DIY Shingle Lift

The lift is carefully aligned at an angle of that-looks-about-right degrees.

Needed to get 4,200 lbs of shingles onto my friend's roof and the nearest rental place with a power ladder was very far, it was expensive, and we lacked any way to transport it (and an appropriate ladder). For $30 of lumber and hardware I turned my electric hoist and some scrap wood into a lift. It took one hour to design and two to build. This is less time than renting would've taken, given the two separate round trips required.

I used two sixteen foot 2x6s for the rails, and ordered an additional twelve foot piece (for the carriage and key pieces I didn't trust making out of the scrap available), all of which were delivered along with the shingles from the hardware store. When the project is done, they'll be cut in half and saved for future projects. We already had decking screws to assemble it, so all that was needed was a pulley (a 640 lb one is far more than the 75 lb bundles require but it was inexpensive and I can use it for future hoist projects), a u-bolt to affix the cable, and a cable stop.

My hoist can handle 440 lbs in single line mode and goes reasonably fast. I mounted it on the bottom so that the controls would be accessible to the operator on the ground without having to lengthen the control cable, so its weight would be at ground level, and also so the extra cable length and flexibility of the pulley at the top would even out the slight position shifts as the cable is unwound from different spots on the drum. The width of the lift was determined by the need to put the spool in the center and also provide enough room for ventilation. One way to reduce it would've been to mount the hoist sideways. To protect it from rain, a contractor duty garbage bag was placed over it and was weighted down. A hurricane came through before we were done, so the bag was additionally stapled to the frame. It didn't suffer any water damage, despite the need to work the bag around the cable (this junction was taped).

I designed the carriage to go low enough that the shingles could be easily loaded and also so that the bundles go over the top of the lift, sliding off right into your arms. The lift is set at a height above the roof to make this convenient. The platform is a piece of scrap from a demolished deck, which is why it has that odd angle. I made the carriage 1/4" larger than the frame to account for small variations in width. By simply resting a board at the back, the lift can also raise tools or other materials. Large marks drawn in sharpie allow the operator on the ground to know when to stop. Ideally a limit switch would be used, but it wasn't worth it for a device with such a short lifespan. Similarly, furniture gliders were considered but then rejected as the hoist is sufficiently powerful to overcome friction.



Small legs ensure the carriage doesn't collide with the edge of the roof and also increase the contact area versus simply leaning it. It is surprisingly easy to lift and move, should I need to.



The lift worked very well, although we did run up against the hoist's 25% duty cycle rating, especially as the cooling fan is attached to its motor and does not run unless it does. I plan to add a continuously running fan from an old power supply, but not having one on hand, I rigged a vacuum cleaner blowing air to increase its cooling.

The Romney

How can I get a Romney sticker without giving his campaign any money?

When blowing snow in a wind, you have to swivel the discharge chute 180 degrees every time you reach the end of a row and turn around in order to keep blowing downwind. This involves furiously cranking the adjustment handle while wheeling the whole blower in a circle, which is a real pain. While sick a bit ago, I designed and built this snow-blower chute, which can flip 180 degrees in an instant (hence its namesake). Making the nozzle fit the snow-blower was tricky: I had to keep the control handle short so it wouldn't stick out further than the width of the blower when rotated 90 degrees, the chute's height had to be as small as possible or it would clog when the snow was wet and heavy, the tippable nozzle couldn't be too long or it would hit the engine, and the standard heating duct I used required an adapter to match the snow-blower's discharge pivot ring. The geometry of the top of the vertical duct was interesting, because it needs to seal the back of the tipped chute when angled in either direction. I worked out the math (two cylinders intersecting at 45 degrees) and then printed a paper template which I taped onto the metal and then cut it to shape with tin snips. As you can see, it seals very well but it's impossible to observe the actual shape in photos (it just looks generically round).

DIY Rip Fence

My table saw's rip fence was never very good and had been becoming less and less accurate with time. It was narrow and failed to lock well, requiring a lot of coaxing into position. I wanted to order one like the Shop Fox, but it costs $235, plus another $44 for shipping. I used their basic layout, with a few changes of my own. It was a good excuse to invest in and learn to use a MIG welder, which was only slightly more expensive than the Shop Fox itself. I also needed an angle grinder, as using my bench-top one for pieces this size is quite tiring!

