Handling Sheet Goods

[Mark W Pugh]

I have noticed that full sized sheet goods are getting heavier and heavier. Perhaps the age thing is catching up with me. Either way, there has to be some great ideas of how to handle/move/manipulate sheets goods. What do you guys do to work smarter and not harder when moving this stuff around? Thanks.

[David Kumm]

Tilting plywood cart. It adjusts height with a foot pedal so you can slide from pickup to cart. Tilt to store and move. I found a used one for $350. New they go for more but as my back got worse the price became less important. Dave

[Chris Rosenberger]

Tilting plywood cart. It adjusts height with a foot pedal so you can slide from pickup to cart. Tilt to store and move. I found a used one for $350. New they go for more but as my back got worse the price became less important. Dave

That is the route I went also. It makes moving & cutting full sheets a whole lot easier.

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o303/chrisrosenb/Shop%20Album/20110816_11.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o303/chrisrosenb/Shop%20Album/20110816_7.jpg

[Jay Jolliffe]

I move mine by hand. I don't have the money or space to store something that would move the sheet goods I use. 3/4" sheet goods are getting heavier & yes as I get older I'm getting weaker....I use to be able to lift a lot. Not anymore.

[Jamie Buxton]

A track saw is very useful. Break the big sheet down into smaller chunks by bringing the tool to the sheet, not the other way around.

[David L Morse]

This is what I use. It's the same height as my table saw and close in height to my truck bed so I never really have to lift a whole sheet.

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I use the dog leash to pull it up the ramp to my shop because it doesn't push very well. Larger casters would help.

[ray hampton]

I drive a SUV and this call for 4x4 plywood and 4 ' long lumber,so I pay the store to cut the wood

[Kevin Groenke]

Gorilla Gripper (http://www.gorillagripper.com/), yes, it really works. I haven't seen or used, their LegUp (http://www.gorillagripper.com/videos/legup.html), but it also looks like it would work.

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[Tom Clark FL]

I can't lift a full sheet either, but I can lift one end at a time. I slide the material from the van to a shop cart, then put it into the stock rack. When ready to cut up the material is dragged out and one end put on my cutting table. (sawhorses always fall over) The smaller pieces can be managed on the table saw very easily. Shop made cutting guides are used to make straight cuts.

[Jesse Espe]

Timely thread. I have the Gorilla Gripper, but by itself, it doesn't help the issue of mounting unwieldy sheet goods onto the table saw.

Interested in the LegUp, or something like it, though.

[Denny Rice]

I built Norm's assembly table from the NYW series, its great. It is the same height as my table saw and its on rollers I just put the sheet on table roll it to the saw and feed the stock from the table. Like a bunch of guys here I am getting older (and weaker) and it makes the job of handling sheet goods so much easier.

[Rich Engelhardt]

You know those cheap ($20 on sale) telescoping roller stands they sell that are worthless for an outfeed support?
I have two of them.
I back the van into the driveway, then stick both of the stands behind it @ the same level as the van.
I can slide a sheet out onto the rollers and slide it right up to the cutting table I have for my track saw.

If I'm ready to cut it right then, I just get out the track saw and cut.

If the sheet is for stock, I slip one of those cheap plastic drywall carriers ( About $10 or less for a Stanley) and carry it the few feet into the garage.

Carrying a full sheet is a whole lot easier if you can start off with the sheet about waist high instead of lifting it from floor level.

[fRED mCnEILL]

I am 70 and use a LOT of sheet goods,mostly 1/2 in plywood.I also use the gorilla gripper and built my own " leg up"
as shown in another post. Easy to build but not to expensive to buy either($50) It works great. I also bought a Kreg cutoff device that goes on a handsaw. Although its plastic and I was skeptical about it , it works remarkable well and is quite accurate. I will use it when I quickly need to cut a couple of feet off a sheet.(In my shop it is difficult to cut less that 3 feet off a sheet on the table saw due to space constraints).

