I have a number of hoists in my new workshop that I'm just about finished with. A really bad back has made them necessary.
One problem I'm running into with my shop design is a location for lumber storage. There really is no space in the shop, and I'm trying to get it out of the garage. I had an interesting idea.
What do you all think of building a lumber rack over the doors to the finishing room, and lifting wood on and off of it with an overhead hoist? The doors are 6 feet tall, double French doors, so the rack would be pretty elevated. I have enough horizontal room on that wall (last wall left to do that).
Small boards I could lower with a small basket of sorts. Alternatively, I could take a sheet of 3/4" plywood, and have attachments to the load leveler on each side, but a large distance apart (maybe 6 feet or longer) so that I could easily slide boards on and off the movable shelf easily. When not used, I can just raise up the shelf out of the way. There are 15-1/2' ceilings, so room vertically for lumber and keeping the shelf out of the way are a non-issue. I was thinking with a load leveler, I could take a sheet of plywood, and build a movable platform that I could place the lumber on, then lower it to the ground.
Is this crazy? Unsafe?
I have my large crosscut sled stored hanging over my table saw and it's fantastic lowering it down and getting it out of the way when I need to, without having to lift anything. I was thinking I could use that same concept with boards.
If this is clear as mud, I can draw a picture. Still learning SketchUp, so this might be an excuse to make a drawing.