Sheet good handling

[dmccririe]

As I get older and weaker and my back is less tolerant, I'm looking for ways to handle sheet goods without the clean and jerk.  I almost exclusively work alone, and I see a variety of carts and racks that allow you to go from vertical to horizontal to load the sheet goods onto sawhorses or table saws or whatever.  What are your experiences, pros and cons, good and bad, etc. I really don't want to build one because I have too many other projects pending.  Thanks in Advance!

Dale

 

[tjbnwi]

http://www.thecrazyhorsedolly.com

Tom

 

[Wooden Skye]

The first question is how you are getting sheet goods home.  If you are using a truck, slide them right off the bed onto saw horses to break down into more manageable sizes.  If being delivered most likely they are taking off with forklift, I would have him place on saw horses.  There was also a panel lift that bolted to table saw and then could be swung up. 

 

[hdv]

I think Wooden Skye might hint at this Gorilla's Leg Up (seehttps://www.gorillagripper.com/leg-up.html).

Another option (albeit Festool-like expensive!) is the FAT 300 S height adjustable working table from Felder (seehttps://www.felder-group.com/fg-en/products/workshop-equipment/work-table-fat-300-s.html) in combination with their panel tilting device (see the accessories section on the same page). I have had my eye on them for a while now. Need to save up first though... ;-)

 

[RDMuller]

I have had the Crazy Horse since mid February.  Love it.

Search for a post I started late last year on this website

 

[waho6o9]

View attachment 1

Dimension the sheet goods right off the truck as mentioned above.

I use a WalkoIV on Stanley horses and it works well, using a TS75 and a several clamps I can cut 3 sheets at a time.

Festool rocks.

 

[dmccririe]

[member=14478]Wooden Skye[/member]:  I transport the sheet goods home in my pickup but I have help loading them in and out.  When I'm in my shop, I don't typically have help and I also am cramped for space.  I have seen the crazy horse and ultimately, that may be the way I go but it will not work as well given the configuration of my shop.    Again, just looking for others ideas, experiences so I can explore what will work best for me.
Dale

 

[tomp]

I have a knock-down grid that I made to sit on top of a pair of sawhorses. The combined height lets me slide a sheet of plywood off the back of my truck onto the grid with minimal handling. Mostly break down the sheets using a Eurekazone UEG first to rip to width and then cross-cut to length on the MFT. If there will be large panels - e.g. base cabinet ends, I use the UEG and then a track with the TRO square to cut final size without lifting anything off the grid.
View attachment 2
View attachment 3
View attachment 4
View attachment 1

The grid breaks down for storage and, as an added plus, can be used as an assembly table.
View attachment 5

 

[waho6o9]

Good job on an excellent grid tomp!

 

[3PedalMINI]

im thinking about picking this uphttps://www.rockler.com/rockler-mat...MIurO805mB3QIVFVYNCh0SMApTEAQYASABEgKz3PD_BwE

Im 29 but still have a hard time dealing with the sheet goods. I just got a powermatic PM2000 saw and was thinking about this same thing. I actually think what im going todo is to get the rockler piece and modify it to use a "knockdown grid" like posted above. Slide them out of my truck and onto that then use the TS55 to break it down into more manageable pieces.

 

[MikeDVB]

The CrazyHorse looks awesome.

My biggest issue was taking the plywood from leaning against the wall to up and on top of my saw horses - without knocking the saw horses over.  If the horses were stuck the the floor / more sturdy it wouldn't be an issue.

That said I planned on building a grid like [member=65072]tomp[/member]'s and just laying it on the floor rather than on top of saw horses - which will make dropping the plywood onto it much easier.

 

[lunchman]

I've got one of these Bora Portamate carriers -
https://www.amazon.com/Portamate-PM-1800-Carrier-Allows-Person/dp/B01AWI8ILW

The verdict: Meh.

It performs as intended, but at times can be a bit unwieldy when loading. The leg needs to be folded out and if you don't quite get the plywood centered when first loading, the unit can get tippy.  It's also necessary to set the height prior to loading as doing so afterwards is difficult.