[Matt Meiser]

Best way I've found, but requires some floor space--sheet goods get delivered and put on a table about 3' tall. I slide them off there, one at a time to a cutting grid set up on sawhorses. There, rip cut them with a track saw (Festool) and have crosscut them there, but now I have a Festool MFT which is a lot more accurate for the crosscuts. That leaves my TS free to do dados and rabbets. I was able to knock out upper boxes for my kitchen in 1 long day this way. But that only works if I'm having a bunch delivered and using it all at once. I store it vertically so I need a better way to move it from there.

David Morse--can you post more details on your cart?

[Lloyd McKinlay]

A simple panel carrier works for me, very versatile.

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[Larry Frank]

This is a great thread as a lot of us are getting older and the plywood does seem to get heavier. Not only getting older but arthritis and other related issues make it a lot more difficult to carry some of the wood.

I really like the cart idea but can not fit it into my shop. I do as some others have mentioned pull it out of the van and onto a sheet of 2" thick insulation and cut it down with a track saw.

I find that more of my purchases have to do with how to deal with getting older and still enjoy my shop.

[David L Morse]

David Morse--can you post more details on your cart?

Yes, as soon as I breakdown what's on it I'll dig out a better camera than the one in my phone and get some pics. Should I post in this thread or start a new one?

[Michael Dunn]

Well, I just pick it up and move it. But I'm still pretty young at 31. As for breaking them down. I use my Festool TS-75 and lay the sheet good on a piece of 2" pink rigid insulation as a sacrificial cutting surface.

[Mark W Pugh]

Yes, as soon as I breakdown what's on it I'll dig out a better camera than the one in my phone and get some pics. Should I post in this thread or start a new one?

Plz post it here!

[Phillip Gregory]

I cut 4' x 8' sheets down to rough (approx 1/2" to 1" larger on each side) dimensions with a circular saw in the garage, leaving at least one uncut edge that is nominally "square." I built a homemade saw track out of MDF as based on a set of plans in an old Woodsmith magazine that works pretty well. I then carry the much smaller and easier to carry piece down into my shop in the basement. Else, I buy 4' x 4' sheets and carry them down into the shop whole and just cut them up there.

[Jim Andrew]

I'd like to see more details of the cart that David Morse built. I have to build most of my projects from wood, as welding is not my strong suit. I built a cart from wood, looks like the carts at Harbor Freight, where I can just slide a sheet out of the rack onto the top of it and roll it to my table saw and right onto the saw. But it doesn't tilt. Mine is more like a shopping cart with a shallow tray.

[george newbury]

I used to have to handle 4x8 sheets all the time. We stapled aerial photos on them to create mosaics for environmental analysis. We used carts similar to the plywood carts at the big box stores. They were constructed from a 4' long 18" wide piece of 3/4 ply with 4 large casters. To hold the sheets upright we used that black steel threaded pipe in an inverted U, fastened together by 90 degree threaded elbows.

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQKdPyQfBTen7n1mfr6g5Ru8VmQARR5W _rIQdD0bIMxrXkXiFLI

Similar to the picture but only 2 uprights.

After just having moved about 40 sheets of plywood and masonite for my pallet racking

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shelves I figure I should have built one last summer. Wet 3/4 PT plywood is HEAVY.

/edit
And for horsing around a single sheet I try to keep a small crowbar around as a "panel carrier".

[scott vroom]

What do you guys do to work smarter and not harder when moving this stuff around? Thanks.

Working smarter not harder runs against my grain.

[ray hampton]

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQKdPyQfBTen7n1mfr6g5Ru8VmQARR5W _rIQdD0bIMxrXkXiFLI

Similar to the picture but only 2 uprights.

After just having moved about 40 sheets of plywood and masonite for my pallet racking

258780258781258782


And for horsing around a single sheet I try to keep a small crowbar around as a "panel carrier".

crowbar will ease the burden of moving plywood but since the crowbar are steel , they are hard to grip when your hand are sweating, a rope with a hook on each end would enable you to carry the sheet

[Jerome Stanek]

I saw this and thought it would be a good project.

http://www.workbenchmagazine.com/main/wb280-caddy01.html

[Clay Crocker]

+1 on the Gorilla Gripper and the track saw.

[Alden Miller]

I positioned my panel saw right by the door of my shop. Plywood storage will be just inside the door also. To unload I back the truck right to the door and carry the plywood the least amount possible. I think one of the Gorilla Grippers is in my near future though.

