# transporting sheet goods



## BANick (Oct 4, 2007)

I don't have the luxury of owning a pick-up truck, I just have the old SUV that carries the family around. So to get plywood and other sheet goods home is somewhat of a pain since I have to get it cut where I buy it to fit in the back of the SUV. It works ok most of the time since I usually plan my cutlist before I buy the material but I am getting into projects where I want to bring home the sheets in one piece and cut them myself.
So, I am curious to hear what other fellow lumberjocks use to transport their plywood home. All suggestions are welcome.


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## Narayan (Mar 15, 2008)

No pickup truck for me either, and I don't have an SUV. I have a small wagon.

I can take about 4-6 pieces of 4×8 sheets of plywood home safely on the roof rack w/ rails. I use ratcheting straps to tie the pieces down. I drive pretty slowly-the winds can be pretty hazardous. I see you're in Freemont-once I bought a bunch of BB from Macbeath in Berkeley then drove over the San Mateo Bridge on a windy day…boy was that crazy. I think next time I might try to separate sheets with some kind of spacer to allow the wind to pass through.

Also, in my car, the front passenger seat folds down flat. I can fit 9' boards in and still close the hatch. This weekend I brought home 2 4×8 sheets of pegboard, 3 pieces of 4×8 birch ply, a few small sheets of MDF and 20 2×4s. Still had plenty of room inside the car.

It works, though. I have a BORG about 4 miles from where I live (don't we all). Hopefully once I get my shop cabinets built out, I won't be buying too many sheet goods. I have contemplated getting a battery powered circular saw though and cutting down sheet goods in the lot. Makes a lot more sense and makes it easier to get in and out of the shop too.


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## Al_Killian (Feb 15, 2008)

I have a freind that works close to my source for plywood. I call him and pick it up. The other option is to have deliverd by the company that sells it.


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## GaryK (Jun 25, 2007)

If you have a rack on top, you could tie it to that.

I have a small pickup and have the same problem with 5'x5' sheets of baltic birch plywood.


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

You guys ever consider a utility trailer? 
I 'm asking because that's what I'm considering now.
I seem to have enough junk comming and going to make it a sound investment.
I saw one that fold ups to lean against the house????
http://www.redtrailers.com/Trailers.asp?type=folding








Bob


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## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

Nick, I have a Jeep Cherokee with Yakima racks on it. They are rated at 120 lbs. each, so it's good for a couple of sheets of plywood, or about 50 bft of lumber. I usually make a large haul when I go to the lumber yard, because it's over 200 miles round trip, and for that I have a 5' x 8' trailer that I pull.


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## DaveHerron (Jan 21, 2008)

I have a 5' x 8' utility trailer. Works well. Can be pulled by most vehicles.


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## boboswin (May 23, 2007)

Dave , does yours have any shocks?
I am concerned with getting the load airborne on some of the roads areound here and wondering if I should bite bullet and get shocks on mine too.

Bob


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## YorkshireStewart (Sep 20, 2007)

I can't remember where I stole this image from; it may appear elsewhere on LJ. Whatever, it fits nicely with this topic..


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## BANick (Oct 4, 2007)

Thanks all for your suggestions. A trailer would be overkill for me, as I only buy sheet goods occasionally so a more sensible solution would be to use the roof rack. It's not flat but I could make some sort of support that would go on top of it.
Love that picture, YorkshireStewart, makes me feel like a king with my SUV..


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## LeeJ (Jul 4, 2007)

Would anybody really load a car like that?

That's a pretty big load for a pickup truck!

Lee


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## LeeJ (Jul 4, 2007)

As far as getting sheet goods for myself, I either have them delivered, or in a pinch I pick them up in a van.

I know that 5' x5' baltic birch problem.

That's part of the reason I stopped using it. The real reason is I found Maple Apple Ply, which has a far smoother surface, is available in 9 or 13 ply in 1/2" thickness, and comes in standard sized sheets.

I like this far better than baltic birch, which I used to swear by. I would take a cordless circular saw and rip it in the parking lot, so it would fit in my van.

