Working Alone? Tips to maybe make your things easier.

[peter halle]

For most of the last decade I have made a living as a contractor.  Most of the time I have had to work alone.  Many others here do the same.  My hope is that this thread can become a place to share tips and ideas.  Please share you experiences and knowledge.  Any tip shared might make someone's project easier.

Peter

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Hire someone almost as good as you.  Sit back and keep giving them the thumbs up while sipping your margarita.  [thumbs up]

Just kiddin'.

Here's a book I got many years ago, when I was a wee bit carpenter that was helpful...

Working Alone

 

[peter halle]

To start this off:

In 2009 I had the opportunity to install a lot of crown molding in large rooms by myself.  I work alone and never liked using the third hand type of poles.  Too much risk in furnished and decorated rooms.  I saw a product on This Old House that was used to hold up siding.  I decided to try and use my ultra cheap vacuum pump to replace another set of hands.

I have used a simple block of plastic with foam tape hooked up to the vacuum pump to hold up ends of all sorts of molding.  Today I used it as a ledger to support upper cabinets in a garage while I screwed them to the wall.  I have had this support 150 lbs.  Sorry for the fuzzy images.

[attachimg=#]

Simple block of plastic.

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Supporting an upper.

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My effort to hold up a cabinet.

Hope that helps someone else.

Peter

PS - Ken beat me to it due to my posting issue.  That is a great book!

 

[Ken Nagrod]

Peter,

I like that.  No screwing anything into the wall as a temporary ledger or support

 

[richard.selwyn]

That's better than my system - putting the cabinets on a pile of systainers with different bits of ply as shims!
I too work alone - although I got the neighbour to help me with a 16 ft plank of Oromo the other day.I have an electric winch mounted on the top floor of my shop and a hole that goes right down to the ground floor. That often helps me move things in the shop. A digital measure is great when you're alone. Lots of roller stands...
Regards,
Richard

 

[Tezzer]

I love working by myself and have been doing it that way for the last 7 years, and my best tip would be to make your benches and mobile trolleys the same height as your table saw. it’s a time and bad back saver.

 

[Wim]

I'm a hobby woodworker and I work also alone. I'm by far the only technician in the house.
Last year I had to screw drywall to the ceiling. In Holland we have drywall in 2x8 but in the USA, everything is bigger of course. I made a sort of cradle with hinges. One part was screwed to the beams, I could place a sheet on de cradle and swing it up to the ceiling, align it, clamp it there and fix it to the beams. To me much easier than a third hand pole.

 

[Jonhilgen]

I almost always work alone, and just recently had to install some really large crown molding above some cabinets so I came up with this.

I knoe fastcap makes something for installing crown, but it wouldn't have worked in this instance since there was a gap between the fascia piece and the ceilings

Nice thread Peter,

Jon

 

[Jesse Cloud]

One of these guys is a back saver if you need to move a piece of sheetgoods down the hall.
And you can make it in 5 minutes from scrap and spare parts, [wink]

[attachimg=#1]

 

[peter halle]

Jesse,

Somehow I knew you would have one or more tips!  [thumbs up]

Peter

 

[Vindingo]

That little caster dolly is nifty!

I have always been a fan of designing and building my cabinets with French cleats.  Makes hanging them a breeze. 

 

[lumbajac]

To start this off:

In 2009 I had the opportunity to install a lot of crown molding in large rooms by myself.  I work alone and never liked using the third hand type of poles.  Too much risk in furnished and decorated rooms.  I saw a product on This Old House that was used to hold up siding.  I decided to try and use my ultra cheap vacuum pump to replace another set of hands.

I have used a simple block of plastic with foam tape hooked up to the vacuum pump to hold up ends of all sorts of molding.  Today I used it as a ledger to support upper cabinets in a garage while I screwed them to the wall.  I have had this support 150 lbs.  Sorry for the fuzzy images.

[attachimg=#]

Simple block of plastic.

[attachimg=#]

Supporting an upper.

[attachimg=#]

My effort to hold up a cabinet.

Hope that helps someone else.

Peter

PS - Ken beat me to it due to my posting issue.  That is a great book!

Peter - what does the other side of this block look like?  One hole, two holes, multiple holes for the vacuum?  How thick is the plastic block?  I like this idea... wondering if you could put some kind of spring clamp on it so that the block itself could support a piece of crown or whatever, then the spring clamp could then apply light pressure to hold the piece against the wall.

Thanks,
Corey

 

[mastercabman]

I also work alone.My best tool to use to hang cabinets has to be the T-JAK
I will try to pst some pictures or you can try  tjak.com

 

[peter halle]

To start this off:

In 2009 I had the opportunity to install a lot of crown molding in large rooms by myself.  I work alone and never liked using the third hand type of poles.  Too much risk in furnished and decorated rooms.  I saw a product on This Old House that was used to hold up siding.  I decided to try and use my ultra cheap vacuum pump to replace another set of hands.

I have used a simple block of plastic with foam tape hooked up to the vacuum pump to hold up ends of all sorts of molding.  Today I used it as a ledger to support upper cabinets in a garage while I screwed them to the wall.  I have had this support 150 lbs.  Sorry for the fuzzy images.

[attachimg=#]

Simple block of plastic.

[attachimg=#]

Supporting an upper.

[attachimg=#]

My effort to hold up a cabinet.

Hope that helps someone else.

Peter

PS - Ken beat me to it due to my posting issue.  That is a great book!

Peter - what does the other side of this block look like?  One hole, two holes, multiple holes for the vacuum?  How thick is the plastic block?  I like this idea... wondering if you could put some kind of spring clamp on it so that the block itself could support a piece of crown or whatever, then the spring clamp could then apply light pressure to hold the piece against the wall.

Thanks,
Corey

Corey,

I am not not trying to promote these videos.  They are done before the polish we have seen here.  My post yesterday was just because I used my clamp for the first time for holding a cabinet since I posted these.

Here is one of the vacuum clamping videos that will answer some of your questions:  Just one Vacuum clamping video.

I have other vacuum clamping videos on you tube.  My name there is plhalle.  One shows ideas for a MFT.

Peter

 

[Kodi Crescent]

That's pretty clever.  Thanks for sharing.

 

[peter halle]

Kodi,

I was at a Festool dealer this past weekend talking and demoing tools when Jordan wasn't watching.  I can't remember how one of the conversations developed, but I went out to the truck and got my multi-purpose plastic vacuum block out and showed it as a way to enhance the MFT, etc.  I was shocked at the interest.

Peter

Edit:  Here is my primitive video which shows what I demoed.  

cheap clamping ideas

 

[Jesse Cloud]

Cool video Peter!  I can see lots of uses for a vac clamp now.

Watch out Paul Marcel! [wink]

 

[Kodi Crescent]

Yes, very helpful.  Thanks!

 

[Kodi Crescent]

Is the Festool version coming to America?

 

[Ken Nagrod]

From what I've heard and read, no.  Can't pass U.L. approval is the talk.  Too high a suction risk if your face or bottom got stuck and you can't reach the shut off.  [big grin]

I know, would've been perfect for the "Halloweenex".