-Alden

[george newbury]

crowbar will ease the burden of moving plywood but since the crowbar are steel , they are hard to grip when your hand are sweating, a rope with a hook on each end would enable you to carry the sheet
Hadn't thought about sweat. I try to keep pairs of gloves scattered all over the shops and wear a pair whenever I have to handle decent sized pieces of wood.

[johnny means]

My first job in the woodworking field was in a countertop shop. The first thing I had to learn was how to safely move a finished top into or out of the vertical rack as well as onto or off of a workbench. Now mind you this was during the Mcmansion heyday, When 12' long counters with a 10'x4' peninsula were the standard. We're talking almost three complete sheets of partical board! I was impressed to see that every man in the shop, regardless of size, could move these around with ease. It's all about technique. Now I wouldn't suggest that we should all go around waltzing (thats what it looks like) 300# work pieces through the shop. But, I'm sure all but the frailest of us can probably dance a sheet of plywood or MDF through the shop with out injuring ourselves. The first mistake that catches my eye is all the lifting contraptions I see in this thread. Why would one want to lift any sheet good when the floor or work surface will support the weight for us? I have a friend who happens to be a 5' tall, 110#, 52 year old woman who can load panels onto a panel saw all day long. Using good technique she can keep up with the biggest of shop bulls.

[Sam Layton]

Mark,

I have the Shopcarts, panel handler. Like the one Dave is talking about and Chris shows. I tilt the cart flat, slide the plywood off of my truck, tilt the cart vertical, and roll the ply to my shop. I can then just tilt the ply into my lumber rack, or roll it to my table saw, tilt flat, and slide the ply into the saw. Never have to lift the ply. It also makes it a lot easer cutting a full sheet.

Sam

[Andrew Joiner]

I positioned my panel saw right by the door of my shop. Plywood storage will be just inside the door also. To unload I back the truck right to the door and carry the plywood the least amount possible. I think one of the Gorilla Grippers is in my near future though.

-Alden

That's exactly my set up Alden. A vertical panel saw really helps in a one person shop.
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This would be great in a large shop that has room to steer the cart

http://www.workbenchmagazine.com/mai...0-caddy01.html (http://www.workbenchmagazine.com/main/wb280-caddy01.html)
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For me it's more efficient to slide panels vertically from the storage rack right on to the vertical panel saw, all at the same height. No lifting, just sliding. No sliding or flipping full sheets on their faces. That can scratch them.

[Matt Meiser]

Using good technique

So you going to share those techniques with us or is it trade secret :D

[Mark Burnette]

So you going to share those techniques with us or is it trade secret :D +1


.

[Mike Goetzke]

I have a Suburban so 4x8 panels fit inside. In my garage I have two Racor HeavyLifts. These are cable lift systems with a gear box that I drive easily with a drill/driver (250 lb. capacity). One lift I have deep in the garage that I can slide the panels from the Suburban directly to the lift. The second lift I store my track saw system bench on. When I need the wood I lower the track saw system and then the wood and slide the wood onto the track saw system table - never having to lift the sheet.

My track saw happens to be Eurekazone. I have the EZ-One bench but for breaking down ply add boards/supports to the top of it to make a table for the ply then I can use what is called a Universal Edge guide to break down the sheet goods and later use the EZ-One for crosscutting. This has worked out so well I sold my cabinet saw.


Mike

[Erik Christensen]

I have a gorilla gripper and it is great for when I have to move full sheets. Most times I back the truck to the entrance of the garage, slide sheets to cutting table (height of table = truck tailgate) with 1" foam sacrificial top, cut to rough dimension with track saw, solid wood edge band front edge if req'd & cut to finish size by trimming front edge band straight and adjacent side to 90 at MFT - run other 2 sides through table saw. I can do 3/4" 4x8 sheets of BB ply all day long at 61 yrs with this system.

[johnny means]

So you going to share those techniques with us or is it trade secret :D

I been trying to get Trish to make a video to post on Youtube . It's always a hoot to wee manly men snicker at her when she says she's got it, only to Gos smacked when they realize that she does have it.

