# Ergonomic Moving of Heavy Materials in Shop



## Steinbierz (Jan 9, 2018)

Hello,

I go in for back surgery tomorrow (my fifth since 2009) and I will most likely leave the hospital fused from T11 through S1. I am currently fused from L3-S1. I will admit that some, if not all, of my surgeries have been through stupidity on my part either in the shop or, when younger, out on the job as a Coast Guard vessel inspector. My most recent back episode started with moving sheets of 3/4" plywood by myself to sheath the walls of my shop. On one faithful occasion, I was carrying a sheet and slipped on a piece of EMT laying on the floor that had fallen out of a scrap bucket. The weight of the panel as well as my awkward body position as I fell sealed the deal.

I am wondering what others use in the shop to better move heavy materials when no help is around? While waiting for my surgery to be scheduled, I ordered the Rockler Material Mate panel cart but I won't be able to assemble it until after my recovery from surgery.

Are there any other devices, ranging from anti-gravity beam devices on down that people use? BTW, I have had the orange Stanley hand panel carriers for years and might not have jacked my back up if I had used it in the above situation but I still am not a big fan of them. I also have looked at the Gorilla Grips from time-to-time but am really starting to wonder if I should be manhandling panels like this with regularity.

Sorry for the long post but would love to hear what people use across the broad spectrum of choices. Thanks.


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## craftsman on the lake (Dec 27, 2008)

I use the orange panel carrier you talked about. I'm 65 now and have never had any back or other issues. It used to be that anything that needed moving would move. The losing strength issue didn't start at all till about 60. Before that, no difference between 55 and 35. I would just move or lift it. Now, everything is getting heavier. a 40lb bag of something feels like a 90 lb bag of cement used to. I once carried one on my shoulder and another under my arm to offload them. Now I look at one and consider rolling it.

No back issues but I can tell you that this getting old thing is for the birds.

As for your problem… get a friend to help? Good luck with this.


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

get a couple Mover's Dollies from Harbor Freight, add the required brakets to hold the panels where you want….and just roll along…


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## MadMark (Jun 3, 2014)

What I use to move sheet goods is my *helper!*


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## 987Ron (Apr 9, 2020)

At 82 I do not move large panels. I get help, lots of help or have the sheet goods cut down at the supplier. 
Best of wishes for your surgery and recovery.


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## Steinbierz (Jan 9, 2018)

> I use the orange panel carrier you talked about. I m 65 now and have never had any back or other issues. It used to be that anything that needed moving would move. The losing strength issue didn t start at all till about 60. Before that, no difference between 55 and 35. I would just move or lift it. Now, everything is getting heavier. a 40lb bag of something feels like a 90 lb bag of cement used to. I once carried one on my shoulder and another under my arm to offload them. Now I look at one and consider rolling it.
> 
> No back issues but I can tell you that this getting old thing is for the birds.
> 
> ...


i hear you…I am 64 and although I have been athletic all my life, moving panels, bags of cement, stack of 2×4s, etc. is no longer a picnic!


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## Steinbierz (Jan 9, 2018)

> What I use to move sheet goods is my *helper!*
> 
> - Madmark2


I used to have a helper who looked a lot like my son…got married and moved away!


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## Steinbierz (Jan 9, 2018)

> At 82 I do not move large panels. I get help, lots of help or have the sheet goods cut down at the supplier.
> Best of wishes for your surgery and recovery.
> 
> - 987Ron


I hope i am through with back surgeries after this and will no longer pick up a panel and try to move it myself…maybe you CAN teach a dog new tricks!  Thank you for your well-wishes!


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## Steinbierz (Jan 9, 2018)

> get a couple Mover s Dollies from Harbor Freight, add the required brakets to hold the panels where you want….and just roll along…
> 
> - bandit571


I'll have to look into those. I used to have a couple of moving dollies that I occasionally used to move panels (I didn't have brackets though like you mention) and it would sometimes get pretty unwieldy.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

Mover dollies, but with casters on only one end. The four- caster type can get away from you in a hurry. That would be my forecast, because it has happened to me. 30 years ago I could pick up a Chevy small block short block and put it in the bed of a truck, unassisted. Now I need help with a bare block, and truthfully not having done that in a few years I doubt I could even lift half of one any more, after carpal tunnel release surgery in both hands, and arthritis in hands, back and feet. I'm 67, so I'm a whole lot more careful than I was when I was young and immortal.


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

Good luck to you.

As for as panels, you have a good start with a cart.

