Show me your Sheet-goods lifter/mover

[Larry Browning]

Reading this thread I think it is a perfect time to consider a track saw or at least a guided circular saw. No reason to sling around an 85lb piece of MDF, lay it down on a piece of pink insulation and cut it to size.

So do you just lay the piece of insulation on the floor? If not you have to lift it onto a table.

[Larry Browning]

Here is my sheet goods lifter/ mover to the right of the new jointer she helped unload and assemble. I don't think you'll find any plans on the internet to copy her from!
Attachment 220006

I have a similar version, but mine is a bit older model. I used mine yesterday to lift and move a couple of sheets of plywood. However, I sometimes have trouble finding mine when I need it. I swear, it just runs and hides when I need it the most.

[Van Huskey]

So do you just lay the piece of insulation on the floor? If not you have to lift it onto a table.

Exactly, just put the insulation on the floor, 4x8 just like most sheet goods, flop the sheet over on it and go to town. The insulation is there to prevent carbide to concrete contact obviously. You want pink or blue, not the white bead based stuff, it gets everywhere!

[Larry Browning]

Exactly, just put the insulation on the floor, 4x8 just like most sheet goods, flop the sheet over on it and go to town. The insulation is there to prevent carbide to concrete contact obviously. You want pink or blue, not the white bead based stuff, it gets everywhere!

Well, that's not going to happen. I don't do well crawling around on the floor. Years ago, I didn't have a table or even saw horses and that's exactly what I did. I hated it then and I won't do it now.
I have a cutting table made from 2x4s mounted to folding table legs. It is about time to rebuild the 2x4 frame and I think I want to add some sort of lifting helper into that table. I kinda like the idea of a couple of hinged boards attached to the under side of the table.

[Brian Tymchak]

Just noticed last night that the latest issue of FWW Tools and Shops (issue #223) has plans for a sheet cart that tilts the sheet up to flat. The articile shows it being used as and infeed table as well. They call it a Pivoting Plywood Cart.

[Larry Browning]

Just noticed last night that the latest issue of FWW Tools and Shops (issue #223) has plans for a sheet cart that tilts the sheet up to flat. The articile shows it being used as and infeed table as well. They call it a Pivoting Plywood Cart.

That looks pretty good (from what I could see) I need to have a membership to view it. It certainly looks sturdier than the one in Wood.

[Jerome Hanby]

That looks pretty good (from what I could see) I need to have a membership to view it. It certainly looks sturdier than the one in Wood.

I have no love for FWW as a magazine. Unless it showed up as one of those $7.00 Tanga deals, I'd never subscribe. But I think the web membership is worthwhile. If you subscribe, I suggest that you save every PDF you ever view, I have a specific folder full of fww_name_of_the_article.pdf files. I'm not sure if sometimes their search engine "looses" articles or if they don't always keep everything online, but I've gone back to look at an article again and not been able to find it.

Another nice membership feature, you get to view the current issue. On average, I save about one article per issue (and that's rounding up), further reason for me not to subscribe to the paper version.

[Dave Sepucha]

Without knowing how you work and the sorts of projects you work on...

I really like using a track saw to break down sheet goods to manageable pieces. I work on saw horses and still have to move the sheets quite a bit. You've made it clear that you don't want to cut the sheets on the floor. How about a compromise.... Build a cutting table with low saw horses that are the same height (or a little lower) than the height of your truck. You could slide the sheets out of the truck and onto the table and cut them right away. A tabletop of foam or soft ply will reduce tear out. This table would be at a bit of an odd working height, but I think it would be manageable unless your truck is very low. If you went this route, you'd never have to lift or move a full sheet, other than when it's slid out of the truck. The good thing with this is that you get to buy a track say, assuming you don't already have one. Am I off my rocker??

[Jerome Hanby]

I did something similar using 2x4's and some banquet table legs. Folds flat when I don't need it. sits about the right height for me to slide sheets off my truck and onto the table. As long as it's not raining, the lumber yard is open, and I have time and daylight enough to break material down s soon as I get it home, it works real well <g>.