Lee


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## motthunter (Dec 31, 2007)

you can rent a truck from Uhaul for 19 a day plus miles. Home Depot and Lowes usually ahve a cheap rental too. Also, find a friend with a truck…


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## Blake (Oct 17, 2007)

Hey Nick, My problem is not transporting the plywood (I have a truck), but it is fitting it through the door and managing a whole sheet in my shop.

When I need to build a cabinet or carcass I spend a lot of time carefully planning the cuts before I go to the lumber yard. *Then I have them cut the sheet on the spot.* If I need to be extra precise, I have them add an inch to all dimensions and then I can make the final cuts on my table saw and I am able to work with smaller pieces that way.


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

YorkshireStewart, I've got roofracks, and my car has looked dangerously close to that…


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## Sawdust2 (Mar 18, 2007)

Blake and I follow the same path. I have an SUV that barely fits 4' width and will not take a 4×8 sheet in one piece.

Lee


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## Betsy (Sep 25, 2007)

I do the rental truck thing. It adds to the cost, but I usually buy a lot at the same time to spread the cost over several projects. The rental keeps the friends truck in tact and ready for something more important - like moving.


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## brianinpa (Mar 16, 2008)

Since you have an SUV, does it have a trailer hitch? It was mentioned to rent a truck or buy a trailer, why nbot rent a u-haul trailer. A truck costs by the mile, a trailer doesn't : one flat rate for the whole day. I am lucky enough to have a dad that owns a wx8 trailer, but before that I rented a uhaul trailer.


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## BANick (Oct 4, 2007)

Blake, Lee,
yes I have been doing this as well, getting the sheets down in smaller pieces at the store, but I have a couple of upcoming projects that need full sheets or pieces that are still too wide for the trunk.

I can't get a trailer rental, I don't have a trailer hitch. It's probably not that expensive but I typically buy only a few sheets at a time as my projects are few and far apart.
I found a structure that goes on top of the roof rack in an old wood mag made from 2×4's. I'll give that a try.

Thanks all for your replies.


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## rikkor (Oct 17, 2007)

I have a trailer, and it has been so useful for this and so many other things that it justified the expense.


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## Jimthecarver (Jan 14, 2008)

I love the loaded car pic! I am thinking of how many times I have seen ply in the middle of the road or on the side of the road from ppl. that loaded ply on top of these kind of roof racks designed for luggage. the thought of the weight was concidered but the wind load and lifting aspect as they traveled at even low speeds was not. Ripped off luggage racks and repair was not figured into the material list…..Good Luck!


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## DannyBoy (Oct 26, 2007)

Man, I know the feeling on this one. When I was in college I had a nice big pickup (lived in Oklahoma and you got issued one with your driver's license). When I moved to Kansas City, the gas just didn't make sense anymore and I dropped it off at my parent's house and bought a 4 door Grand Am. Now, I'm a home owner and I wish the truck was still running enough to use.

Case in point: I had a smallish fence project to complete two weeks ago and went to HD to get the materials I needed. My shopping list was: 15 6ft Uposts, 2 Bails of 100ftx4ft welded wire, 1 post driver, 1/2 mile role of electric fence, and 2 portable saw horses. Funny thing is, I got the whole damn mess in the car and drove home safely!!!

As far a sheet goods go, I do the same thing but have the guys use the nice panel saw in the lumber yard to get it done. My wife and I have been back and forth on what to actually do to make the trip make more sense for large sheets. We have thought trailer (but I don't have a hitch on the car or a good towing capacity), we thought rental (but we never buy enough to make the rental make sense), and we have even thought of buying a old piece of crap truck to use for this one task.

Final solution? I was telling my dad about a particularly embarrassing moment in the parking lot of HD when not only could I not get the sheets to fit but I kept chasing them because of the wind and he offered to get my truck running and drive it back to KC for me. Of course, that was in November and it still hasn't happened yet. Alas…

~DB

P.S.: Oh, Narayan, I would think really hard about adding spacers between the boards to let air through. Basic aerodynamics would suggest that the increase surface area would actually make it more likely to take flight. You run the risk of multiplying your 32sqft of lift to however many you are hauling. I would hate to be the guy behind you who had to watch and then dodge the pieces!!!