You may want to look at a vertical panel saw for processing panels. Once the plywood is on the saw it never really has to leave until your done. I have a tv stand that I make. It takes exactly 1 sheet. The panel never leaves the saw. I just kinda saw, flip saw, rotate saw, etc. much much easier than Wrestling on a table saw. You can make a cart that lines up with it so you don't have to lift anything just roll it on. My is a Saw Trax.


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## Steinbierz (Jan 9, 2018)

> Good luck to you.
> 
> As for as panels, you have a good start with a cart.
> 
> ...


I considered a vertical panel saw some years back but instead ended up buying a 10' sliding table saw. There are times when, just for the space savings, that I wished I had gone with the vertical saw instead. I think the panel mate should help me get the panels to the saw and onto it a lot easier. I also need to figure out how I am going to get larger logs onto my lathe. I have a cherry picker that I have never used for that but I have seen people on YouTube use it for really big logs so that might be an option.


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## Steinbierz (Jan 9, 2018)

> Mover dollies, but with casters on only one end. The four- caster type can get away from you in a hurry. That would be my forecast, because it has happened to me. 30 years ago I could pick up a Chevy small block short block and put it in the bed of a truck, unassisted. Now I need help with a bare block, and truthfully not having done that in a few years I doubt I could even lift half of one any more, after carpal tunnel release surgery in both hands, and arthritis in hands, back and feet. I m 67, so I m a whole lot more careful than I was when I was young and immortal.
> 
> - Dark_Lightning


The four-wheel model is what I used in the past. I have had carpal tunnel release on both wrists as well and am now in the early stages of Dupuytren's Contracture in my non-dominant hand. It sucks getting old!


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

The word "lifting" needs to get swapped in your conversation, and instead think of how to push it along the floor. There are gizmos to buy, some to make, but mostly it is outsmarting the plywood.

Amazon has Plywheels

https://www.amazon.com/PlyWheels-plywood-dolly-drywall/dp/B00PE32UWO

Paw Paw made his own on this video.






This guy still likes the carry, he keeps it low to the ground.






When you get it to where you want it, throw a square of carpet on the floor in front of the leading edge, and by pushing the upper back edge just a little bit upward, you dig the front point in, and you can twist, and position it up onto a saw, or a work table to cut with a track saw. I haven't "lifted" a sheet of plywood in several years, but I push 2 or 3 sheets around, almost every day.


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## GrantA (Jul 19, 2014)

The plywheels linked above are like a door dolly my dad made, I like the homemade one better though. It's a pair of maybe 4" rubber wheels each mounted to a piece of 2×4 maybe 8-10" long and a door hinge connecting them at the bottom. Maybe 2" between, it was built for moving 1-3/4" commercial doors. When you sit something down on the hinge it bends down making the top edges of the 2×4s pinch the door. 
I can see the plywheels sliding along the edge of the wood.

I'm pretty young still (37 next month) but I've broken my back when younger, tweaked a shoulder and ankle, watched my dad go through 3 shoulder surgeries, so I find myself stopping and working smarter most of the time. My new shop is big enough that I bought a small forklift and it's the best helper in the whole world! If you have room for any sort of gantry with a hoist or chainfall I'd definitely do that! You can make a nice gantry setup with unistrut and an electric hoist, I'm thinking about doing that still!

Oh and something like this would be slick combined with a gantry for panels!


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

I am amazed at how difficult it is for me to handle a full sheet of plywood as I age. I have some rotator cuff issues and even when going to the gym (not going now due to covid) every other day I have trouble. Going to build a flip cart this weekend for my Ridgid sander and DW735 and planning my cuts so I can have the sheet broken at least half at the store. To the OP, why 3/4" on the shop walls? I used 1/2" and attached 3/4" french cleats and can't see how you would need or want to install that thick of wall sheeting. Sorry about your misfortune and wish you a speedy full recovery.


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## Redoak49 (Dec 15, 2012)

First, please stop this type of activity. All of the above ideas are great for healthy people. You are not healthy with a severely compromise spine. The risks are too great of doing something with heavy pieces and doing more damage.

How do I know this? I am fused from L3 to S1 for a number of years and have significant wear in the areas above. I had surgery to reduce pain from spinal stenosis this week but am in pain every day. I have to constantly tell myself not to do things or the pain will greatly increase. I know exactly what my spine looks like in CT scans and not pretty.

It is time to rethink this entire thing and risks involved.