Rather than the usual cam locking system I employed a threaded lock, much like a c-clamp. To assure consistent locking force, there's a stop pin so the handle always rests in the same position. I made the handle from a piece of 3/4" square tubing welded to a 1/2" carriage bolt. One arm of the handle is shorter than the other so that it misses the stop pin, allowing for more rotation. The stop pin is necessary because the 1/2" bolt can effortlessly bend the 2" piece of angle iron.

This is the bottom of the removable fence, with the furniture glides I used for low-friction movement clearly visible.

Here's a detail of where most of the action occurs. At the top is the system for adjusting the angle of the fence to the track. There are two set screws with a metal strip to provide tension and prevent marring. At the bottom is the anti-mar device for the clamping bolt. You can see the two screw holes from the simple L-shaped piece of metal I tried that would retract by spring action, but I lacked the equipment to heat treat it, so it just bent permanently, scratching the paint. The final method employs two springs to achieve the same effect. A better way would be to put a nylon glide on the anti-mar plate and not bother with a spring retractor.

I later added a seven foot long track to allow larger pieces to be cut. Whereas last time I drilled and tapped bolts to hold the track assembly together (copying the professional ones), this time I simply welded it. I can now make cuts 50" to the right of the blade, although I'd certainly need a support to keep the whole setup from tipping over sideways were I to actually attempt it. I still need to paint the new rails, but that's not a big deal. Now that the rails are finalized I can attach a self-adhesive measuring tape so setting the cut width will be much easier. Eventually I plan to add a melamine extension for part of the extra distance to serve as a router table, but there's no rush on that.

There are many ways I could streamline the construction of the rip fence, but it slides easily and is solid as a rock when clamped.

Farewell Odd Dryer Arrangement

In the interests of making my house more typical (and therefore more marketable), I just dismantled my dryer arrangement. It eliminated the need to bend over with armfuls of damp clothing, although I would've had to relocate the dryer's controls if I'd kept it that way. It will be missed.

Oil Filter Strain Relief

Typically a heating system's oil filter is attached to the tank, which anchors it solidly allowing you to loosen the nut holding it together easily. Since my tank is in a crawlspace I wanted an equivalent system upstairs. I'm sure something is made for this, but I needed a cheap and fast solution so I took a 3/8" coupling and welded a 1/2" pipe to it and then attached a flange for a base. This setup supports the filter and allows me to open it up without risking damage to the soft copper oil feed lines. The clearances are a little tight where it's going so I snapped a picture before installing it. The image is a bit fuzzy but you can get the idea.

Steel Wheelbarrow Handles - $10.68

My wheelbarrow's handles were shot and the cheapest I could find were $27, which is rather a lot for a wheelbarrow that's seen better days. Instead I bought a 10' piece of 1.5" electrical conduit for $10.68. Handles are usually 60", so cutting it in half was perfect. I considered welding the fittings on but decided ease of removal was worth some drilling, especially since I already had the bolts. Even if I'd gone with the store bought handles I'd still have needed to make the holes, although drilling hardwood is arguably easier. The handles not being square didn't seem to matter very much to assembly. The tubing was a little large to be comfortable in my hands, so I flattened the handle area a bit with a large hammer, taking care that the resulting shape was aligned vertically. Not the prettiest result, symmetry-wise, but perfectly functional.

Butcher Block Resurfacing

Originally posted on my private blog May 26th, 2009.

This butcher block table had seen some serious use, creating depressions over an inch deep and some nasty discoloration. It sold rather cheaply at an antiques auction because while some use adds character, a lot apparently just looks kind of gross. When measuring it up, I discovered the original top hadn't been parallel to the base so I corrected this while I was at it. Fortunately I was removing enough that all traces of the previous edge bevel were erased. Using some straight pieces of lumber as rails to ensure my router remained parallel to the surface, I made four passes, removing 5/16" and a final one removing only 1/16". This took about three hours. Next I need to sand the top smooth, round the edges, and sand the sides to remove the slight discoloration there. I may add a small groove around the periphery to catch liquids.