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homemade drywall lift

62K views 51 replies 20 participants last post by  BIG Johnson 
#1 · (Edited)
i'm creating a drywall lift from 2x, hinges and a crank-type chain fall or possibly rope and crank. anyone out there want to help? i have a rough pencil sketch in "My Photos" (to your left under my avatar)
DM
 
#6 ·
thanks M6, when it's built and tested and safe, i'll post pics and plans for all to see. maybe i'll send a copy to motherearthnews too, the homemade one they show has no plans, just a drawing and measurements. pretty confusing to the average person. i could still build theirs, but i think mine would be easier and cheaper to build. another i saw a drawing of was just a car jack setup.... looked hard to use and unsafe to me.

DM
 
#7 · (Edited)
ok, i put the pics in My Photos. my problem is how to keep the top platform level as it rises. at this point it's more of a 2 man tool. one person to hold the sheet level as it's going up, then the ceiling will hold it flat as it's being positioned. if i get time today, i'll draw the thing with chainfall (or perhaps crank and pulley?) attached and in more detail. comments and serious suggestions welcome. and yes, i know it only shows one locking wheel, there will be 4, of course.

DM
 
#11 ·
Downside "I" see to the 2 bye gizmo MIGHT be sheer weight. IF You have a work force of about 4 to carry it around,,,which brings up storage probs,,,wetness isnt woods friend. I am NOT blessed with abunduance of storage SO,,,I dont have one of neither,,altho I WISH I had!! Long story short,,,compute weight of total structure before assembling!!(and factor in the LEAST number of workers to MOVE it!!)
 
#14 ·
D..Mouse, o'l bud,,

Drywall hanging and roofing are games for young folk.. (it's what helps make'em older an sore'er) If you are determined to DIY... and not help the guy on the street corner "will work for food".. (lots of new home construction hangers headed there now)...

Do you need to build a boat to cross a creek you can jump over?
How many thousands of SF do you need to hang?


How many real legs have you got? ( I once had a one armed painter on the crew... (No, I never asked him if he could hang wall paper).

One man hanging made a little easier....?:

If you are able... 2x4 deadman "T"'s as KCtermite advised plus you can make few arms... ( 2x4 blocks " long as you want them 3'-4' add fat "size of rock" spacer... nail to bottom of ceiling joist ...Position so you can slide
sheet in the slot.. hold other edge with one hand while you grab the deadman "T"
... go rest on the couch... when rested... adjust sheet to right spot... pull the deadman tight again... and screw away.... Repeat until you run out of ceiling.... Or if you are having fun... install another layer... be sure you cut the deadmans leg off the thickness of the rock.

Your design looks cool...and it just might fly.

Stay safe.
 
#15 ·
Give a little thought to my advice, and I am not saying you can't do it, but:

A decent drywall lift can be rented for $20, maybe $40. So what is your time worth and plus the ease of using a lift? I have done it with 2x's and a tee, and 2 guys and sweat, and I promise you, it is worth the bucks...and if you still can't think about the rent, then buy one, some are as low as $100, and sell it on craigslist when you finish.
 
#16 ·
i have a whole house worth to hang. no money to rent. no money to buy and resell. won't be too heavy to move as it will be on locking wheels. when all done, i have spare hinges and firewood to heat my home. have materials and gumption but i'm too old to hold and screw it to the ceiling. even with help. this will do the trick as soon as i figure out a bug or two. it can be easily used with myself and my son as it's drawn now, (with crank or ratchet, of course) thinking crank and rope will be better than ratcheting chain fall. tnkx for input!

DM
 
#17 ·
I have hung drywall before, and I don't quite understand your contraption.

I cut my drywall to manageable pieces, and used two expanding poles that I purchased at HD. I did a lovely textured ceiling as there isn't enough drywall compound in Canada for all the seams that I had.......lol

From someone who has hung drywall in two rooms, one 30 feet by 19 and one 12 feet by 19, cutting the 8 foot sheet into three pieces, I would never do it again without a lift.

Trust me, you will love textured ceilings.........
 
#19 ·
--added the 'plan' from mother earth news, (also in "MyPhotos") much larger and heavier than my idea. but as you can see, it can be done. where there's a will, there's a way! my scissor-type should be much lighter and smaller. if i could just figure out how to keep it level as it rises...... anyone?

DM
 
#20 ·
I have an odd feeling like I'm trying to help someone plan their own demise. Oh well...rather than trying to make a diamond shaped lift, make your base longer, and make a parallel linkage to lift the sheet flat. So rather than having 4 pieces hinged you'd have three. See the crude drawing below.



None of this trumps a real lift. If you're budget is so tight that you can't rent one...I'd highly suggest you wait a month or 3 to save the money for a lift rental. By far the safest method. But what do I know you mice have been running into traps similar to this all your life.:whistling2:

C'mon, fess up...your really trying to help out the gene pool aren't ya?:thumbup:
 
#21 ·
looked at a madeinchina lift..... i'd be better off with a stick from my woods! probly safer too! interesting concept rippy. i'll give it some more thought. save the money? hah! impossible when all spare change goes to gas and food. gene pool? nope, i can't swim.....

DM
 
#24 ·
thanks jogr! Tom's idea seems best to me as i have my son and two 3 ft. stepladders! i wanted easiest, fastest and cheapest, and Tom's post fits the bill! Tom posted---> Temporarily screw in a 6' 1X3 as a 'cleat' along the top of your wall (about 5/8" down from the ceiling for 1/2" drywall). Slide the long edge of your sheet into the gap as you maneuver yourself up your stepladder and push the whole sheet up into place (the cleat is holding half the weight) with one hand and start running screws with the other (screws can be started on the sheet first if necessary).Complete that whole row by moving cleat along wall as necessary. To start your second row, - - simply 'rabbett' out 1/8" deep X 1 1/4" wide out of your same 1X3, - - and now screw the thicker edge of it through the long tapered edge of the first row, - - leaving the rabbetted edge exposed so you can slide the first sheet of your second row into it, - - now it is again holding half the weight for you as you install it. When you remove your 1X3 the empty holes it leaves behind are in the tapered area that you'll soon be spackling anyway, - - been doin' it myself for years, - - mostly 8' and 10' sheets, - - I have several cleats pre-made of several different lengths.<--- so i think we'll go this route rather than trying to build something i would just have to disassemble down the road! 1x3s i got!!! and i think i may even have a few screws laying around too! -=chuckle=- the cleats is the perfect way for us to get them up fast and free! again, tnkx and consider this thread dead.
 
#26 ·
Gawrsh... *blush* we love you too Pete.... but as i said in post #24, there's no need now! i needed an easy, cheap and safe way to do it. of course, if i didn't have my 6' 2" SON to HELP me, i'd still be wanting to build it!

DM
 
#27 ·
okaaayyy, #24 didn't quite work out the way i'd hoped. it was easier than nothing, but we about killed ourselves putting up two 5/8" panels today. tomorrow i build the lift!
will post pics and problems if i have them. i'm going 1" steel pipe crank with 3 block pulleys i found in the shed and some rope. *wish me luck!*

DM
 
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