Above 1200 Sq/FT The ASYLUM - Happy 40th Birthday to Me! (Est. 2005)

The reason I said a battery tender was simply because I have a solar system that looks after my office like a UPS system. It runs the phones, fax as well as the computer and backing that up I have a large battery tender from the mains and the bigger solar system. I am sure that idea could also work with your battery set up on the lift.

I am sure what you are doing or trying to do should work OK as long as the batteries do not get over charged. A large tender would work ok and charge harder when you are using the lift and then only if it had to.

Great idea on the handrails. Very resourceful using the sliding/telescoping ladders. Giving ideas is what the rest of us on the other side of the computer can provide. If one of those ideas can be the seed for something that works out, then we have completed that mission. (Now if we can get someone to make something out of copper, then we'd really be successful...)

Nice to see you are working on the lift. It is a big project and you will get through it by taking small bites.

" (Now if we can get someone to make something out of copper, then we'd really be successful...)"

Tin Bender, are you picking up what Wingnut is laying down? lol

Shopnut, I'm not sure at all about this, but isn't the max current draw of the pump assy. a concern when using the 10A Schmacher charger at the same time? I'm wondering if the starting current spike might fry a circuit in the charger? Any built-in over-current protection in the charger?

Another concern of mine about battery chargers is their ability to cook a battery dry. I once made the mistake of leaving a charger on a car battery too long; I was using the 'quick charge' mode of the unit. The immediate neighborhood got to enjoy the lasting aroma of rotten eggs till I remembered I was charging the battery. Do you plan to install a timer switch in the circuit used to power the charger? Nothing like driving halfway home only to realize you 'might' have left something powered up at the shop that should have been turned off along with the lights.

Omphaloskeptic said:

Another concern of mine about battery chargers is their ability to cook a battery dry. I once made the mistake of leaving a charger on a car battery too long; I was using the 'quick charge' mode of the unit. The immediate neighborhood got to enjoy the lasting aroma of rotten eggs till I remembered I was charging the battery. Do you plan to install a timer switch in the circuit used to power the charger? Nothing like driving halfway home only to realize you 'might' have left something powered up at the shop that should have been turned off along with the lights.

Click to expand...

Another reason to use a battery tender . it would go inot float mode and not cook the battery.

Hope you all had a great Turkey Day! I ate to much as usual.

HOTFR8/Ompha - The charger I show in the pictures is a bit old now, but it's one of those "automatic" types. When the battery reaches full charge, it starts cycling on and off (maybe every 3 seconds). I wouldn't leave it doing that all night or anything, but think it's designed to not cook the battery. This one is not as sophisticated as some of the newer 3-stage chargers with the bulk/absorption/float modes. I may end up buying a higher amp 3-stage if I need to.

Here are some shots I took when the battery was installed. The first one shows the voltage after charging and then allowing the battery to stabilize down to a true value. The next two shots were taken while it was doing the cycling thing. Note the green light and meter readings. The 13.87V reading was on its way down pretty fast to its 13.0V stable level when I snapped the picture. The charger would cycle back on again before it ever reached it.





In regards to charging while pulling big amps from the battery - that has been my question for a while now. I need to find teh manual for that charger and see what it says about it. I did run the lift up a few times with the charger hooked up and I saw no ill effects. I didn't have the meter hooked on at that point, but that would be a good test to see if the voltage droop was less with the charger connected. If I find out I shouldn't be charging at the same time as lifting, I could easily add a relay circuit to cut out the charger when lifting.

I have quite a few timers rigged up in this place to keep me from forgetting things when I leave for home. I also have a checklist that I go through as I'm walking out. A spring-wound timer would be a good idea for this guy too - I wasn't considering it (until now). Thanks Ompha . I have a number of 12 hour models sitting in the cabinet that would be perfect to turn off whatever charger I'm using when I'm not around. I just don't like have stuff powered up when I'm not here.

Wingnut65 - I welcome any nudges in the right direction and I'm very thankful for them. Keep them coming. This place is going to be better because of it.

You'll see a few more small "nibbles" on the manlift project soon - one is almost ready for prime time.