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

Adding to the comments to Narayan, once or twice I've bought an extra sheet or two of cheap 5/8 ply to sandwich the stuff I'm really carrying. If I've got space to store it there's always a use for it, and it protects that veneered 1/4" panel or whatever else nicely.


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## DocK16 (Mar 18, 2007)

Standard OE roof racks are useless for heavy 3/4 plywood, Yakima rack is a good product but still would limit the load to 2-3 sheets. I clamp the sheets together in the front with a c-clamp then tie that down to the front bumper. Keeps the air from getting up under the boards and taking off like a bird. At least that's what I did till I got a truck.


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## Suz (Feb 12, 2008)

If you want to see some fodder for funny videos just hang around in the BORG parking lots. The oddest one that I ever observed was this couple trying to tie a 4×8 sheet of plywood in the trunk of their car! The worse one was a pile of wooden pallets sitting in the middle of four lanes of heavy traffic. You should have seen the stuff fly when a truck hit those pallets. I was very happy I was in the far left lane!
Those of you who have Urban Assault Vehicles that don't have receiver hitches you can buy them at a nominal cost. Then pick up a trailer and you are good to go.
Hauling sheets of plywood on those fake roof racks are an accident waiting to happen. I bet if you check your manual the effective weight limits are pretty low. Then if you pile a bunch of sheetgoods on the roof and meet a semi on the highway the whole thing could tear right off your roof. Just think, there are just a half a dozen screws driven into some light metal!
But, if you are determined to haul "stuff" on your roof rack, please for everyone else's safety make an auxiliary rack that is larger than 4×8 with a solid front and back to hold your sheets. (I saw plans somewhere on how to make these racks.)
Another option would be to make friends with someone who owns a truck!
(Jim is now climbing off his wobbly soap box!)


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## DannyBoy (Oct 26, 2007)

Just duct tape it.


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## DannyBoy (Oct 26, 2007)

Actually, if you are limited by car size, you should check this out. It may not carry much weight, but you have to admit the person was thinking when they designed it…


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## dalec (Oct 3, 2007)

I have been tempted to haul 4×8 sheet goods secured to my roof rack (rated at 75lbs). I have always found a way around having to do it. Friends trucks, cutting the sheet goods down to fit inside the vehicle.

I also know there are times when a full sheet is what is needed. It seems if the weather conditions are good, driving distance short, low surface street speeds, load is secured front and back maybe clamped to a couple of 8' 2×4's, it may be a "reasonably safe".

Dalec


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## DanLyke (Feb 8, 2007)

I've had several hundred lbs on my roofrack (2 6 seat + guide whitewater rafts and a couple of kayaks), so weight isn't the problem, but as Suz points out, most people don't know how to tie down a load. Especially with big things that'll catch the wind, it's important to run lines around both the front and the back of the load, but also to tie to attachment points on the car frame, because the little clips the racks use to attach to the door frame, or even the rain gutters on cars so blessed, aren't sufficient for real loads.

In fact, I'm so confident in my load securing abilities that I once drove 200 miles (Fresno to Marin up 99 and over 580) with a Cannondale tandem bicycle and $3500 in brand new Festools in boxes tied to my roofracks. The roofrack payload well exceeded the value of the car.

I've been considering one of those cheap Harbor Freight trailers, I think for a few hundred bucks they're light enough that I could lean 'em up against a shed in the back yard, and could be perfect for those runs to Mount Storm lumber when I don't want to take all of the bicycle hardware off my racks.


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## Virgil (Apr 30, 2008)

I do have the folding trailer shown by Bob #2 above. I got mine at HF for $200 in sale. Be sure to get the one with 12" tires, gross weight is 1450 lbs. The trailer only weighs 200+ lbs, easy to move around by hand and does a good job for hauling the things that won't fit in the SUV.


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## ChrisCook (Apr 30, 2008)

I dont have any good suggestions for an SUV or car, but as far as a truck goes… Even a small truck can haul full sheets. As long as you have the holes in the top of the bed sides for tie downs/etc. I don't know if I can explain it well enough typing, so I may do it in sketchup when I get home (time permitting). Just simply make a low rack that fits in your tie slots on top of the bed sides with a wooden rail going down each side of the bed. You can use loop screws (surely that's not the correct term, but they are the screws you use for hanging a swing) to ratchet strap the rack to the bed securely, and then use a couple more as anchors for another strap or two to keep the sheet goods from slighting front to rear. That may not make any sense at all, but it is easy to build and works well. If more explanation is needed I can draw it out.


