Thank you. I can’t get used to getting old. 🙁 I have to work around it!

This is a clever design but the one problem I can see is it needs a safety break in case the hoisting cable breaks. I can see Murphy's Law when your descending and someone is under it that's when the cable will snap. You need to build a safety cage around it. And maybe some danger signs. I do love the concept but more emphasis on safety protocols. I know you will eventually do the right thing you are clever enough to get it done.

@@eugeneshealthproject Sharpie on wall: Don't stand here. Fatal for idiots. Use lift at own peril.

@@lucash1980 🙈🦎🐐🦌

@@lucash1980 Love your Response :)

I agree - "Just the facts Ma'am" as an old detective used to say. But thankfully there was another element missing i.e. loud and obnoxious music. Loud music - particularly electronic crap - is a big put off for me. Some creators seem to believe that all viewers are shut away in their Mums' basement when watching KZfaq when in reality many of us live in open plan residences and don't want to drown out others conversation or the audio on TV etc. I'll score this video 9.5 out of 10. Deducted ½ a point because nothing is perfect! The concept is great, build quality seems to be good [not withstanding other posters comments regarding the eye bolt] presentation is concise and informative, video detail and clarity is excellent - maybe I should have only deducted a ¼ point.

@@soroako4142 I wish I could give your comment a dozen "thumbs up". I hate the music and intros. Just get to the point of the video!

@@soroako4142 i give your comment a 9.5 . I would give it a 10 but nobody is perfect.

@@jerryf609 Okay.....now, that was funny!

Cool

Thank you friend! Family first for us. Grandkids! Been dealing with snow in Chicago my whole life. Again, thank you very much for the comment!

It's a significant improvement from Garage Journal build about 10yrs ago

What happens on KZfaq stays on KZfaq.

I'm one of 'them', and it doesn't bother me. What an individual does, is really up to them, except for extremes. I get torqued over a builder that knows the design was to code, and doesn't follow it. I'll council home owners on best practices, help them improve, unless there is some high potential safety issues. Biggest problem here is that the only stop on the winch is it's capacity overload. No reverse system for minor jams, i.e., feet or hands. Just a thought.

L-O-S-I-N-G. Jesus.

@@prun8893 Why are you "losing" in such a d-r-a-w-n-o-u-t and DEMONSTRATIVE fashion? Are you generally a L-O-S-E-R? Are you just now such a bad loser that you have to call on the name of Jesus for succour? Or was that simply a random out-of-context blasphemy with no cause? There was nothing going on here but a light-hearted exchange with a little positive feedback, so clearly nothing wrong here; are you expressing a need to share your personal problems with us in public?

@@Dranok1 Thank you for turning autocorrect on and googling a thesaurus for some big boy words. There should, however, be a comma after "Or". Also, your misuse of the semi-colon between "here" and "are" leaves much to be desired. A period is the correct application here. I recommend "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White. The third edition is somewhat superior to the earlier versions. Yes, there is something very wrong with thinking L-O-S-E is the same word as L-O-O-S-E. Jesus Christ, I don't know how people graduate from high school sometimes. #defendingtheenglishlanguageonefoolatatime

@@prun8893 Oh, you want to descend into a grammar argument, do you? Probably best not to pick on a linguistician (who used to work as a proofreader/subeditor, teach English linguistics and Advanced 'English as a Second Language') unless you're on firmer ground: - So you didn't complain about my use of a conjunction to start a sentence, which indicates you are comfortable with my informal style, but you do complain about my informal use of a semicolon. Hmm, we'll come back to that... - Shame that you then think "Or", standing alone at the start of a sentence, not part of a list or set of sub-clauses, requires a comma _after_ it. This is so clearly wrong that you obviously need to read that style guide you mentioned. (We don't use Strunk and White over here, but I can't imagine basic rules are so different in American English to the rest of the world that they would instruct you to misuse an innocent comma in such an egregious way;-) - The use of my semicolon is to maintain a link between those two clauses where the first does not "lead directly on to" or "require information provided by" the second. When I was typing the sense of the two clauses was more strongly linked in my mind and ; felt correct, but being "just" a social media forum -- the most informal of writing one can find -- I didn't then read it back after posting. Now that I have, I tend to agree that that it was unnecessary and a new sentence would have been better. But, given the informality of the forum, attacking someone for such a (not "wrong" but) "weak" use of a semicolon, when you have just espoused the most improper use of a comma, is just foolishly arrogant and bound to open you up to debate. - And then you make the _non sequitur_ of mistaking "lose" with "loose", which neither of us did, unless your original use was a typo. So I don't understand what point your were trying to make there. - And finally you round off by blaspheming at me again in an obviously offensive manner -- perhaps to make me bite? Whatever, I don't need to receive such language, so I'll wait for an intelligent response, but if you simply swear in public as though it somehow reinforces your argument then I'll just block you and move on... (And yes, that last sentence has too many commas where parenthetical subclauses are not necessary, but it's also not necessary to correct because it's just slangy, informal register.)