MORE APPLETON REELITE CORD REELS…

I could possibly have a "reel" disorder because it seems I can't get enough of these. I found another 4-pole cord reel (220VAC capable) for a reasonable price so I grabbed it. A couple flaws include a busted flange which will limit where I mount the fairlead and a missing cord bumper donut, no big deal. I needed to unwind the cord on this one since somehow it had gotten tangled up on the spool, so I decided to remove the access panel to the slip rings. While I was in the exploratory mode, I decided to pull the other covers off too and snap a few. I was reassured they are quality units inside and out.





I've been seeing these small Reelite reels going on auction at decent prices for years now and finally decided to buy one. One really neat feature is the continuous 360 swivel mount base (must be some slip rings in there). This one may get converted into an extension cord for the battery tender and get mounted in the middle of the city garage - my cheap $10 craftsman reel is losing its "spring".



THE LADDERS FOR THE FRONT LOFT RAILING ARRIVED…

I was impressed with the packaging on these - double boxed. I think 2 rungs on each side will work nicely for the "quick access" portion in the middle.

If you are worried about the charger a safety switch on the timer would fix that. Once the timer clicks off you have to reset the safety switch. An earth leakage type switch would be perfect. So you would plug the timer into the power and the safety switch to the timer. Timer turns off and safety switch also cuts out. The timer can come on again but you have to reset the safety switch each time.

shopnut

I have a cord real on my ceiling in the middle of the shop. It is a 25' 15 amp and works great for access.
I have tried looking for those ladders locally but can't find them. Where did you pick yours up at?

HOTFR8 - I think I'm following you. I'm assuming the safety switch you're talking about is what we refer to as a GFI or Ground Fault Interrupter. IIRC, there are some that need to be reset when line (or supply) power is lost. That sounds like a clever way to build a anti-restart system into a circuit with an electric clock type timer (the kind that comes on for a given period each day or week) and I'm storing it away in my memory banks for future use .

Many of the timers I use around the shop are the wind up spring kind. Basically you wind it to the desired number of hours to stay on and once it times out, there is no chance of them coming back on unless you physically wind it back up again. I use the 12 hour versions on my cordless drill chargers, exhaust fan, and air compressor to power those things up for the typical work day. I can turn them off manually when I am done, but if I forget, the timer will do it automatically. Here are some examples: Spring Wound Timer. It is this type that I would install on the manlift - I really like them.

akdiesel - Here you go: Ebay 12.5 ft Telescopic Ladder or Amazon 12.5 ft Telescopic Ladder.
I remember that Sears sold them too, at least a year ago. Happy hunting!

FIXING UP THE OLD MANLIFT (PART 4 OF ???))…

When greasing up the wheels, I found the cross member bowed slightly where the swivel casters mount on. It’s important that the caster base plate stay parallel with the ground for the swivel to spin freely - so off it came to get straightened out.



Again, the outriggers serve as a great way to service the casters. Not the wood blocks as the precautionary measure. I wasn’t going underneath it, but at 1000 pounds, it could still do some damage to limbs.



You should clearly be able to see the bow in the C-channel in this picture.



A large shop press is on my wish list, but this is what I came up with to straighten it - some 2x4 scraps appropriately placed below, and a piece on top where the ole sledge hammer would strike.



About 50 precision whacks later, it looks much better. I will keep an eye on it and reinforce it if it bends again. I have a feeling it will see a pretty easy life from now on, rolling around on my smooth, seamless floor compared to whatever torture it was subjected to before.



That made a big difference. The manlift would tend to wander a bit when rolling around due to that bent plate and the casters tending to swivel inward. It rolls so good now that I might have to rig up some type of “parking brake” to plant in when not in use (when the outriggers are stored, it’s difficult to swing the cranks).

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A NEW BATTERY CAN MAKE…

I got a chance to put the manlift through a good workout. I gathered some voltage numbers to compare to as the years go by and they are charted below. Beforehand, I charged the battery the night before and then it sat overnight and that’s where Cycle 0 starts. Average raise height was about 12’ so maybe half of its maximum lift.

