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.

[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, yes, it really works. I haven't seen or used, their LegUp, 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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