[TheForge] Re: Shop Cranes vs Floor Hoists

[Mike Spencer]

> Somewhere in the not so distant future I plan on building a large
> shop of approximate 30ft x 40ft dimentions...

Just did exactly that.

> To those of you out there who are using ANY type of crane in your
> shop, what has your experience been with functionality and YOUR "Best
> Bang for the Buck"?

I'd like to know, too.

Dimitri Gerakaris built a roof with hammer beam trusses so he'd have
clearance for a bridge crane.  I thought about that (didn't fit my
time frame) or an industrial, engineered wood truss roof (ugly
building) and went with a barn-style gambrel roof.  Result is that I
have a 40' center beam of four  2x10s and  three jack screw posts.  The
zposts aren't in the way of work but make a bridge crane that crosses
both halves of the shop impossible.

Thinking about a bridge crane in one half, or maybe...mutter...mumble.

So far, when I need to lift something, I:

     bore a 1/2" hole in the appropriate 2x10 stringer and put a big
     clevis on the 2x10, or

     Put a 4x4 upstairs across 4 stringers and put a big eyebolt up
     through it.

Cheap but not elegant or versatile and limited to, oh, say, under 1000 #.

- Mike

-- 
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada 
                                 
mspencer@tallships.ca            
http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/