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## ibewjon (Oct 2, 2010)

Getting older is not fun, but it sure beats not getting any older. Good luck and be careful after.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

> Getting older is not fun, but it sure beats not getting any older. Good luck and be careful after.
> 
> - ibewjon


Man, ain't that the truth!


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## therealSteveN (Oct 29, 2016)

Getting older sure ain't for sissies. Way too much pain for that.

No active right shoulder, now even eating hurts. Just years of throwing baseballs when I was young to blame for that.

Low back surgery, done that. I am one of few a back surgery helped, took me from just able to walk, to walking a mile or 3 a day. It was at S1 through S3, Stenosis, crushed, and shifted all to hell. That area they can do effective surgeries, without a lot of down side. I went with it.

I have stenosis from mid cervical, to my tailbone, and nerve pain everywhere South of that. Degenerative discs with herniated, propulsed, crushed, and every other kind of wrong a disc can have. Now unfortunately, this area is where any ooops ends in you not moving arms, or legs, so surgeons will only do these in a case of acute trauma, where if they don't it's sure your forever screwed. Seems the good Docs got tired of getting sued every week or so, so they have tightened up what they will say yes to.

I fell off a roof 12' once, the rest is the aftermath of a full, very active life. At the time of any occurrence I had what felt like minor pain, for maybe 12 hours, then back at it.

It was going past 65 that really lit the candle, can't wait to see what 70 will bring. Bet it's not going to feel better.

What I will not do is quit, as long as God gives me breath, I'll be doing it as often, and as well as I can.


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## farmfromkansas (Jun 16, 2019)

I hurt my back years ago, and quit the construction business after turning 50. Pain just got to be too much. Have avoided surgery, just use a inversion device, and a chiropractor. After I lift too much, have to use the inversion, and take it easy a few days, then OK again. Main thing is I use equipment and avoid heavy lifting. In the shop, I have a pallet rack for sheets, and built a cart that is very like a shopping cart. When I need a sheet of 3/4" ply, I put the cart in front of the rack and slide it out onto the cart. Then I set the table saw for the rip I want, and slide the ply off the cart and through the saw. Once it is cut down in size, can handle the piece. If that is all I need, roll the rest of the sheet on the cart and put back in the rack, flat ways. Really takes the load off. Have to work smarter to avoid back pain.


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## Steinbierz (Jan 9, 2018)

> The word "lifting" needs to get swapped in your conversation, and instead think of how to push it along the floor. There are gizmos to buy, some to make, but mostly it is outsmarting the plywood.
> 
> Amazon has Plywheels
> 
> ...


Can't argue your point of eliminating as much "lifting" of heavy objects as possible. I have used sliding, pushing, pulling, etc. for many years but still too many times of trying to manhandle materials.

I watched Paw Paw's video on building his plywood cart. So simple yet very effective. After watching this, it got me to thinking that no matter what other strategies I employ, several of these distributed throughout the shop will be part of my strategy.


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## Steinbierz (Jan 9, 2018)

> The plywheels linked above are like a door dolly my dad made, I like the homemade one better though. It s a pair of maybe 4" rubber wheels each mounted to a piece of 2×4 maybe 8-10" long and a door hinge connecting them at the bottom. Maybe 2" between, it was built for moving 1-3/4" commercial doors. When you sit something down on the hinge it bends down making the top edges of the 2×4s pinch the door.
> I can see the plywheels sliding along the edge of the wood.
> 
> I m pretty young still (37 next month) but I ve broken my back when younger, tweaked a shoulder and ankle, watched my dad go through 3 shoulder surgeries, so I find myself stopping and working smarter most of the time. My new shop is big enough that I bought a small forklift and it s the best helper in the whole world! If you have room for any sort of gantry with a hoist or chainfall I d definitely do that! You can make a nice gantry setup with unistrut and an electric hoist, I m thinking about doing that still!
> ...


Sounds like you have used and abused your body yourself! I would love to have a gantry set-up and periodically take a look at them. it is always the cost of a decent gantry and chain fall that puts that idea away for awhile. I did recently spring for a cherry picker that I bought from Harbor Freight. I honestly had not been in a HF for at least 15 years to that point but kept seeing decent write-ups (as decent is for Chinese knock-off) so, armed with a discount coupon, picked it up, took it home and assembled it. So far, I have been able to lift a big Felder bandsaw onto its base so that I could remove the shipping skid, lift a Phase Perfect into place on a wall and to lift a lathe off of its shipping skid. I feel like it has already earned its keep.