Without knowing how you work ant the sorts of projects you work on...

I really like using a track saw to break down sheet goods to manageable pieces. I work on saw horses and still have to move the sheets quite a bit. You've made it clear that you don't want to cut the sheets on the floor. How about a compromise.... Build a cutting table with low saw horses that are the same height (or a little lower than the height of your truck). You could slide the sheets out of the truck and onto the table and cut them right away. A tabletop of foam or soft ply will reduce tear out. This table would be at a bit of an odd working height, but I think it would be manageable unless your truck is very low. If you went this route, you'd never have to lift or move a full sheet, other than when it's slid out of the truck. The good thing with this is that you get to buy a track say, assuming you don't already have one. Am I off my rocker??

[Larry Browning]

In reference to unloading from the truck bed. I have a small deck whch serves as sort of a loading dock at my shop door. I can back the truck up to it and lower the tailgate to where the tailgate is only an inch or 2 above deck. The deck is at the same level as the shop floor. So unloading from the truck is just a matter of sliding the panel out of the truck and into the shop. It would be nice to be able to just slide it out of the truck an onto a cart or dolly so that I could move it easily around the shop to storage or to the cutting table and then lift it onto the table.
I have made my own cutting guides from hardboard and a straight strip of plywood. This has worked adequately for me. I have never considered a track saw or even a store bought guide system. They have always seemed too expensive, when what I have seems to work fine for me. I guess I just don't know any better.

[David Kumm]

I did something similar using 2x4's and some banquet table legs. Folds flat when I don't need it. sits about the right height for me to slide sheets off my truck and onto the table. As long as it's not raining, the lumber yard is open, and I have time and daylight enough to break material down s soon as I get it home, it works real well <g>.

I've never been organized enough to buy haul and cut plywood all at once so a moveable, tilting hydraulic cart is the only thing I've found that allows me to unload, store, move, restore, cut, change my mind, restore. Dave

[Van Huskey]

I have made my own cutting guides from hardboard and a straight strip of plywood. This has worked adequately for me. I have never considered a track saw or even a store bought guide system. They have always seemed too expensive, when what I have seems to work fine for me. I guess I just don't know any better.

Just be aware a tracksaw can provide final cut accuracy and quality, if anything it will be better than what you can do unless you have a slider for a table saw. If you really want to reduce your sheetgood "work" some variation of the tracksaw will probably be your best bet.

[Larry Browning]

Just be aware a tracksaw can provide final cut accuracy and quality, if anything it will be better than what you can do unless you have a slider for a table saw. If you really want to reduce your sheetgood "work" some variation of the tracksaw will probably be your best bet.

Yeah, maybe so, almost every project I make usually starts out with some sort of sheet good. I know nothing about the tracksaw thing, maybe I should start some research. But, even with some sort of track saw option, I still will need to move around the sheet goods. There has been a few good options presented here. More? I may have to subscribe to FWW online to get that one plan. I like the cart with big wheels idea. That would allow me to navigate over the shop door threshold easier.

[Dan Rude]

This is pretty timely; Wood magazine has one in the latest issue I received in the mail yesterday. It is both a moving dolly and a lift up device; it also folds flat for storage. I currently use a 2'X4' web table for my cutting; it has the folding banquet legs on the bottom. It works well but is a bit heavy to move around, I’m thinking of making one out of plywood like this one http://www.workbenchmagazine.com/mai...0-table01.html
I am also thinking of Tom C’s cutting table because it takes up a lot less space here’s the link: http://www.garymkatz.com/chartsdrawi...mbly-table.htm
Hope this helps you out, there is also a great link here at the Creek: http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...64#post1516764

Dan

[Jerome Hanby]

I warped the crap out of my cutting table this past weekend dropping a sheet of plywood on to it. Don't think those banquet table legs are intended to take that kind of stress and my leaving the table set up outside in teh weather hasn't helped it any wither. think when I rebuild it I'm going to use these legs from Woodcraft. I think they will hold up much better. To be honest, I can't complain about my current setup, it's been used and abused hard over the last several years and just lately gave me any kind of problem.