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## LoneRider (May 6, 2008)

I received the V'dub pic many years ago with the story. The lumber on the roof is only part of the story. They also had bags of quickcrete inside the car! Supposedly they actually drove the top of the rear struts through the body!

And for the record, I have a relatively large SUV, (Suburban) and once I got my junk trailer I have yet to put lumber in my truck. The trailer is a 3/4 ton Chevy rear end turned into a trailer. I have 4 2×4s with stops I put on the rails for lumber and sheet goods. I was lucky to get the trailer for free, and just had to put on new rubber, tail lights and a safety chain.

cheers,
Tom


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## dromrell (Jan 5, 2012)

MacBeath Hardwood delivers
: )


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## JAAune (Jan 22, 2012)

Minivans are great vehicles for those that need a family vehicle and are much superior to SUV's for woodworkers that want to move plywood. Before getting a truck, I was able to haul 4×8 sheets just fine in a Plymouth Voyager (I think it was an 89) and a 99 Dodge Caravan. The Voyager was perfect but the Dodge required raising the sheets on one end by 12" so the door could close.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

Get one of those units you put into your trailer hitch and that would lessen the weight your roof rack has to carry. It just needs to be adjusted to the height of your roof. Thule makes them, maybe you know someone with a welder who could make you one.


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## Gixxerjoe04 (Jan 31, 2014)

Luckily I have a truck and a beard, I just look at the plywood and it moves itself to and from my truck haha


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## DirtyMike (Dec 6, 2015)

how ironic, i had to pass on some discounted plywood today at the depot because i didn't want it cut to sections that would fit in my 4runner. I'm not a fan of putting sheet goods on my roof so I cursed myself for the 475th time for not having a long bed pickup.


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## fuigb (Apr 21, 2010)

I've been known to just carry sheets home, one at a time. I've been inspired by some of the foot bridges built by Forest Service guys on backpacking trails way in the hell out in BFE and far from roads. if hippies in Smokey the Bear hats can hump lumber and tools all of the way out and up there AND THEN actually build stuff then a manly man shouldn't quake at the site of a bit of sheet goods.


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## Planeman40 (Nov 3, 2010)

My solution to bring home 4 ft. x 8 ft. ply and long stuff.

Needed: *4 large C-clamps*, 1/4" nylon rope, large *steel "S" hooks*, and padding. I used an old cheap sleeping bag. I always kept the clamps & rope in a cloth sack with a draw string along with the sleeping bag in the trunk of my large Oldsmobile sedan.

Procedure: put the sleeping bag on the car roof. Load plywood onto roof atop of sleeping bag and align corners in a vertical stack. Clamp all four corners of plywood *tightly*, one clamp on each corner. Tie rope to each clamp. Bring front ropes over hood and cross over making an "X". Take rope tied to right corner of ply and find a place beneath the left bumper and tie onto the frame somewhere using the "S" hook to hook in to the frame. Do the same to the rope tied to the left corner of the plywood and tie it beneath the right bumper to the frame. The "X" crossing of the ropes keeps the ply from slipping sideways. Then do the same tying of the rear of the plywood to the fame of the car beneath the back bumper. Make sure all of the ropes are snug and taught and you are fixed to carry the plywood home! I did this for years with no problems.

Another trick: For really long things like 10 ft. steel tubing and angle iron, just lay the long items on the ground together and drive the car over them so the ends of the items stick out beneath the front and back of the car. Use your rope to lift the tubing/angle iron up to the front and rear bumper and find a place to lash them in position. The items are now off the ground and secured. Just be careful about entering steep driveways or speed bumps and the like as you won't have a lot of ground clearance. Works like a charm!

Planeman


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## Waldo88 (Nov 7, 2014)

I always just spend the extra $20 to rent a home depot truck or van. Given I only need to a few times a year, it is by far the cheapest option. You can get 25 truck rentals for the same price as a $500 trailer (not that my car could pull a trailer tho…).


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