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## Steinbierz (Jan 9, 2018)

> I am amazed at how difficult it is for me to handle a full sheet of plywood as I age. I have some rotator cuff issues and even when going to the gym (not going now due to covid) every other day I have trouble. Going to build a flip cart this weekend for my Ridgid sander and DW735 and planning my cuts so I can have the sheet broken at least half at the store. To the OP, why 3/4" on the shop walls? I used 1/2" and attached 3/4" french cleats and can t see how you would need or want to install that thick of wall sheeting. Sorry about your misfortune and wish you a speedy full recovery.
> 
> - controlfreak


Thank you for the well wishes! Why 3/4" plywood? This as well as what material is a hotly debated subject on this as well as other forums. Plywood vs. drywall vs. OSB. Thick vs. thin. Painted vs. not painted. If painted, do you just do the front? And on and on and on. In the end, I flicked all the naysayer demons off my shoulders and went with 3/4" plywood knowing that this would give me a very structurally sound way to attached things to it. Reality though is that if this was a conventionally stud-framed structure, I probably would have gone with 1/2" but being a steel building with primarily horizontal framing as attachment points, I didn't want to do a lot of framing out as I did in another steel building on my property. I will say though that once I had it all up, I liked the way it looked so don't regret it at all (back surgery aside).


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## Steinbierz (Jan 9, 2018)

> Getting older sure ain t for sissies. Way too much pain for that.
> 
> No active right shoulder, now even eating hurts. Just years of throwing baseballs when I was young to blame for that.
> 
> ...


This is my fifth back surgery and I can say with no reservation that on the previous four, once all the pain was gone and rehab completed I was far better than the day I went in for surgery. I am keeping a positive attitude that this time will be no different.


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## Steinbierz (Jan 9, 2018)

> I hurt my back years ago, and quit the construction business after turning 50. Pain just got to be too much. Have avoided surgery, just use a inversion device, and a chiropractor. After I lift too much, have to use the inversion, and take it easy a few days, then OK again. Main thing is I use equipment and avoid heavy lifting. In the shop, I have a pallet rack for sheets, and built a cart that is very like a shopping cart. When I need a sheet of 3/4" ply, I put the cart in front of the rack and slide it out onto the cart. Then I set the table saw for the rip I want, and slide the ply off the cart and through the saw. Once it is cut down in size, can handle the piece. If that is all I need, roll the rest of the sheet on the cart and put back in the rack, flat ways. Really takes the load off. Have to work smarter to avoid back pain.
> 
> - farmfromkansas


I am hoping that the Rockwell panel mate will do these things for me, especially for getting wood to my slider. I think most might admit that with plywood it can be as much about the dimensions of a full sheet as it is the weight. I can carry a full sheet of 3/4" around that has been ripped with ease (well, much easier than full panel anyway). My limit nowadays is pretty much 3 pieces of 3/4" x 2" x 8" but I don't do that very often. Going forward after my surgery, probably even a single piece of ripped plywood will be carried with human or mechanical help.


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

> I probably would have gone with 1/2" but being a steel building with primarily horizontal framing as attachment points, I didn t want to do a lot of framing out as I did in another steel building on my property. I will say though that once I had it all up, I liked the way it looked so don t regret it at all (back surgery aside).
> 
> - Steinbierz


That makes sense going 3/4" over steel with wide spans. I did mine with 1/2" and added 3/4" french cleats but I had 2×4 studs. I did get the 3/4 cut into 4 two foot pieces at the depot 1st.


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## j1440 (Mar 3, 2019)

For lifting heavy items I have a platform jack. It has a 20 X 20" platform that can be cranked up or down from 4" to about 5'. Also when in the down position it can be tipped back and used like a ref. dolly. It is great for lifting heavy items in & out of my pickup.


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

At 85, moving large and heavy things around is not advisable. I have spinal stenosis, but epidural infusion and pain pills help keeping me active. When handling plywood, I get the lumber yard to load it for me in my pick-up. When I get it home, I slide it off the pick-up onto saw horses that have a couple of 2×4's on top. I then proceed to cut it down to manageable sizes with a guide and a "skil" saw. I have to plan ahead on my cutting schedule. If I can't cut the panel down to size, I get someone (my son) to move it for me. With help, I can maneuver a sheet of 3/4" ply to my cabinet saw. My saw has enough outfeed surface to support the cutoffs. Where there is a way, there is a way!
It helps to have a large enough shop to move stuff around. Those with small shops, will have to get panels cut to size at the lumber yard. I remember the days when I could handle 4×8 sheets of 3/4" plywood all by myself without working up a sweat.


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