Help moving projects in shop

[Greg Caputo]

Everyone once in a while I build something that's either too heavy or awkward for me to move on my own. Right now, for example, I'm working on a wall-mounted bookcase that I simply can't move without help. I have a basement shop, so ceiling height, electrical conduit, and heating ducts are issues which, I think, preclude any sort of overhead crane type of system to schlep pieces around. Are there any other devices or ideas out there? As always, thanks for your help and advice.

Greg

[Ray Schafer]

I often use a movers dolley that I bought at HF. It is one of thoses platforms with four wheels. I just tilt the project, push this under it and roll it around.

[Burt Alcantara]

I've found that I can't assemble a large project in the basement shop because I can't get it out the door and up the stairs because of bad angles. I finish the pieces as much as possible and assemble "upstairs."

Then, I don't build that many big pieces. Other way problem is getting my big bandsaw into the shop.

Burt

[Vince Shriver]

I've had great success moving very heavy things by myself with the use of a refrigerator dolly. Strapped securily onto the dolly and tipped back to just the right balance point, it's amazing how much weight one can handle solo.

[Charles Wiggins]

Greg,

I find that most things can be moved with either a hand truck (preferably a refrigerator dolly) or a couple of furniture dollies.

If you've ever seen the ads for Moving Men Furniture Sliders (http://www.amazon.com/Moving-Men-8-Piece-Furniture-Slider/dp/B0000645RF), well, they work alright for awkward things that aren't too heavy. We also have a set of EZ Moves II (http://www.ezmoves.com/video/video.html), and they're fantastic. We moved our washing machine outside with half a load of water still in it because the pump broke. The EZ Moves went right over the threshold with no problem.

Now if it's too big to control, because you can't get a hand hold somewhere, then you just need another warm body.

[Mike Ross]

I use 3/4 inch pipe, lift one end of your project on it then just roll it on the pipe. Sometimes I use 2 or 3 pipes, moving them into the path I want to go, as I go. Works especially great for large heavy equipment. Much easier, and more stable than a dolly or cart.

Mike Ross

[Keith Outten]

Greg,

I use a hydraulic table for large projects. I added a large plywood top to my hydraulic table which makes it handy for moving large items and some fabrication work as well. Most hydraulic tables can be lowered to about 10 inches from the floor and as high as about 29 inches which provides lots of range for working at the most comfortable level and loading projects into a truck. I am able to use my hydraulic table to move 12 foot long sheets of Corian (280 pounds) around my shop and onto my ShopBot router table without any lifting and I have built large cabinets (60 inches tall) using the hydraulic table as a fabrication platform.

[Steve Clardy]

I use a 2-wheel dolly.
Also built a 2'x4' furniture type mover out of 3/4 ply and castors.

Like above, I also use the pipe method, mainly for moving my heavy machinery around

[Jerome Hanby]

It doesn't help with moving things solo, but if you have a partner (of almost any size) those forearm forklift lifting straps actually work. My wife and I carried the main section of a "doll house" bed we're building my daughter out of the garage, around the house, up the steps, and into the bedroom with no problems. That assembly had upwards of 2 sheets worth of 3/4" MDF parts

[Frank Drew]

I used a very low tech method for the relatively smooth wood floors in my shop -- I tacked a few of those inexpensive metal or plastic glides onto the bottom of heavier pieces, allowing me to slide the thing over the floor by myself without much trouble, and the glides are easy to remove. I often clipped a bit off the nail so that it penetrated the work just a half-inch or so.

[Greg Caputo]

Thank you all for the help! I've been under the weather for a few days and just read the responses this morning. As always, this place is great and helpful.

Keith, I've sent a PM to you regarding your set-up.

Greg

[Jim Becker]

I have a mover's dolly as well as some shop-built dollies for this purpose. Ideally, double locking casters are best for this if you plan on doing actual work on the project while it's mobile.

[Wayne Cannon]

I use these three-wheeled dollys from Ace Hardware a lot (pictured below). They're a lot more flexible than four-wheel dollys for many purposes, but four-wheel dollys allow you to tilt the entire assembly. You can lift one corner/foot at a time to insert them.

I also use four-wheel movers' dollys a lot (from Harbor Freight, Ace Hardware, or home-made with better wheels and double-locking casters, as Jim Becker suggests). Most of the time I use plywood platforms with blocks to fit snugly against the corners of the dollys so the platform doesn't slide. Platforms wider than the dolly support larger projects and act like a ramp when the dolly is tilted to slide the project on and off more easily. I attach a custom set of blocks to the top side of the platforms, as desired, to hold the project from sliding. Large wheels roll over obstacles better and allow you to tilt the dolly/platform more for going up single steps (not stairs), but smaller wheels are easier for moving the project onto and off of the platform.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1296641&cp=&sr=1&kw=dolly&origkw=dolly&parentPage=search&searchId=38379060394
http://ace.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pACE2-983402reg.jpg