Two story shop question.

[GlenS]

Just out of curiosity. Why would you want to assemble on the 2nd floor? I always do a dry fit & like to be near the tools in case something needs trimmed or a piece needs remade. Just seems like a lot of extra work in the end.

Is the building so small you need to use the extra space? A dedicated finishing room would be great tho.

[RPE1]

I am looking at the possibility of moving my shop to a existing building that is two stories high.  I would like to utilize both floors so that would mean finding a way to easily transport items from one floor to the other.  I could put all the machines on one floor and then have assembly and finishing on the other.

Has anyone else faced this problem?

I was thinking about looking for a hydraulic lift like out of a garage, build a platform on it and using that as an "elevator".  Obviously there would probably be issues that would have to be dealt with but I think it could work.

Any ideas from the Woodnet brain trust?

TIA

Toney

Here are my farts.
A four post car lift is not expensive (in the great scheme of things) and just bolts to the floor.  No digging.  The travel  on it is only about five feet, however.   But there are ways to overcome this limitation. 
Is there single phase power already installed?
      Is it 200 amps?
      Do you live in an area that will allow you to do wiring yourself, or are you qualified to do your own wiring?
How big is the first floor area?
Will the floor withstand the weight of the tools?
Sounds like the floors are all wood.  Could be a problem, unless it is a commercial building.
Is second floor access adequate for hauling projects, machines and materials up and down?
What do you want to spend to make it happen?
It could be done!

[fishhh4]

Used electric for k lift . I bought one for 500 . Sold it for 750 , and it didn't owe me a dime . It's just electric .. Many ways to do it  . You could rig up a wired remote . Plus a forklift sure is handy at times . Build a platform like a pallet . Mine was rated at 2500 lbs .
This is what the gentleman that bought mine did . Made it into a elevator .

Some how it changed for.k into fudge so I left a space . Did not know FOR.K is a bad word .

[Stwood_]

Yea. You have to fudge to get the words f.o.r.k or f.o.l.k to show up.

[cvillewood]

I’d be more inclined to make some kind of material hoist with an electric hoist. Would be a lot cheaper than a car lift and the space on floor one would be free when the hoist is up if needed, unlike a fixed auto lift.

Small machines on floor two as said above. I’d still probabaly want a TS and jointer up there.

[TheTradesmanChannel]

I am looking at the possibility of moving my shop to a existing building that is two stories high.  I would like to utilize both floors so that would mean finding a way to easily transport items from one floor to the other.  I could put all the machines on one floor and then have assembly and finishing on the other.

Has anyone else faced this problem?

I was thinking about looking for a hydraulic lift like out of a garage, build a platform on it and using that as an "elevator".  Obviously there would probably be issues that would have to be dealt with but I think it could work.

Any ideas from the Woodnet brain trust?

TIA

Toney

I'm brand new here so I don't think I'm in the brain trust yet but I'm building a two story timber framed shop right now myself.  The second floor is where the wood and timber shop will be.  What I'm doing for setup is a trap door in the second floor with a winch to pull up timbers, I've already been using this method to pull 10"x10"x16' top plates up to the second floor with a chain hoist and the system is working out pretty well.  On the front of the building there will be a hayloft style door 6' wide for moving projects out with a forklift.  The first floor is housing my sawmill and the blacksmith shop.  Good luck.  I'll be following this one closely for ideas myself.

[fredhargis]

I would think a used forklift would be cheaper than some of the alternatives, if you had an access point to the second floor. That said, it just seems like a bad idea. I know the last season of Rough Cut McDonald built a shop that was 2 stories...I'd bet he'll wind up regretting it thuogh his reasons for doing so seem to have merit Smaller footprint, cheaper to go up than out, etc.etc.)

[AHill]

The last season of Rough Cut with Tommy Mac he built a 2-story shop.  The upstairs was basically his office and design area.  I think he does classes in the upstairs portion as well.  All the machinery was on the bottom floor.  If you have small tools like for carving, scroll saw, etc. that would be a consideration for the upper floor.  Otherwise, the winch and/or pulley system seems to be the cheapest option.  That would get old after awhile.

[Willyou]

The only functions that make sense to me on a second floor would be finishing and possibly, as someone mentioned above, design/office space if you have the room. And, I would only do it if I could have a convenient means of moving assembled pieces up and down; like an elevator or lift of some sort. My inclination would be to have finishing spaces on the upper level, but that would depend on your own preferences and work flow. Again, depending on how much room you have on each level, you could have separate spaces for brush work and spray work. By having all finishing work done on a different level it wold be easier to keep it away from all the dust created by other work.

[Dave Diaman]

I helped a friend make a elevator/hoist using a Harbor Freight electric hoist. We made a 4’ x 6’ section of the floor that was attached to the hoist on all 4 corners. Lower the hoist and the floor lowers. We had guides that dropped about 18” below the ceiling to guide the section back into place. I believe this is the hoist we used. I hav Ethel same one that I use to pull a cart up the stairs in my shop for heavy stuff.

https://www.harborfreight.com/2000-lb-el...62770.html