The “Period Between” column indicates an approximate time that the battery sat before I hopped in the basket and rose up. "Short" would be I came down to grab a tool and went right back up. "Long" indicates maybe 10 minutes or longer when I came down to cut a piece of plywood or something. It shows that if the battery has a chance to sit for a while it recovers some voltage.

Cycle… Voltage (V)….Period Between
0…………..12.77……...………Start Point
1…………..12.74…...…………Long
2…………..12.64………...……Short
3…………..12.70………...……Long
4…………..12.53……...………Short
5…………..12.63…..…………Medium
6…………..12.57…...…………Short
7…………..12.58……...………Short
8…………..12.53……...………Short
9…………..12.61……...………Long
10…………..12.54…….………Short
11…………..12.52……….……Short
12…………..12.53……….……Short
13…………..12.56……….……Short
14…………..12.59………….…Long
15…………..12.55……….……Short
16…………..12.60……….……Long
17…………..12.52……….……Short
18…………..12.51……….……Short
19…………..12.47……….……Short
20…………..12.53……….……Medium
21…………..12.50………….…Short
22…………..12.48…….………Short
23…………..12.50….…………Medium
24…………..12.53…….………Long
25…………..12.47……….……Long
26…………..12.41……….……Short
27…………..12.40……….……Short
28…………..12.45……….……Medium
29…………..12.42……….……Short
30…………..12.46……….……Long
31…………..12.39……….……Short
32…………..12.37……….……Short
33…………..12.42……….……Long
34…………..12.43………….…Long
35…………..12.39………….…Short


Well let’s just say, it outlasted me - I ran out of gas long before the manlift did. It was still working fine and didn’t sound like it was slowing down yet. I’m simply thrilled with the performance.

Another thing worth noting is with the battery voltage down to 12.39 at the end of the day, the charger started out showing a 50% charge on it's gauge. After an hour, it was showing 75% and hung there for 2 hours. 100% occurred sometime before 8 hours (I was sleeping when it happened) and the battery returned to 12.90 volts. So that means one of my 12 hour timers will work nicely to power the charger long enough to achieve full charge, but not be on any longer than needed (Thanks for the tip, Ompha!). It gives me piece of mind knowing there’s no chance of me forgetting something was left on when I head for home.

There were certainly times when I could have charged the battery for a short period during the work day, like during lunch, but I didn’t for this test to work it as hard as possible. When charging opportunities present themselves, I well zap it a bit during breaks. I know from experience that batteres don’t like sitting in a deep discharge state and I think it’s better for a lead acid battery to stay at the higher end of it’s voltage range for longevity - I need to a little research to confirm.

shopnut said:

HOTFR8 - I think I'm following you. I'm assuming the safety switch you're talking about is what we refer to as a GFI or Ground Fault Interrupter. IIRC, there are some that need to be reset when line (or supply) power is lost. That sounds like a clever way to build a anti-restart system into a circuit with an electric clock type timer (the kind that comes on for a given period each day or week) and I'm storing it away in my memory banks for future use .

Click to expand...

That's it Ground Fault Interrupter or perhaps an Earth leakage detector. Glad you followed what I was trying to explain. A clever trick to store away if you ever need a time switch to shut off and have what ever it was stay off.

shopnut said:

Many of the timers I use around the shop are the wind up spring kind. Basically you wind it to the desired number of hours to stay on and once it times out, there is no chance of them coming back on unless you physically wind it back up again. I use the 12 hour versions on my cordless drill chargers, exhaust fan, and air compressor to power those things up for the typical work day. I can turn them off manually when I am done, but if I forget, the timer will do it automatically. Here are some examples: Spring Wound Timer. It is this type that I would install on the manlift - I really like them.

Click to expand...

I have never seen a wind up timer all mine I have are clock types with multiple on and off settings.

Awsome shop I want to read the whole thread when I get a chance soon. I have an Appleton reel in my shop and just bought an Insul8 yesterday for the front I will have one on each end. They are great and I have around $100 total in them both. Money well spent!

Glad you liked my input; always nice to have some of my crazy ideas well received.

