Has anyone put an I beam hoist in their shop? How was the I beam supported?
Has anyone put an I beam hoist in their shop? How was the I beam supported?
It may not be what you are looking for, but I have a stowing I-beam hoist for lifting stuff to my second story shop.
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To be effective, it really needs to be able to travel on 2 axes. I had to shift some heavy equipment around my shop, so I built a mobile gantry. It scared me a bit when I lifted some of the equipment off the pallet, but it did the job. Unless you have a particular need for a dedicated hoist, maybe a mobile system would be adequate.
Alan's hoist looks as impressive as his dust collection system - is there no end to his inventiveness?
I have an I-beam between my old garage and the new addition. It is mounted on top of 4x6 posts with lag bolts. It spans a 10' opening in the wall and holds up the roof trusses. It was sized to hold the roof loads plus a 3500# point load. I have a one ton hoist on a trolley. It makes it nice for pulling engines (my other hobby) and lifting machinery out of my pickup.
One of the best things I have added to my shop!
Alan,
that's a modern version of an old barn hoist. I lived on my grandfather's farm as a child and we farmed it for two years. We put up loose hay using a mixture of grandfather's old wagons and modern tractors and cutter bars. The loose hay came up to the barn on a wagon and was lifted, by hand with ropes, pulleys, and a large fork attached to the hoist on a track that ran from the door to the other side of the barn.
If I ever build the shop I want, I think some form of what you have would be ideal for the second floor.
John
Alan I just saw your shop featured in the new fine woodworking magazine! Including the hoist. Great job!! And excellent shop and use of upstairs space.
That's pretty awesome, Alan. Makes my simple hoist look like a joke.
Nice work. Sure must beat carrying up stairs.