think about how the walls will be lined (x2 1200mm sheets fixed horizontally with x1 layer of 13mm GIB for the ceilings, this information can usually be found in the plans) So we have 1200 + 1200 + 13 + 10 (the 10 is for ease of installation of wall sheets) = 2423. Instead of using an awkward number, we round this to 2425. 

Rondo: Using a line laser (or rotary) we set it to 2425 off the floor, before then going around each room and marking most corners and if its a long wall, a few points in between. Sometimes 2425 actually hits a nog line so its best to drop the laser 100mm and use a ruler to measure back up, this also means less needing to move the laser between rooms. 

Once all points are marked we use Rondo "C" Channel and fix it every 600mm using GIB wafer head screws around the perimeter of the room (tin snips cut this well), with the bottom of the channel flush with our marked points. Sometimes the screws can be hard to fit, so pre punching with a nailpunch and hammer can work well. 

After all perimeters are complete, look at the orientation of the trusses, measure the longest wall which is Parallel to the direction of the trusses. Divide this by two, and mark the centre of the room. From the centre point measure 300mm from either side of this, then measure 600mm thereafter. This will ensure the spacing is correct to ensure the Rondo battens don't get in the way for downlights. Complete this on both sides of the room, these are the centre of each Rondo batten. I like to then measure across the floor in the directions the battens will go, and remove 20mm of this (for ease of installation). 

I use a grinder to cut my battens to length. Slide each batten into the ends of the channel, ensuring each end lines up with the marks on both ends, keeping them straight. Where each batten intersects a truss, install a Rondo clip and loosly nail this with a product nail so it can still be moved up and down. Rondo rails can not span more than 1200mm so if you're trusses are less than 900mm apart for any reason, you may not need to include a clip on each intersection, but majority of the time, this isn't the case. 

Once all clips are fitted and all the ends line up, i like to turn my laser back on again set at 100mm below the desired height (2425mm) using my ruler or a laser card, push each clip point up until its at the correct height and hammer in the product nail, once all clips are set to height (or do this after setting each clip) i will go back and add two more product nails to each clip in the provided holes. 

Rondo is now complete!

I will update this later to include Diaphragm ceilings