Once loaded though, it does make it easy to move sheets around. I've loaded 3/4 ply on it with no weight issues. When I was breaking down sheet goods on foam on my workbench it was quite useful to get it at the right height. Now that I use a lower track saw cutting station on saw horses it's easier to manage the sheets without it.

 

[ChuckM]

I have had no experience with the Bora panel carrier. Did you see the improvement measures suggested by the reviewer J. Kinney (May 21, 2017)?

 

[MikeDVB]

I have had no experience with the Bora panel carrier. Did you see the improvement measures suggested by the reviewer J. Kinney (May 21, 2017)?

Have a link?

I'm looking at getting something myself to help me manage 3/4" sheet goods myself.  The GF doesn't mind helping but she's tiny and 3/4" hardwood ply is heavy .

 

[ChuckM]

Snip.
m thinking about picking this uphttps://www.rockler.com/rockler-mat...MIurO805mB3QIVFVYNCh0SMApTEAQYASABEgKz3PD_BwE

The Rockler cart looks solid. Unfortunately, my shop won't have room for it, unlike the Bora panel carrier that can lead on a wall.

 

[MikeDVB]

The Rockler cart looks solid. Unfortunately, my shop won't have room for it, unlike the Bora panel carrier that can lead on a wall.

That's one of my issues too - I'm running out of places to store things.  I'm turning to the ceiling soon.  Pulleys and rope .

 

[ChuckM]

I have had no experience with the Bora panel carrier. Did you see the improvement measures suggested by the reviewer J. Kinney (May 21, 2017)?

Have a link?

I'm looking at getting something myself to help me manage 3/4" sheet goods myself.  The GF doesn't mind helping but she's tiny and 3/4" hardwood ply is heavy .

https://www.amazon.com/Portamate-PM-1800-Carrier-Allows-Person/dp/B01AWI8ILW#customerReviews

The first comment with photos, too.

 

[lunchman]

Yeah, I came across that review with the user mods to the Bora Portamate just this morning, will have to look into it.

I hope I didn't give the impression of a thumbs down, buy something else. The cart is useful, it's reasonably priced, will easily carry a 3/4" 4x8 sheet of ply and it does store in a compact footprint. Perhaps the mods made by that reviewer will help with some of the issues I've run into.

I'm in my 60s so wielding sheets of ply out of my truck bed isn't as easy as it once was. I think my initial intent was to set the unit up in its horizontal position to attempt sliding the sheet out onto it, which wasn't overly successful.

-Dom

 

[sprior]

Not being a pro I've got a few extra challenges in material handling.  My shop is in my basement accessed via a bulkhead door/steps (at the other end of the house from my driveway), so the first challenge is to get the plywood from the garage to the top of the bulkhead steps.  Next is getting it down the steps and onto my wood rack.  Then when I want to use it get it from the rack to the next room up onto my big work table where I use the TS55 to part it.

So in addition to the products mentioned above, someday when it becomes harder for my wife and I to manage the plywood I'll have to come up with a solution for the bulkhead steps - I've been imagining a track down the side of the steps and a small carriage that rides the track with a winch to raise/lower the carriage.  The plywood might need to go down at an angle to clear the doorway, so possibly a second removable track might be needed.

 

[Michael Kellough]

Not being a pro I've got a few extra challenges in material handling.  My shop is in my basement accessed via a bulkhead door/steps (at the other end of the house from my driveway), so the first challenge is to get the plywood from the garage to the top of the bulkhead steps.  Next is getting it down the steps and onto my wood rack.  Then when I want to use it get it from the rack to the next room up onto my big work table where I use the TS55 to part it.

So in addition to the products mentioned above, someday when it becomes harder for my wife and I to manage the plywood I'll have to come up with a solution for the bulkhead steps - I've been imagining a track down the side of the steps and a small carriage that rides the track with a winch to raise/lower the carriage.  The plywood might need to go down at an angle to clear the doorway, so possibly a second removable track might be needed.

You just need to alter the workflow so it’s “parted”, or at least rough parted, in the garage.