How do one man wood shops move large/heavy pieces?

[Sean Moore]

Ive been building furniture as a side hustle for a few years now out of my garage. In the past couple years, ive built several fairly sizeable pieces, such as a dresser and record cabinet. Both being 5ft long x 3-4ft high x 20" deep. Im curious how other one many shops manage to move pieces around their shop while under construction? I find that I routinely have to move it from my assembly table to saw horse, and back to the assembly table, at various stages, and without a second hand it is dam near impossible?

Short of having someone come over to help me on a regular basis, id like to find a way be able to move pieces around much easier. I have a workbench and assembly table that doubles as a table saw outfeed table, so I frequently need to move pieces off the assembly table to be able to use the table saw. Id like to hear how other one many shops deal with this sort of thing.

[Justin Rapp]

I have built a few pretty large pieces and have used furniture slides to help move them. I think the heaviest piece I have made so far was an armoire that is pretty much solid hickory. This piece was moved from the basement to a 2nd floor bedroom and I took the doors, drawers and the top off to make it moveable by two people.

However, in the shop, once a piece starts to come together, if it's too heavy to lift to my work bench for assembly, I assemble on the floor.

[Doug Dawson]

Furniture dollies, floor-level assembly tables, large levering devices, blocks of wood, hoists, straps, and muscle memory (that being the memory of at one time having muscles, since replaced by thoughtful cunning.)

[Christopher Herzog]

I have five kids and a son in law. They are cheap...

[Jamie Buxton]

I design with the thought that I have to be able to move the thing. I break the furniture into modules small enough that I can move each module by myself. Generally the modules travel to their new home seperately, and get reassembled there.

While I'm thinking about modularizing, I'm also thinking about the transport problem. The new home might be up stairs, or up an elevator, or have other issues. Solving those issues is easier in the design phase than when you're trying to deliver a completed piece.

[Doug Dawson]

I design with the thought that I have to be able to move the thing. I break the furniture into modules small enough that I can move each module by myself. Generally the modules travel to their new home seperately, and get reassembled there.

While I'm thinking about modularizing, I'm also thinking about the transport problem. The new home might be up stairs, or up an elevator, or have other issues. Solving those issues is easier in the design phase than when you're trying to deliver a completed piece.

Another option is to assemble in place. Then, when it has to be moved, it’s somebody else’s problem.

[Jamie Buxton]

Another option is to assemble in place. Then, when it has to be moved, it’s somebody else’s problem.

To be clear, I usually assemble the complete piece in the shop, then take it apart to move it to wherever it is going, and reassemble it there. I connect the modules with fasteners which can be un-done, to enable that process. I usually teach the new owner how to disassemble the piece, so if they do eventually want to move the piece, they can.

[Jim Becker]

That's an excellent question....and I resemble that one person that needs to move big things situation from time to time. I use a combination of methods, depending on the what. One thing that's been golden for me is having adjustable height work surfaces that can also be mobile. It's far easier to slide things laterally from surface to surface than it is to lift things between. But sometimes lifting is necessary, so I try to think it through and provide intermediate support when possible and only having to lift one end at a time. So the bottom line is to think it through and know when you reach your safe limit.

Big things happen in small shops...

This took a makeshift setup with both the primary bench and axillary support. 52" x 85" x 3"

https://dm2305files.storage.live.com/y4mf2ng8QWw7j2OuWvp9t0KvnCGOCnJmdAlIK9igm87K9Mz7Fa 4KMdcgkWsxtXNocZV0NGU03QbmM-MNZsXiRZ9Fviv1RJI3mvlWKrAPSppUgMINFLfoJEt2Vqpyi3vq q_iLX5f9KuTA-NYRFh_UWqevKRc-Z-3a5hv4i1HZs1mp8oowwsQb81VddRvFXOBXBPd?width=660&height=495&cropmode=none

This was smaller....40" x 98" x 2" but much, much heavier; walnut vs d-fir

https://sn3301files.storage.live.com/y4maeYFdSURUv9JLE1KXpljaP7DyIeJGAepJypXJhqokzfFt_8 XI76ZwO7xlHmU4kjhG4v2QnO7QB720CeHTmkOwkytqhb4rWa44 KM7_U49H53_7g4dUjEVE2W28PtGO6ZnkcupPHGDlMHwgIdxO4p Q_jbM1cFNQyoKy5ogZlwLz5feVUvjIT9AWk1P-U7fUMaO?width=660&height=495&cropmode=none

This project was, perhaps, the most challenging, not so much for weight, but because of the limitations that two arms and one body bring...especially since it had to be assembled and knocked down a few times for joinery refinement. A few long clamps and ratchet straps had to be employed as well as temporary blocks clamped on to frame members to provide that third hand when necessary.