... and there I was, thinking Mr. Otis had solved it earlier? 😊

You’re welcome. Take care.

Or a firemans’s/stripper’s pole. Dual purpose?

@@theelevator3615 there you go!

I recommend something more like a Bat-pole that can also go up

@@freakazoid5907 thanks for putting that thought in my head!

@@theelevator3615 Скоростной спуск!!!

My friend, that is great to hear. You have captured my motivation for doing this perfectly. If you build one of these, be careful building it, be safe operating it, and overbuild it for strength!

God bless you too! Be very careful and overbuild for strength.

Brian Michaels, thanks! It’s under a wide roof and we added protection over the motor. Hubby is a stickler for maintenance of his equipment, so yes! Wish you could see it😊 If you’re ever in northeast Texas...

Brian Michaels, also want to tell you that we added a fence and gate around it on top floor to prevent falling into “the pit” when it’s downstairs. So ours has a few additions because of its location. The basic lift was almost just like yours though.

Cool. Be extra careful and safe and overbuild it for strength. Good luck.

Lol beam me up! And down!

Thank you buddy!

Cool. Build carefully, be safe, and overbuild for strength!

Thank you for the comment. Appreciate it

Cool! If you build one, please be careful building it, be safe when operating it, and over build it for strength!

Greetings! Thank you!

Lol. Thank you

Cool

I hear you buddy. Thank goodness you didn’t hit your head. When you build, be very careful in the build and overbuild for strength. Be very careful operating it. Lots of pinch points.

Thats what Im afraid of happeni9ng to me too :) Glad youre ok :)

Exactly. And thank you.

You’re welcome. I tell people, if you decide to build one, be careful operating it and overbuild it for strength. Good luck!

Thank you, but build carefully, be safe, and overbuild for strength.

Nice. Be very careful operating and building it and overbuild it for strength. Good luck.

I don’t know how I missed this comment. Thank you. My neighbor has one and he showed it to me when we moved here. I like his but I wanted to get some ideas online. I for best ideas on how to make one and I couldn’t find one with much detail so I thought I would do it. Wow, a half million views later! We are working on a cool safety brake right now. Can’t wait for people to dump all over this one! 😂😂😂

@@theelevator3615 People do but ignore them this is incredible !!!

I wonder why they aren't personally. How many builders put up christmas lights on their roofs at christmas time. Why not put outlets under eaves ... or .... make that suggestion when they get a house build... Stuff like that.

They probably could, but lawyers always put a damper on things like this because of someone not using common sense and breaking thier foot because it was over hanging the platform.

@@artguti1551 Agree with you there. Builder would have a huge liability for anybody getting hurt. Far as a homeowner doing it. It's his liability. Might even be some issues if or when he tries to sell it.

It wouldn't be an issue if you wrote it in the selling contract that you are not liable for the lift . . As they say in real estate, EVERYTHING is negotiable.@@johnjacobjinglehimerschmid3555

@@twoweary I guess.... I don't know.

Same thing on mine. Wife was day dreaming and took it too far bending the frame. Put limit switch on lift feed wire from remote.

I have the same thoughts about heavy items. I thought that yours might have been built to support the room. If not you have a lot of hvy stuff up there. Very cool lift!

I was asking myself the same question, what is carrying the load for the lift..... seems to be the gable end?? or the studded exterior of the house?

I may have carried the load on anchored 4x4's, attaching all the way up the wall and tied in the rafters to the opposite garage wall, upstairs, to share the lateral forces on the wall.

@@TheEzgrider my thoughts exactly and on the header beam where he has the 2x4s stacked, I think I would have laid a 2x6 flat then put 2x4s stacked narrow side down with another 2x6 laying flat on top to build a stronger beam. Or at least stacked the 2x4s narrow side down so they’d be stronger. Otherwise great job!