Just wondering if the lift's 'mechanicals to-do list' is about wrapped up? I'm thinking it's probably still warm enough down there in 'The Sunshine State' to do a little painting on the lift. (wink-wink-nudge-nudge)

shopnut

Thanks for info on the ladder. I will stop by Sears as soon as I get back.

HOTFR8 - Those spring wound timers come in handy for a lot of things. You better get yourself some!

mdkingsley - Thanks for stopping by and commenting. A good quality reel will put a smile on your face every time you use it. I’m collecting the Appletons to replace all the Sears Craftsman “Professional” models I have hanging up currently. They’re not bad and for $20 each, I really can’t complain. But it’s time to step it up a notch (or 3) .

I actually didn’t know about those Insul8 models, but now after taking a look, they look like good ones to search for as well. Thanks for the tip! Have fun reading.

Omphaloskeptic - Besides some wiring (whose job just expanded with the addition of that timer ), I still need to replace the hydraulic hose and hard mount the battery charger so the meter stays centered in the window. If I don’t do something soon in this Florida humidity, the appearance will become a “mechanical” issue - in the form of reduced structural integrity!!! Speaking of manlift paint, you never did give me a suggestion for colors, beside a reference to that “caution flag yellow”. Would you just paint it all just one color to keep it simple?

akdiesel - You were just looking for an excuse to stop at Sears, weren’t you? I forgot to mention that it was the Sears website where I had seen them - not sure if the stores have them, to be honest.

hurryup on the railings, man.. the railings

.

luvit - Yeah, that should be job number ONE with my track record! I'm now waiting on some special pieces that were just ordered last night from McMaster Carr . I'm also adding a grab rail that will hang up by the ceiling directly above the "ladder" railing, so it should be doubly safe when I'm done. That's the theory anyway!

Hopefully their shipping is quick so I can get started!!!

" Speaking of manlift paint, you never did give me a suggestion for colors, beside a reference to that “caution flag yellow”. Would you just paint it all just one color to keep it simple?"

Shopnut, I was thinking that the lift could be moved outdoors for the messy work. I don't know if it ever actually gets 'cold' in Florida enough to prevent you from getting the lift clean and dry. I just thought you might have good temps yet to do the pressure washing, and with the combined use of the leaf blower and old sol, the lift could be made ready for the outdoor spraying of the lift in 'caution yellow'. Once the base coat(s) are laid down, the masking removed and the greasing done, you could move the beast back inside for 'the final touches' at your leisure in a nice warm shop. lol

As far as additional paint colors, you could use some accent color(s) that would tie it in with the colors used throughout the shop, or use 'Industrial Black' as an accent/contrast color. If you have the inclination to try something new and different, pinstriping might be a fun 'experiment' to try your hand at. Or.... you could do a 'vertical flame job' on some platform side panels for that Cape Kennedy effect. Heh-heh! Another crazy (?) thought is to order a roll or two of that neat 3M 2" wide reflective tape (Diamond brite) or some other fun flavor -

http://www.shop3m.com/3m-special-application-tapes-xv7sldkqkk.html

You could get really wild with a 'launch panel', rotating/flashing beacon, and warning klaxon to make the lift 'one-of-a-kind' to make it fit right in with the Asylum moniker!

P.S. - Don't forget to add the proper accessories to the man lift. I'm thinking a cup (beer) holder, a 'Jacobs ladder' for emergencies; and considering your recent accident, a safety line/harness assembly hung from the ridge beam might be mandatory!

shopnut said:

HOTFR8 - Those spring wound timers come in handy for a lot of things. You better get yourself some!

Click to expand...

I think they are not legal here as I have never seen them on the market in Australia.

hotfr8, if it were not for spring wound timers my the following would have been problems in the bathroom of my daughters.
they would never turn off the light
they would never turn off the fan.. so i moved the light and fan to the same timer.
they would take longer showers
they would take too long to do everything in the bathroom.. so the timer really didn't just speed-up their shower time.

.

I can see how they work for you.

Omphaloskeptic - All great ideas, including the accessories. Thanks.