[David L Morse]

I cut up those two sheets of Melamine today and was able to get some better pics of the empty cart. It's a lot narrower than most of what you'll see on the internet but That was one of my most restrictive design constraints. Normally I move material through the garage into the shop through double doors but at times there's a trailer parked in the garage and my alternate route includes two 30" doors. I had to keep the overall width at 24" max fully loaded with the platform in the transport position.

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Construction is the unremarkable combination of 2x4s bearing the weight and 7/16" OSB adding stiffness. The casters are all 2-1/2" swivels with brakes. They are too small, 3" or 3-1/2" would make for easier rolling, especially over bumps.
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The axle for the platform is a threaded 4' piece of 1/2" Galvanized pipe from the borg as are the floor flanges that are used for end caps. The spacers between the platform arms and uprights were turned from 3/4" plywood and ABS laminate. The bushings are 3/4" Copper repair couplings pressed into drilled holes in the uprights using newspaper for a snug fit.
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Originally I was going to hinge the L bracket and hold the strap with a hitch pin in order to be able to slide material off either side. After I had the hardware in hand that seemed to be overkill so I just screwed everything down, counting on planning ahead to simply orient the cart properly the first time. For the most part that's worked. If a person were to also use this as a table for breaking down sheets with a track saw or similar the hinged bracket idea might deserve some more thought.
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The platform is held in the raised position by a support angle made from 1" steel angle attached to the platform arm with a strap hinge. It has an "L" shaped cutout that keeps it firmly locked on a 1/4" bolt in that position. When the platform is lowered to the transport position the support angle rides up on the bolt into it's stowed position. I originally thought that it would be simple to find a spot on the upright for the bolt but it turned out that the bolt position is extremely critical to keeping the raised platform level as well as the stowed support angle within the 24" width envelope. By clamping the strap hinge at various points along the platform arm I was able to plot a range of possible bolt locations, but the exact position was critical. I picked a location outside the upright and attached the bolt to a piece of 3/4" Oak. I was then able to fine tune its position and screw it down. This is probably the weakest part of the design. I'm very careful moving the cart in the raised position with a load.
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Nylon twine is attached to the support angles through eyescrews so they can be disengaged from the side of the raised platform.

Lessons learned:

1. Use bigger casters.
2. The 24" maximum width caused several difficulties. Make it wider if the environment allows.
3. Extend the sheeting on the platform down to the L brackets. There is then no need for the lift handle I had to add.
4. Add bracing to the OSB top, 1x2 or 3 stiffeners. Once the sheet goods are used it becomes a 3'x4' empty table that, in my shop at least, stays empty for maybe 12 seconds, max.
5. DO NOT lock the wheels when raising the platform with a heavy load. Always check to be sure all wheels are unlocked before raising a heavy load. Don't ask how I know this.

[Curt Harms]

A track saw is very useful. Break the big sheet down into smaller chunks by bringing the tool to the sheet, not the other way around.

Yup. This seems like one of the compelling reasons to get a track saw. Slide the sheet out of the truck bed onto a cutting table or saw horses.

[Jimmy Phillips]

I use a Kubota 3010 Tractor with forks....works great! :D

[Jim Andrew]

Thanks, David for posting that. I had the technique down, as I worked in a cabinet shop cutting box parts from sheets, but I overdid it a few years ago and my back is not up to heavy lifting. And I buy more than just a sheet or 2 at a time, usually more like 20.

[Matt Meiser]

Yup. This seems like one of the compelling reasons to get a track saw. Slide the sheet out of the truck bed onto a cutting table or saw horses.

Even with a track saw I find that practical maybe 10% of the time in my world so a way to handle/move sheet goods is still a good thing. For me, the transition from vertical to horizontal is the hard part.

David, I might steal your design! For the L-bracket--maybe replacing it with a simple pin would suffice? You could even get fancy and put a nylon sleeve over the pin and make them into rollers.

[Harold Burrell]

This is a great thread as a lot of us are getting older...

Wait...stop right there...

Are you implying that some of us are getting younger???


:D:p;)

[Chris Fournier]

48 years old. More broken bones and sports injuries than I care to lift, I mean list. Sheet goods helper - ADVIL.