@@Fully-semi-auto I agree. Still , it is a lift to carry 500 lbs straight up 10 foot at most. He did just fine with what he had to work with. I see no problems ever with this, until his cable snaps... 100 years or more from now. haha

@@theelevator3615 I was thinking the same as Troy (and you). If turned upright, a metal plate, or series of large washers, would help spread that load to avoid spreading the hole. I'm a bit curious how you cut out the garage ceiling to make a square that large. The reason why stairs are narrow is because they try to slip them through existing joists. I wonder if there was some structural weakness by cutting out a joist to fit your elevator.

@@theelevator3615 as far as the header situation, headers are always placed vertically. If you wanted to control the load better, an I beam would have been the better choice. Second would be to have the wood turned and a load plate carrying for the holes for your bolts. Otherwise, you will see deformation (as seen in the video already). Less desirable option, cross brace using diagonal boards to transfer the load to the floor joists. This would eliminate the bowing of the boards you already have.

Thank you young lady!

Does it use a chain hoist hoist rated for overhead lifting?

clever

Yes, single element dimensional lumber is stronger when loaded for strong axis bending, rather than weak axis bending, multiple plies stacked in weak axis bending and bolted together can provide equivalent strength and stiffness. Bolting requirements would be governed by shear flow. The benefit to doing it the way shown in the video is that the timber elements would allow for larger diameter bolts than boards on edge while still complying with minimum edge distances required by timber engineering codes.

Swapping the entire wood frame with steel beams would improve the entire design greatly. This design in essence is just a copy of how a forklift works. It would be like if you stuck a forklift's hoist to your wall and the same thing would be accomplished.

Thank you for the thoughtful comments. See our other video. We added fall arresters. But I’m working on a cool braking system. If it works. Watch the preview.

The 2x4 can split and break not strong enough where cable hooks to carige

@Dean Dean, Journeyman carpenter here as well. Also machinist, metal fabricator. Your comment makes good solid points, however, need to also consider max rated capacity of the lift is only, 550 pounds. That is a very minimal load for the design. One 16 penny nail on shear in wood will hold 150 lbs conservatively. The framework is transferring to load to the "shear" on the studs attached, as well as down to the floor, which as a designed storage space, should have adequate support. Do agree with the eye bolt lagged into the wood as a potential point of fail, need to secure with safety strap or similar. Would be nice to see some simple type of fall arrest device attached to the lift, like this one, for less than $200 simplifiedsafety.com/fall-protection-lifelines/tie-off/retractable-lifelines/11-1-nylon-web-retractable/

@@douglassmith2055 Great points... took the words out of my mouth especially the fall arrest. As an engineer we look at something like this and say Where will it fail... because it will fail (eventually). In my mind the most likely point of failure is the point of attachment with the cable and the carriage. There are multiple issues that could go wrong such as splitting of the wood, slipping of the cable thru the crimp, fraying of the cable. This may work for a month a year or 10 years but it will eventually fail.... what happens then. A fall arrest will save the rider but if there is someone below they could be crushed. Just something to consider when building lifting devices.

@Dean There is nothing wrong with constructive criticism. It advances the body of knowledge, especially in an environment where shared knowledge is the primary purpose. Brian Michaels is an enthusiastic, caring, inventive, helpful and sharing individual. He doesn't need cheerleaders who agree with everything he says. And I am certain, he enabled comments so that comments would be made. As a result, we all learned something.

@Dean You and I are kindred spirits. Thank you for saying what I’m thinking when I read all these “know it all” but “haven’t done its” on this app. 👍🏼

Yes, your point is well taken. Mitch, my engineer student son lectured me on that as well. So, you are correct. I would only say in my defense that the tension of the hoist rope limits the force and I always place the load at the back of the platform to limit the force of the levering action. Thank you for the thoughtful comments.

@@theelevator3615 Your design works exactly how a forklift works - as long as you hug the load to the wall theoretically it will hold. If you hang around on the outer edge facing away from the wall it might struggle or collapse (the force of gravity and it pivoting forward and outward as the lift rises). Like all prototypes you will see improvements the more you think about it, and build off that in time. Maybe in the future rebuild the frame with steel i-beams and angle iron (talking about real building steel not store bought stuff), but keep the same hoist mechanic, I will bet it will make it a lot more stable than just with the untreated lumber.

Thank you very much. That’s one of the nicest comments we’ve had.