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[Richard Coers]

If you have the floor space to keep it around, a Harbor Freight hydraulic table is wonderful. I bought one to unload heavy items from my van, but find it very useful for moving anything around in the shop.

[Cliff Polubinsky]

I have a chain hoist that I can hang from the rafters and a hydraulic table. I used both to build my workbench which ended up at 300 lbs. Recently I bought a shop crane on sale at Harbor Freight to unload and tip up a 500 lb bandsaw. The cost was less than renting one for a few days. I'm about to start a freestanding cabinet for the kitchen that will be 6' tall and 4' wide. All three items will come in handy for that project.

Cliff

[Myles Moran]

Another option is to assemble in place. Then, when it has to be moved, it’s somebody else’s problem.

Final glue ups on our california king bed happened in the bedroom because I didn't want to haul it up there assembled (man is that headboard heavy). I honestly am not sure if it can make the final turn on the stairs. Might just be a permanent fixture in the house.

[Andy D Jones]

I rented an engine lift (shop crane) for ~$30/day (1 day rental) to move my J/P from its shipping pallet onto a mobile base. I had an assortment of straps and shackles for lifting/towing/pulling.

The OP would likely be using it more often, so purchasing one might be a better option. Most are designed to fold up for storage in 2x3 feet or so of floor space.

-- Andy - Arlington TX

[Doug Dawson]

Final glue ups on our california king bed happened in the bedroom because I didn't want to haul it up there assembled (man is that headboard heavy). I honestly am not sure if it can make the final turn on the stairs. Might just be a permanent fixture in the house.

I’ve had that problem a couple of times. The solution was a sawzall. (I try not to get too attached.)

[David Sochar]

I have wrestled that problem for over 30 years. We (currently two of us) build large, heavy architectural work - mostly large doors - in a small shop. No room for forklifts, or boom lifts and a pitched ceiling means a beam lift would not work well. We also have to get it all out the doors, and into a truck.

So, it is a series of strategies, no one solution. First, we build in small sections and work them through so we don't have to wrassle them when they are part of a 300# door.

Next, and most important, is we have all machines and benches and horses and anything else at the same height - 38". A mortiser is higher, lathe doesn't count. But the same height means things can easily be slid from machine to bench to horses, to bench. If sanded and face down, then it is on a quilt and easily slid about.

We will tack on a ripping along the edge of the door and tip it off the bench (2 man job) onto the floor, and and then drag it around and out the door into a truck with the deck at shop floor height. But other than leaving the shop the work is almost always at that 38" height.

Photos of shop, etc at the new website: www.acornwoodworks.com (http://www.acornwoodworks.com)

[Jim Dwight]

I've built two base cabinets for my house so far this year that were a challenge. Each is 7 feet or a little more long, 36 inches high and 22-24 inches deep. The guy that did my last hernia surgery warned me that if I get another, there isn't much they can do. So I work hard to stay under his 100 lb suggestion. Both these cabinets were more than that but I did not lift more than 100 lbs. I assembled them in my car garage adjacent to the shop on saw horses. When I moved them to the house, they had no doors or drawers or top. Btut just the carsase was a little too heavy to lift. So I lifted one end, got that end off the saw horse and then did the other end. Then a furniture dolly went under the cabinet. At the door, one end went in and onto sliders so I could lift the other end and slide the cabinet into the house. The two more sliders went under and I pushed it to it's home where more tilting, picking up one end and sliding got it into position. These are not the only pieces I've made that were heavy but just two recent examples. For me the necessary steps are to lift only one end of something big like this and to get it on wheels whenever possible. When wheels cannot reasonably be arranged, sliding it generally will work. I used the same steps plus tilting and walking to get my ~300 lb bandsaw and my ~500 lb table saw into the shop by myself. In those cases I only raised the tool enough to get it to slide. I slid it out of my truck onto the ground and walked it to it's home.

My techniques are admittedly easier working in my house but I also make things for my kids and need to deliver them. But a customers house would be different.

[Pat Rice]

I have a FELDER FAT 300 hydraulic lift table which has been a real back saver for me. It allows me to move sheet goods by myself from the truck to my shop and helps when it is time to load a sheet on my saw. It is also very useful for assembly work as I can raise and lower it as needed, only drawback is it is not inexpensive, but I would buy it again in a heartbeat. It can handle up to 600 lbs.
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[Joe Calhoon]

I’ve been working solo for a while now since semiretirement. It can be challenging. Many adjustments in the way I work now without a crew. Anything mobile helps. Carts, lift tables, dollies and pallet jacks. The tilt up sheet goods carts are helpful for a lot of things. I have people I can call but timing is sometimes a problem.
My best tool though has been the crazy horse dolly. Keep finding new uses for that. Heavy doors can be moved from standing to flat or visa versa. Heavy timbers and a lot of other things possible to lift and move with this.

