'Got it done, even though the body is weak!

[lloydsp]

Being 73 makes physical work harder.  I had to move five 124 lb (56.25Kg) sheets of goods from a pallet in the barn 'main' bay into the storage rack in the router bay.

I got it done, with no death or serious injuries.  But MAN, I would love not to have to move heavy stuff like that!

Maybe I need more time on the weight bench and muscle 'cycle.  I haven't done but ONE of these in the last two years, and it was miserable.  Done, but not happily!

Lloyd

[airnocker]

Being 73 makes physical work harder.  I had to move five 124 lb (56.25Kg) sheets of goods from a pallet in the barn 'main' bay into the storage rack in the router bay.

I got it done, with no death or serious injuries.  But MAN, I would love not to have to move heavy stuff like that!

Maybe I need more time on the weight bench and muscle 'cycle.  I haven't done but ONE of these in the last two years, and it was miserable.  Done, but not happily!

Lloyd

We're the same age, and I can't imagine muscling that much weight unless it is on a low friction skid, without something on me "popping" or letting go.  Nice going, Lloyd!

[lloydsp]

'Knocker,
 
I have a rolling transport cart that transfers one sheet from table-to-stack, or stack-to-table.  But the pallets won't fit in the router shop door, so we have to park them outside the door, and carry them by hand - one at a time - with a sheet-lift-bar (similar to a drywall hand carrier), until we get them fully inside the router bay.

Once we get them on the cart... no problems.  It's just getting them IN there that is the chore.  The clearances demand that the path from pallet to the cart be uphill (slightly -- about 5") and about 12-15 feet from pallet to cart.

Lloyd

[Bubba]

Lloyd, Frankly I'm surprised that you still working or maintaining heavy work load at this age. Myself, just turned 73 and happily retired in 2009. Get some help please.
Glad you got it done without hurting yourself.

[airnocker]

'Knocker,
 
I have a rolling transport cart that transfers one sheet from table-to-stack, or stack-to-table.  But the pallets won't fit in the router shop door, so we have to park them outside the door, and carry them by hand - one at a time - with a sheet-lift-bar (similar to a drywall hand carrier), until we get them fully inside the router bay.

Once we get them on the cart... no problems.  It's just getting them IN there that is the chore.  The clearances demand that the path from pallet to the cart be uphill (slightly -- about 5") and about 12-15 feet from pallet to cart.

Lloyd

Oh, so there was a "we"? 

[lloydsp]

Well, the 'we' refers to me and my son, who MAY help, occasionally.  Not today.  So, today, the 'we' was our company, with me doing all the work! <grin> But heck... it got done with no real pains, and no injuries.  So, I cannot complain, huh?

Lloyd

[onekk]

Probably if the work is so heavy, a larger door sould be helpful.
 

Regards

Carlo D.

[Garyhlucas]

Lloyd,
How about skateboard wheels on the bottom of the sheet lifter? Even with two people I find moving sheetrock difficult because it is hard to grasp. Redoing a wall right now.

[airnocker]

Great idea, or how about those motorized kick scooters?

[lloydsp]

You misunderstood.  My sheet lifter/tilt-table has wonderful casters on it and rolls easily all over the router bay.

The problem is simply getting sheets of goods from the truck's delivery pallet onto the sheet lifter.  Regardless of whether or not I could place the pallet inside the shop (no room for that, anyway), I'd still have to lift the sheets from the pallet onto the tilt-table's cleats.  Once on there, it's a 'lark' to roll it to the storage rack, and deposit a sheet on the rack.

This is a logistics problem, not an equipment problem.  The router bay just is NOT large-enough to permit pushing-in a 4x8 pallet of goods, even if I built a larger door.  I have two 4'x8' CNC bed routers in there (along with barely-sufficient clearance around both to do work), plus two bandsaws, a grinder table, two storage racks for different raw materials, and lots of shelves for equipment, parts, and etc.  There's just no room in there for a pallet, lying flat.  All my sheet storage racks hold the material vertically to minimize the floor area they use.  The tilt table will deliver material either horizontally or vertically.  It's designed to pick up goods from the vertical storage racks, and place them horizontally on the routers.

Lloyd

[chuckeroo]

Hey LLoyd haven't talked in a while. I know what you mean about real estate be at a premium. I to work in cramped space. 2 car garage filled with a 4x4 mill, table saw with a 48" fence hung on it,benches .storage for wood, compound miter slider,15" planer Drum sander and various other items being stored in the wood shop. That's enough. God forbid you fart in there you would kill yourself coughing. Seriously considering moving the whole shooting match into something bigger. Yea that'll be a party all by myself. I'm 64 so I can feel your pain. I guess it comes down how bad you wanna make it happen.

[lloydsp]

Well, I won't always be able to do this.  So, I'm saving money for some heavy metal, and I'm in the process of thinking-out a tool to get sheets from a pallet in the center bay of the barn into the router bay, and onto the roller cart.

It shouldn't be all that hard to engineer such a device.  I'm thinking that since the sheets are strapped to the pallet as delivered, while they're still strapped-on might be a good time to turn the whole affair on-edge, so all that my tool has to do is lift a sheet and swing it in the door.

Lloyd

[Bob La Londe]

They make rolling carts the carry sheet goods on edge.  Make something that does that and tilts.  Combination cart and drywall lift.

Heck, maybe just a heavy duty version of a drywall lift.

[lloydsp]

Bob,
What you suggest is exactly what I already built, eight years ago.  It will accept a sheet on-edge, hold it in place with 'slide clips', transport it to one of the routers, then tip over to the horizontal position to slide the sheet onto the router bay.  It rolls easily on the concrete floor of my router bay.

That isn't the problem.  The goods are delivered to the dirt floor center bay of my barn OUTSIDE the router bay.  I must get them (remember 124lb each) from the center bay, through a 'walk door', and onto the roller cart.  Once on the cart, they pose no problem at all.  Eight years ago, I was strong enough to do this with a simple hand-held 'sheet lifter', like used for drywall.  Now, I'm not that strong.

I'm working up the details of a sort of 'boom lift' that will turn the whole (still strapped) pallet on-edge, then cherry-pick one sheet at a time, and deliver it just far enough inside the walk door to get it on my roller cart.

Lloyd

[Bob La Londe]

Make one with pnuematic tires.