We may get 2 or 3 week a year where I wouldn't recommend painting outside so that shouldn't be a hinderance. A good pressure washing is due after I change out that hydraulic hose. That 3M reflective tape is great for making the bikes a bit more visible at night. Actually, it has really great adhesive and applies easily too. The decal idea is right up my alley.

HOTFR8 - That's odd. I wonder why they wouldn't be legal.

luvit - Too funny!

shopnut said:

HOTFR8 - That's odd. I wonder why they wouldn't be legal.

Click to expand...

No idea but I have not seen them here only a clock version and a digital clock version. Would be something in our electrical laws and regulations.

Shopnut, in regard to positioning reflective tape, I read about a slick trick for placing the tape. After the surface is wiped down with alcohol, spray the surface with a diluted weak dish soap + water solution. This allows you to 'float' the tape/decal into position. When you are happy with the positioning, gently squeegee the liquid out and the adhesive will adhere normally to the mounting surface.

This works well, I placed a full sheet of the black 3m Diamond-brite product on the rear of the helmet trunk of my daughters Honda Metropolitan. Black on black plastic blends right in, but at night, the headlights of cars behind her light that thing up beautifully!

Omphaloskeptic - I’ve never tied the soapy water trick, but a friend told me it works. In fact, he originally purchased this fancy bottle of “decal installation spray”. Turns out it was just a mild solution of water and dish soap for $7. I'm going to try that trick on the next big decal I apply.

For anyone searching on the reflective decal material being discussed, the raw sheet I have states the following on the back "3M Scotchlite Brand Reflective Sheeting Series 580". It is extraordinary stuff. As Ompha mentions, it can make a bike come alive at night. Here are day and night pictures of the decals I stuck on my FJR1300 from the website:



The ones I bought for my bike have a red color for the Yamaha tuning fork logo instead of the silver, so they can do multi-colors as well.

THE REST OF THE LOFT PLYWOOD GOES UP…

I cut the 4x8 sheets of plywood to approximate width down where it was convenient and added the necessary notch in for the center column.



These narrow pieces fit on the manlift perfectly. I actually rode crouched down in the basket on the way up and then slid the plywood into place. Three 8' pieces stretched across the front. The rough cut pieces were temporarily installed to achieve proper fit up at the joints. Then the leading edge was marked following the framing below and all three pieces were taken down again and cut to final size. This might explain those 35 trips up and down with the manlift I charted earlier! The really nice part about the manlift is the trips up and down actually provide a moment to catch my breath, unlike the ladder that played a big part in taking it away .



I added these 45 degree chamfers at the corners to soften the look a bit, but mainly so it didn't block the window too much. I'm building a box around the door drums and this profile (projected downward) still clears the drum end and will hide it completely.



That drum box will be clad in white vinyl so I overhung the plywood a bit to cover the vinyl J-channel. The vinyl will be easily removed for access to the door mechanicals. The edge of the plywood will be protected with aluminum angle to prevent chips and hide the exposed wood. I'm thinking I still need a little bit of a lip here so things can't roll off the loft floor - I'm still pondering on how tall to make it.



Just like the scaffold, tools tend to collect on the work platform so I need to rig up something to help this situation .

I like those 45's. Thinking outside the box again...

For the tools, try a bucket, tool bag or even a Publix bag. I've had success with all three.

If the devil's in the details then you are the devil. I never leave here unimpressed!

shopnut

Great work.
If not asked already I have to ask, are you doing all this by your self? At those heights alone with help is hard enough but as one is amazing.

Shopnut,

Okay, it's late and I'm more than a bit loopy, but here's a thought about man lift tool storage. Check out the local thrift stores or some such low budget source for a woman's (usually) clothes closet accessory. It is a heavy cloth apparatus made for hanging on the inside of the closet door or at the end of the hanger bar. They often have a couple of vertical rows of top-loading pockets for storing shoes. I'm thinking you can hang the unit(s) on the short metal wall on the back of the man lift platform. Pockets big and deep enough to hold drills, hammers, screwdrivers, whatever, or even a six-pack of beer for those extended work sessions aloft.