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[William Hodge]

I have honed my skills in dealing with large heavy projects by becoming adept at planning. This planning involves sending work I can't lift easily to other shops. Being injured is hard to factor as a cost of doing business.

I developed work related injuries from lifting heavy stuff in a poorly managed and equipped millwork shop. Now that I'm in charge, there's nothing heavy to lift. The lumber gets slid off the truck right into the wood rack. It slides out the other end of the wood rack on to a radial arm saw bench to lose some weight.

[Kevin Jenness]

I too have found the crazy horse to be useful and versatile, especially in maneuvering loads from one level to another. Too bad it's no longer available.

My son uses a two-wheeled timber cart in his timber framing work- something like that might find a place in a cabinet shop as well.https://timbercarts.com/

[Patrick Kane]

Same situation—one guy building big things In a small space—and I agree with the other guys’ suggestions of hydraulic carts. I have a Felder fat 300 and use the heck out of it. It’s excellent for infeed/outfeed collection, and it is very helpful for me to move large glue ups around. I will post photos when I’m at my computer, but I just finished a 12.5’ long Sapele dining table. The top is 1.5” and 42” wide, and Sapele is a very heavy hardwood. That top is immensely heavy and impossible for me to move. The cart made it safe and convenient for me to slide the top on and off of the table base several times. Depending on the frequency of large projects, an engine hoist or other solutions wouldn’t be crazy. I did a small timber frame over the summer, and I can understand why Kevin’s son spent a grand on two tires. 2/3rd the struggle on a timber frame is moving the wet/green material. I marveled at a shop with a large hydraulic hoist on rails at their TF shop. Made me very jealous.

[Kevin Jenness]

I don't think my son spent that large- I only included that link as an illustration, but even if he did it was a good investment. His new shop will have an overhead crane, but it's amazing what you can accomplish with that simple cart.

I used to have a book called Moving Heavy Things (I suspect Miles "borrowed" it) which had some clever ideas, including air bags and melting ice for lifting and lowering. https://www.amazon.com/Moving-Heavy-Things-Jan-Adkins/dp/0937822825/ref=asc_df_0937822825/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=&hvpos=&hvnetw=o&hvrand=&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583863980167045&psc=1

[richard poitras]

A few people mentioned the Felder fat 300 just wondering how much something like that costs? I have one of the crazy horse dolly's and they work well.

[George Yetka]

2 come alongs over assembly table, and assembly table on wheels. Lift, move table, and lower onto dollys. Or if setup permits lower right into truck.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I design with the thought that I have to be able to move the thing. I break the furniture into modules small enough that I can move each module by myself. Generally the modules travel to their new home seperately, and get reassembled there.

While I'm thinking about modularizing, I'm also thinking about the transport problem. The new home might be up stairs, or up an elevator, or have other issues. Solving those issues is easier in the design phase than when you're trying to deliver a completed piece.

This. If you are thinking about moving it before you ever build, it really does make your life easier. I usually have a mini skidsteer with forks, a forklift or at least a pallet jack around, so some of my bigger stuff gets built to be handled with forks. Smaller stuff can just set on a pallet. Helps the loading for delivery to the customer, and makes life easier in the shop when a warehouse shuffle is happening.

[Patrick Kane]

A few people mentioned the Felder fat 300 just wondering how much something like that costs? I have one of the crazy horse dolly's and they work well.


You can sign up on their site and get the latest pricing, but i think a FAT 300 is $1600-1800 without tax. I was lucky enough to find one unused on the second hand market for half off. Barth makes a much beefier version, and then there are other companies like Presto and Vestil

Kevin, even if he did spend a grand, it wasnt money poorly spent. If he does framing for a living, and cant move the timbers by himself without the cart, then he wouldnt be making much of a living at it without the $1,000 bike wheels. If you frame professionally, i imagine an overhead crane is almost a must have. In this youtube video i referenced, guys were craning over pieces to pre-assemble full bents and then craning the pegged bents over to the other side of the shop for storage. After doing it all on a smaller scale by hand and by myself, the idea of a crane/gantry system melted my mind.

[Erik Loza]

So, I’m seeing more and more of the FAT300 (have yet to personally see the larger FAT500) in my customers’ shops and have had some time to play with them now. Observations so far...