[Cyrus Brewster 7]

I use a Kubota 3010 Tractor with forks....works great! :D

Hahahha! Awesome.

[ray hampton]

Thanks, David for posting that. I had the technique down, as I worked in a cabinet shop cutting box parts from sheets, but I overdid it a few years ago and my back is not up to heavy lifting. And I buy more than just a sheet or 2 at a time, usually more like 20.

do you use a pickup to haul the 20 sheets ? pickup are fun to drive when the weight in the bed raise the front wheels off of the ground

[Phil Erup]

I drive a pickup. if 20 sheets can raise the front wheels of my Duramax, I wouldn't be able to transport 1 sheet!

[Jim Andrew]

I have a trailer I use to haul lumber. When I get too much on the trailer, have to hold the speed down. Once I had the thing heaped up with boards so high if I went over about 35 the truck would start zig-zagging. Sometimes I order a number of sheets from Liberty Hardwoods and they deliver. But anyway, the lower shelf on my rack presents a problem if I have to put 3/4" sheets on it. The upper isn't bad, as I can just slide them out onto my cart.

[Mark W Pugh]

Thanks David!!!

[Paul Cheng]

I am looking to buy a cart like this, used or new. Please forward information to paulc@pccolour.com
Appreciate for your help!

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o303/chrisrosenb/Shop%20Album/20110816_11.jpg

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o303/chrisrosenb/Shop%20Album/20110816_7.jpg[/QUOTE]

[Paul Cheng]

Hi David,
I need a cart like this one, can you tell me where can I buy one?
Thanks,
My email is paulc@pccolour.com
Paul Cheng

[Jim Andrew]

Check out shopcartsusa.com

[Paul Snowden]

I think you're looking for this

http://www.toolkingmachinery.com/products/jet-140130?utm_source=googlepla&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=COj7-sq0iLoCFS9dQgodMGEADQ

[David Kumm]

Shopcartsusa.com . I think there is a KG Industries that makes one too. Hafele used to make one that you might find used. Dave

[Loren Woirhaye]

I never cut full sheets on the table saw. I built a vertical panel saw. It's pretty slick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffl7Hnjmqz4

I had 3 other vertical saws before and a Festool. All had things that bothered me.

In moving materials I bring them in flat in a van and slide them out one sheet at a time,
almost all the way. Then I kick a piece of scrap into place and lower the corner
of the sheet on it. Then I lift up one side of the panel and slip a panel carrier
(cheap plastic thing by Stanley) under it and hoist it up. Then I either carry the
panel to the saw or slide it into a storage bay on edge.

[glenn bradley]

A track saw is very useful. Break the big sheet down into smaller chunks by bringing the tool to the sheet, not the other way around.

This is also my solution with a shop made guide. I rarely use sheet goods so this is quite workable for me. If I used them a lot, I would consider some sort of handler as an investment in my future health and rationalize the price to seem reasonable. :)

[Royce Meritt]

This past summer I had 2 large projects to undertake using a lot of 3/4" melamine (90+ lbs./sheet) and 1" melamine (120+ lbs./sheet) as well as many sheets of 3/4" plywood.

I invested in a relatively cheap scissor lift table from Harbor Freight (around $200 w/coupon). Backed my pickup up to the shop door, slide the sheets, a few at a time out of the pickup and onto the scissor lift and transfered to waiting sawhorses. Then used the scissor lift to move the sheets one at a time to the table saw. Worked like a dream.

This may be the BEST $200 I ever spent!

[Lornie McCullough]

I never cut full sheets on the table saw. I built a vertical panel saw. It's pretty slick.

.

That is a VERY impressive panel saw. I have a lot of respect for people who build their own tools!

Lornie

[Greg Hines, MD]

My lumber yard has a table saw where they will break down your plywood before hand if you have general measurements. so that is generally what I do. Same thing for the Borgs. So, I rarely have to deal with full sheets. When I do, I will break it down with a circular saw and a straight edge, but that fortunately does not happen very often. When I put up the new shop, that may change, then I will probably go with a vertical panel saw or track saw.

Doc