J.A.W.I.F.O. (Just Another Wacky Idea From Omphaloskeptic) lol

Wingnut65 - Wouldn't a chamfer be considered "inside" the box . Believe it or not, I’ve been struggling with how to deal with that stupid little part of the loft for over a year now. When it came down to being forced to do something or delay the project, it just popped in my head. Despite adding some to the construction efforts, I think it will look and work just fine when the dust settles.

Thanks for the kudos's and suggestions. I certainly have plenty of surplus 5-gallon buckets that are poised and ready for action.

tinbender_66 - Well, I've been called worse! Seriously, I know what you are saying about the details - I struggle with so many of them around here. But I'm getting through it all somehow, with a little help from the GJ community.

akdiesel - Thanks. I would have to say 99.99% was done by yours truly. Not that I'm a loner or anything, but I really like working alone on this project (with some great cyber help from my friends at Garage Journal, of course ). I've had a very distinct image in my head of what this place would look like from the beginning and it would be very hard to convey those details to a helper.

I just really like being on my own schedule and not having to wait for helpers to show up. If I feel like working until 2am, I do it. I don’t have a problem with motivating myself to keep plugging away at this place, so I don’t see a need to involve anyone else. I really don’t think the work environment could get any better, to be honest.

Certainly, the manlift has eased the physical challenges of working at heights and I wish I wouldn’t have waited so long to buy one. The heights easily add 2 to 3 times to the length of a project and I’m looking forward to getting the high stuff completed, even now that I have the lift.

Omphaloskeptic - That hanging bag is a great idea and I envision it working well to keep the floor clear. Our Coleman pop-up camper came with this very heavy rollup bag that looked like one of those shoe hanging racks you describe. It even had zip pockets. I wish I had that back right now. Along those same lines, I seem to recall some hanging pouches that work with the Gladiator Gearwall (or one of those systems) to store misc. garage items. I’m guessing I need to avoid the mesh-style ones as tools would tend to snag in the fabric - maybe canvas or leather. Thanks for nudging me in that direction and I'm ready to start my search for teh perfect one.

That acronym JAWIFO, besides being totally accurate, is a great reminder to me to update the Index before the job gets to "monster" status.

I WAS OVERDUE FOR A "REAL" TOY…

The cycle collection reached that "a bike for every day of the week" level when I brought home this little gem - a 1985 Yamaha RZ500, the 4 cylinder version of my little RZ350. It's a 90hp oil-burning two-stroke rude and crude bike. The engine is somewhat unique (and odd) in that it's not the typical V4, but has two crankshafts that are gear driven together. It's just strange enough to be interesting.



They were sold as race bike replicas inspired by the YZR500 Grand Prix bikes ridden by Kenny Roberts Sr. and Eddie Lawson in the 1980's. Like many "replica" bikes, I doubt there were many (if any) parts that even interchanged with the actual race bikes, but they have to make them street legal and reliable too.



They left the showroom clad with a white/red paint scheme as shown below. Because of EPA restrictions, they were never imported into the US, but a number of them crossed the border from Canada and I believe that's where mine was originally sold into.



My particular bike needs a bit of work, but that is half the fun of it. God knows my aging body can't stand to ride it very long, especially after being spoiled on my newer touring bikes. Besides doing a little bit of mechanical and electrical refurb on it, I figured I would spruce up the looks a bit with some Yamaha striping.



Part of the reason I picked it up for a decent price was the paint job. Most people that buy these are purists and seek the factory paint scheme. But I realized it actually matches some things in the Asylum quite well so I guess I can live with it for now.



Eventually though, I most likely will give it a yellow/black paint job similar to the one below to match my RZ350. To me, that's classic Yamaha and just seems appropriate.



I figured I needed another project to keep me out of trouble .

That looks like a fun project, but never owning a bike I would not know where to begin.

Nice bike. So, where does it fit into the To-Do List?

Just like the scaffold, tools tend to collect on the work platform so I need to rig up something to help this situation .