-To folks thinking they can DIY something like this, you probably can’t. Or at least nowhere near as nice. The fit and finish on these is what you would expect from Felder. Nothing wrong with the budget/DIY options but there is a reason why people are willing to pay for these.
-The birch ply top we offer is VERY solid (30mm thick) but most folks I deal with are DIY’ing their own.
-One of my customers skinned the top of his with this product called New Pig: https://www.newpig.com/grippy-absorbent-mat/c/5005 I had never heard of this stuff but it makes a great outfeed table surface (tool chest liner, as well).
-No oil leaks: Pistons are pneumatic, not hydraulic.
-We make them 100% in-house. The steel is actually offcuts from making CNC routers.

These aren’t cheap and I realize not everyone will be able afford/justify one but having used them for a while, now, my opinion is that the price is fair for what you get. I have not seen/used any of the Barth tables, however. One of my goals for 2021 is to get Felder to start warehousing these FAT tables here in TX, so we can be more competitive on freight cost to those folks in the middle of the US.

Erik

[Patrick Kane]

So, I’m seeing more and more of the FAT300 (have yet to personally see the larger FAT500) in my customers’ shops and have had some time to play with them now. Observations so far...

-To folks thinking they can DIY something like this, you probably can’t. Or at least nowhere near as nice. The fit and finish on these is what you would expect from Felder. Nothing wrong with the budget/DIY options but there is a reason why people are willing to pay for these.
-The birch ply top we offer is VERY solid (30mm thick) but most folks I deal with are DIY’ing their own.
-One of my customers skinned the top of his with this product called New Pig: https://www.newpig.com/grippy-absorbent-mat/c/5005 I had never heard of this stuff but it makes a great outfeed table surface (tool chest liner, as well).
-No oil leaks: Pistons are pneumatic, not hydraulic.
-We make them 100% in-house. The steel is actually offcuts from making CNC routers.

These aren’t cheap and I realize not everyone will be able afford/justify one but having used them for a while, now, my opinion is that the price is fair for what you get. I have not seen/used any of the Barth tables, however. One of my goals for 2021 is to get Felder to start warehousing these FAT tables here in TX, so we can be more competitive on freight cost to those folks in the middle of the US.

Erik


Agreed, i have one and its no way comparable to HF or anything similar ive seen. However, someone on FOG mentioned the freight was like $500 and i nearly fell over when i read that email. I think i paid $800 for mine and then another $150 for a ushipper to drive it from South Carolina to Pittsburgh.

[Erik Loza]

However, someone on FOG mentioned the freight was like $500 and i nearly fell over when i read that email. I think i paid $800 for mine and then another $150 for a ushipper to drive it from South Carolina to Pittsburgh.

Yes, that is the challenge. I think paying a third the price of the item for freight is silly. We have to find a better solution. I think we will be able to warehouse them here in TX at some point, which hopefully will get freight down to a manageable level, but that's going to take time due to the pandemic. Also, I believe that $500 figure is for residential delivery w/ a liftgate truck, which adds like $150 to anything. A crated FAT300 will fit in the back of a pickup (I delivered one to a local customer; it fit in the back of my 4Runnr perfectly) so another solution is that we only deliver to local terminals for customer pickup. In that case, I think $200-$300 for delivery, which seems reasonable.

Erik

[Todd Trebuna]

"Not a professional woodworker", but i have made large heavy furniture with Oak, walnut and Ash. None of these were for sale and all were for family. I Generally use furniture dollies and hand trucks to make things happen. I think the largest piece I've made weighed over 200 lbs.

[Keith Outten]

I have four of the Harbor Freight hydraulic tables, three are 300 pound capacity and one 700 pound. They are small but very handy. Last month I upped my game and purchased a 1200 pound air operated motorcycle lift. The new lift is 2 foot wide and 7 foot long. There are side extensions that extend the size to 4 by 7 foot. The air operation is just awesome. The frame has a locking feature that provides several heights so you can vent the air pressure. I believe the height adjustment is from 3" to 30" tall. The lift was about $1200.00 with free shipping and worth every penny.

I have an electric winch in the overhead, and a pallet jack. I normally work by myself and I am old enough to know better then to lift more then a gallon of wood glue by myself :)

[Roger Feeley]

My father in law and brother in law actually did build a boat in the basement. I’m told it was beautiful mahogany. They measured several times and missed it by an inch. They had to remove the door frame to get it out. The wives never let let them live it down.

[Will Blick]

the shop cranes are great, but have limited lift, but sometimes that is all you need.
My big problem is many things I want to lift are wider than the legs of the crane...but for a thin jointer, its a great option.
An overhead crane is ideal for lifting. ONce you can lift something, there is a lot you do with it, put wheels under it, block it up, etc.
But for small shops, sometimes hard to rig up an overhead hoist, as it might bring down the house. A gantry is a good option, but they are costly ($800+), big and you have to store them.
A cheap ($80 each) lifting solution I have had good luck with two safety stands.... you need a strong metal cross member, such as an I Beam. Large footprint to store.

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