Normally for a load like this you would laminate those three beams (glue and clamp) then turn them vertical and sandwich between and top and bottom plate. Basically making a header like you would for a door. Drilling through that wouldn't weaken it like just turning them by themselves. Given the weights you're working with in the 500lb range your design should be fine. If you were using a snatch block setup for higher loads then you'd really need to look at going to a more typical header design.

@@theguid0 exactly what I came to the comments for. Putting a plate on top of the vertical boards would provide a flat surface to distribute the load across the *much* stronger laminated beam (ideally both glued and bolted together). Whether the top plate is a horizontal board, a steel plate, or just fender washers is up to the engineer requirements; a board with fender washers would likely be more than enough. Anyone still thinking it's "strong enough this way": Just grab a ream of paper and see if it's easier to bend along the wide side or narrow side. :D Also worth noting - hooray for someone actually making a constructive comment instead of just tearing everything apart. :D

The fire rated wall is now compromised and that being a townhouse it compromises the neighbors

How to get it to code on the cheap, boss?

Help the community out

@@johnkcrabtree I don't think there is a way on "on the cheap" that's why most people don't own one. But just to give you an idea. Don't call it an elevator, call it a material handling lift. NO PASSENGERS ALLOEWED! Build hoistway walls around it, and a cab with gates on the car. Design some sort of safety that will engage if the hoist cable breaks, this will have to be able to stop and hold the car with full capacity load with a safety factor of 5. That's just to get started, if I went to look at this lift I would probably come up with a list as long as my arm of code violations. And when you've corrected all of the code issues you get to pay to have it all reviewed by a mechanical engineer who holds a PE stamp in the state of Minnesota. My advise as a certified elevator inspector is to build it and use it quietly and carefully, certainly do not post it on the internet that you have an illegal lift in your home. And I do mean carefully, there are a lot of real hazards with this thing. Pinch points, fall hazard, lack of redundancy safety circuits, materials not designed and engineered for this use, etc. Most people have no understanding of how over regulated we are in the US. If you want to have the freedom to build cool things like this in your own home, you have to vote for politician's who are willing to cut regulations.

@@peaeye3467 heck even garage doorshave safety eyes . no panic stop switch?

Yep - every qualified elevator mechanic that sees this is shuddering.

Duly noted. Thank you!

Thanks! Imma need that info!

Yeah that motor support makes me shudder. 😬 I would use an engineered beam and support the motor on top instead of hanging it by bolts.

@@gwilli there’s really nothing wrong with the beam from an engineering standpoint. I was just being polite/non-confrontational. But now people will be misled. The boards are glued and screwed, eliminating slip. The multiple boards eliminate a crash caused by a single failure. That beam could lift 5 times the weight it lifts and it would take several failures to cause a crash. The boards are on their sides because of the holes drilled through them to support the motor. Much safer.

@@theelevator3615 THANK YOU ! I definitely dont want to be misled. You are a humble kind man. Funny how people think they know better but havent done it yet. Of course you're going to have things you would do differently, for ease, Structure, safety etc. Please give me any advice you Have. We welcome it :)

Just lived it! (Putting it all away today)

I dare you to say that's

On the next episode of, "The Husband Tries!"

On the next episode of, "As The Husband Tries!"

@@hoperules8874 love it!

I put some links in the description, and I didn’t keep a list of costs. I should have. I’m guessing like 300 smackers?

i also build one a few years ago. as i can weld mine is mostly made of metal and i added a center doubled up unistrut with a spring loaded pin as a safety measure in case of some failure you just let the lever go and it locks the carriage in place.

That is a very constructive suggestion and I love it. There is very little chance of that because it gets used so infrequently, and it’s usually me. It’s not like something used commercially. But a great idea nonetheless. I’ll put it on my list. Thank you.

Not really needed now is it? Anything that fits inside the perimeter of the platform will go up or down perfectly fine. And since this is not a remotely operated hoist and will stop the moment the operator lets go of the up/down button, there's little to no chance that an overhanging item is going to cause any significant problem. I think you're really, really overthinking this.

I had similar thoughts when I saw the eye bolt attachment. It should be a strap going under the 2x6, preferably several inches wide with a through bolt for the hook attachment point. I noticed that the eye bolt is the home improvement style that isn't welded at the closure point. Those have opened up on me under surprisingly light loads.

I agree, at least a piece of flat stock as wide as the board and maybe 6 inches in length.