[/QUOTE]

Nut, I got one of these bucket organizers for my son, but it works great to throw stuff in and head into the attic or other areas like that. I could see hanging a couple of these off the railing to keep the floor clear and not have to bend over so far to pick them up.
http://www.harborfreight.com/52-pocket-bucket-organizer-94868.html

akdiesel - Bikes are fun to ride. And easy to work on. A basic set of tools will strip them down to the frame. I've seen plenty of people ride them in the snow (hint, hint )

Wingnut65 - Thanks. Where does the bike fit on the list? Sort of between the lines, I guess. You see, this bike with reside at my city house for a few months as I go through it with a fine comb (I need something to tinker on when I'm not at the Asylum). I'm taking about 2/3rds of December as vacation and I can't spend every day at the big shop or Mrs. Shopnut may start feeling left out. A project bike in the garage is a perfect way to occupy the first part of the day while allowing me to spend the rest of the day doing something with my honey. I suspect since the weather is sooooooo nice, we will be taking quite a few bike rides.

creativecars - I didn't really want something sitting on the floor, but I didn't consider hanging the bucket on the railing - good idea. I have a 4' stack of those 5 gallon buckets collecting dust. For $7, a few of those organizers are now on my HF shopping list. Regardless of if I'm headed up high or somewhere down on the ground, I still need to carry tools to the jobsite. And these would work. Thanks for the tip.

THIS IS A MAJOR MILESTONE FOR ME...

I'm back to having a full perimeter of Library Ladder rail again (about 80 feet worth). The rails came down after initial fit-up and were painted just prior to me making that little ER visit. The 12 foot sections lying on the floor have been a trip hazard for the last year - but NO MORE! They are back up where they belong, hopefully forever. The rail sections have been waiting for a sturdy front loft structure to mount to and they finally have it.

(Just a quick background for new readers. The 1930’s monorail track and trolley system that's forming my library ladder was salvaged out of my parent’s dairy barn before they sold the old homestead. I'm glad I spent the time snatching it because just looking at it now brings back fond memories of tinkering on stuff in the barn when I was a kid. My parents moved on, but at least I was able to capture a small piece of it. See the Index in post #1 for more replies dealing with the L.L. system)

Unlike the rest of the rail that hangs from above with the original barn brackets, the section that runs across the front of the loft had to provide unobstructed access. To cantilever out, some special (read custom) parts were needed. I always try to reuse component I have lying around and in this case, the blue brackets and M12 bolts were freebees and just collecting dust. I bought some coupling nuts matching the 8" long Class 10.9 bolts (similar to 1/2" Grade 8). The pipe sections were cut from 3/4" conduit and will provide the main support and slip onto the coupling nuts. The rusty looking piece is a short section of the rail.



Here it is with the components installed. The rail is suspended from the front hoist and another tie strap off in the distance.



Add with the rail mounted in place. To match the hole spacing on the rail, I needed to space most of the brackets off the floor joists and this proved to be a real pain in the neck.



As the chipped paint on the trolley wheel flange suggests, the pipe had to be notched out for clearance. (Figured it out a little too late )



Once everything was working to satisfaction, I hoisted the rail once more and pulled the pipes out for a quick paint job. This was done mainly to coat the bare metal in the pipe notches, but also to hide them somewhat in the white vinyl backdrop that will soon be installed.



One last shot with the decking installed. Notice the blue brackets are installed, but the pipe and bolts are missing. The top edges of the brackets were position flush with the top of the joists so a bit of extra support is gained with the plywood in place.



With the last bit of plywood fastened down on the overhang, next on the agenda are those loft safety railings. Special parts have arrived for the job from McMaster Carr Supply and I’m adding a grab rail up by the ceiling as well.

HOORAY, THE RAIL IS COMPLETE! Now, it's time to build ArachnAin't. lol

shopnut

The ladder system looks great. Robust set up. Looks like it will support a ton.
Hopefully I get mine up and running when I get back home. They make it nice instead of pulling out a ladder every time you need to get something up high, plus my son like the idea of using as well, more so as ride then a tool.

Wow, talk about being resourcefull! And those just look Heavy Duty!