hello to all again, i am looking for a good way to move a sheet of plywood myself from my wood storage building to my shop across 30 feet of grass. needs to have good wheels & may be used in the winter time across a snowblown path. my back is showing its age i quess! thanx in advance!
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In my opinion the Panelmate is the best sheetgoods cart there is. I'm not saying to buy one but the design is simple and sound and could be made out of wood instead of metal. Bigger wheels would be for rougher terrain.
http://www.panelmatehandling.com/html/pa4.html
Edited 4/18/2007 12:08 pm ET by RickL
How about something like this?
http://tinyurl.com/28fl9l
I would get a pair of 10" wheels, and fashion a holder between the wheels, so they could be used for either the front or back edge of the ply sheet.
The troll is light enough that you could use it to pick up one end of the ply sheet when the wheels won't work.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Do what I do -- get yer wife to carry if for you!
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Mike, I get my mother in law to move it. She has to earn her keep.
Lou
Only kidden, she's a good lady
The Popular Woodworking website has in their plans link a plan for a simple panel cart.
You might try the "gorilla gripper".
http://www.gorillagripper.com/
Assuming the plywood is already standing on edge, lift one end and put a 2X4 scrap under it so you can access the bottome center.
Assuming you are right-handed:
Stand with your right elbow against the plywood. With your hands relaxed, they should be oriented with the palms toward your body and thumbs forward.
Now turn your right hand CCW, so the thumb rotates in toward your body until the palm faces out.
Bend your knees and place your right hand under the sheet in the middle in this same position. Place your left hand on the top edge of the sheet.
Now straighten your legs and balance the sheet on your right hand, controlling it with your left.
As long as you don't turn your hand in the wrong direction, you can carry plywood all day this way. If you turn your hand out clockwise, you can injure a ligament.
There is a knack to this which is easy to learn. You won't need a cart.
I carry full sheets of P/W like that all of the time also, but your lifting method is not as easy as it should be. Here is how I pick it up without bending my legs, or back.First stand the sheet along its long edge, if it is laying flat.If you are right-handed, place your left hand about 3' from the end along the top. Then with your right hand, grip the end of the panel about half way down the short side. Now I lift it quickly, sort of tossing it up with enough speed to allow shifting the right hand down to the middle of the middle of the bottom edge, while taking a quick lunge step to the left. At this point, the sheet is balanced on one corner, and can be rotated around the balance point to get you pointed in the right direction. Shift the left hand down to just past the middle of the top side, and then rotate the sheet back down so that it is balanced on the right hand. Once you have gotten it to here, you can lean away from the sheet, bringing it over so that your combined weight is centered over your feet. For really heavy sheets like industrial PB, I may lift a little higher initially, and sort of lock my right hand and elbow into my pelvis, and gain some friction on my shoulder, taking a little weight off of the bottom hand.I always try to have my fence set, if I am going to the table-saw, and when I get to the saw, I set one end up on the saw, and one corner down on the floor, still up on edge. At this point, I move the R hand up to the top, to keep it balanced, and turn the saw on with the left, and move to the end.At this point, I grip the top back corner, and let the sheet rotate left along an axis from corner to corner. The sheet is still balanced through this rotation, because there is still as much coming up from the bottom, as there is going down on the top half. Once it is flat, I shift my right hand over to the about the middle of the end, and start the feed over the table saw.
This seems to be essentially a variation of the same method. The important thing is which way you rotate your hand to prevent injury. Done the right way, a small person can lift quite a heavy panel without undue stress.
I seem to recall a shop-built, wheeled panel handling device that someone wrote about in a back issue of FWW. It was pretty slick in that you transported the panel on its edge but could then flip it up horizontally in order to load it onto a tablesaw, for instance. You maybe use the search feature on this site to locate the article if something like that interests you..
Zolton
Zolton,
I think you are talking about Fred Sotcher's Tilt-Top Shop Cart. There is a description and plans at http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/Workshop/WorkshopPDF.aspx?id=2825
Regards, GeorgYou don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing. - Michael Pritchard<!----><!----><!---->
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George,
That's the one. Thanks for finding it. I thought of building one for my own shop, but it's a single-use type fixture that I really don't have room for right now.
However, as I grow older and plywood and MDF seem to get heavier every year, I suspect I'll be making room for some version of it...
In fact, it might be possible to integrate a sheet goods hauler/tilt top table into or onto the hydraulic lift cart I wrote about in FWW a few months back. That's something to think about and work on.
