Shop crane and hoist installation

[Monty Ivy]

Installed a crane in my workshop today with the help of some friends.

The 6x6 beam is bolted to the loft floor joists. Crane is bolted to the beam. Framed in a lumber rack to the right hand side of the crane using the 6x6 as a support member.

Both crane and electric hoist are rated at #1100. It's doubtful that I will ever need more than #300.

 

[Mark Jundanian]

Nice. I'm jealous.

 

[David Wrate]

I'm envious of both the crane and the headroom to install it!

 

[Odie]

Nice crane, Monty.......

You certainly are going to max out the capabilities of that Shopsmith!

jk

-----odie-----

 

[Monty Ivy]

Nice crane, Monty.......

You certainly are going to max out the capabilities of that Shopsmith!

jk

-----odie-----

I don't use the Shopsmith for lathe work. The reality is I haven't been doing much work in the flat lately and it just kind of sits there most of the time but it's there when I need a table saw or a drill press. For a 6'4" person the SS lathe is too low to the ground to be comfortable. Requires me to hunch over to use it and that kind of kills the turners dance.

I'm do my turning on a PM2014 right now with a goal of upgrading to a Sweet 16 someday.


The crane is intended to support the pre-turning activity of cutting up big green logs with a chainsaw rather than assist with mounting large blanks on the lathe itself.

 

[Odie]

I don't use the Shopsmith for lathe work. The reality is I haven't been doing much work in the flat lately and it just kind of sits there most of the time but it's there when I need a table saw or a drill press. For a 6'4" person the SS lathe is too low to the ground to be comfortable. Requires me to hunch over to use it and that kind of kills the turners dance.

I'm do my turning on a PM2014 right now with a goal of upgrading to a Sweet 16 someday.
View attachment 47962

The crane is intended to support the pre-turning activity of cutting up big green logs with a chainsaw rather than assist with mounting large blanks on the lathe itself.

Hey Monty....... This isn't the droid you're looking for.....that little "jk" in my post means "just kidding"!


I started my lathe turning journey with an old Shopsmith....much older than yours! If I hadn't bought that rickety old Shopsmith at a garage sale, my whole life's path may be radically different than it is now. It was used for other projects for several years before I decided one day to try to make a bowl. Now, bowl turning is a major part of my life's trajectory!

BTW, nice looking shop you have there!

-----odie-----

 

[William Rogers]

@odie My shopsmith experience is much different than yours. I bought mine from my brother who had bought just about every attachment. After a year or so I decided to try my hand at woodturning. I was going to make some face post toppers. Painstakingly I got the thing set up (knew zero about woodturning except what the SS manual had) Not sure what speed, but as soon as I put a chisel to the wood and it flew out of the lathe across the room and put a dent in my door. I was done with wood turning! About a year later I saw my first wood pen and at the same time Lowes was closing out the Delta mini lathe that I bought for $119. I figured a small piece of wood would be less likely to do damage. From there, I was hooked. Must have turned more than a 1000 pens and never had one fly out.

Not to totally hijack the thread, when I had my shop built I had load bearing 12' ceiling I installed. I also had an area reinforced for a hoist. I don’t have it over my lathe, but that would be nice. I have a cart same height as the lathe ways. Any thing big I use a faceplate and shim until I can thread it on the spindle. I just have a HF 1100#, but use a single cable setup for 500# capacity. Maybe someday I'll put one over the lathe.