Zolton
I usually just grab the sheet at the top edge with palms facing the floor. I do this if I'm within 50 ' of my destination. It allows me to pick the sheet straight-up vertically and place the bottom edge on the saw and gently lay over. I sometimes will grab the sheet this way and snatch it over my head to carry like a large serving tray with my right hand and balance with my left. This will also allow me to set it down gently. Stuff like MDF or Azek, which weighs like lead, I'll carry in a more conventional way. I give the guys in the shop a heart attack when I do this, I consider it exercise. I will admit that the older I get the heavier the sheets seem to get.
Having had experience on construction sites for most of my youth( I've since smartened-up and moved indoors) taught me the subtle nuances of hauling sheet goods when time is money-don't try this at home.
-Paul
I use the same method when possible.
When lifting a smooth-faced sheet of 3/4" MDF or some of the subfloor sheets that are now out there, this method is not easy for me; nor could I recommend it to everyone.
Hi Jim, Since reading your post,and I have been thiking about a jig that uses a standard hand-cart for a carrier.
Arthritis and carpal-T has made it a bit painful when I need to carry heavy sheet-good. I have been thinking of making something to assist with the heavier stuff, and have come up with a neat solution.
I made a fixture that drops onto the blade of my hand-cart when it is laying on its back. It has a sheet of P/W that extends up about another 12" or so, with a slot 1 3/4" w x 12" long. There is another on the other end, near the handle to keep that end centered.
To use it. I transport and store all of my sheet-goods on edge. I can just slide a sheet out of the trailer, and feed the outboard end into the slot of the fixture. then lifting the other end a little transfers the weight a little closer to the center of balance, so there is almost no weight while rolling it along.
Whenever I get in to the TS, I turn it so that I can set the corner of the end that I have been pushing from next to the fence, where it will stand on edge, while I turn on the saw, and get to the other end.
When I lift it out of the slot, then let it tilt on over flat, I am in position to saw, and have never lifted over half of the weight, nor had to bend my back very far.
If anyone else feels a need for something like this, just let me know, and I will take and post some photos. I am not through tweaking it, but so far, it works great. I just have another simpler version in mind, that will be easier to make, and take less space to store, and can be made from scrap plywood.
Keith, thanks for your reply, i would be interested in seeing a pic of it. thanks again...
I am going to build one like this one that Carol Reed made.
i dont understand what the hook is for or the horizontal bars...
OK here it is.1. In the first image, you can see that the fixture just slides down over the blade of the cart.2 Just stand the sheet on edge, and slide it through the slot, and it is good to go.3. I am heading up a ramp, and down into the shop. I could easily hold it up with one finger. You can tell I am relaxed, since I am not holding my stomach in. Ha4. Well, I am sure that you can get what to do from here. I just turn the saw on, and go to the back end, and lift it up, letting the cart fall, then laying it on down, and start sawing. In retrospect, I think I can simplify the design a lot, and make it easier for anybody cramped for space to store it more easily. Stay tuned.
thats great, i think i can do that same procedure loading the pw onto the saw with my dc-9 i just bought. as usual, this forum is great. by the way, does any one out there belong to the CMA ? i tried it out as a guest & it seemed to be the thing to do... any feedback on that topic?
CMA? If that is for Country Music Association, you are confusing me for my brother Wood Newton. He is the song-writer of the family. lots of people hear his name, and think that we are the same person because his name is my profession! Ha K
Don't know if this helps at all, but somewhere I saw a rather nifty looking shop-build idea - but can't find a picture to send you.
Three pieces of ply, each with a batten across the bottom. Two outer sheets are hinged to the sides of the centre piece. The outer sheets each have a wheel fixed to the opposite side of the battens not too far from the hinged side, and handles at the top.
Stand this up on the wheels and you have a basic trolley by standing sheet wood on the batten - either with wheels in line to carry your sheets of wood lengthways to your shop, or then by swinging the side pieces back to 90 degrees, you have a tip-up trolley to move your sheet up to a work surface. I think the idea was that in the tip-up position, it wouldn't tip up, if you see what I mean. The unit would lean back and self-stand while you lever the edge of your sheet on to it.
I only saw a picture once - haven't made one - don't know how well it works in use, but it did look pretty effective.
Does any of that make any kind of sense? I didn't do well at creative writing classes as a youngster...!
Michael
(also please excuse UK spelling)
http://www.gorillagripper.com.
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