Can I just take a moment to appreciate the fact that you make videos to showcase your failures as well? All makers make mistakes, but actually making an entire video of a project that ends in failure, however minor or major, is so refreshing to watch! And it is every bit as interesting as the successful ones!

I'm not sure that weight is the primary concern. It looks like the slider mechanism you have (plywood in aluminum U-channel) is introducing a lot of friction and also results in binding. If it were me, I would place a small free-spinning wheel at each point of contact between the sled and wall/rails. Maybe model the wheels and sliders off of a sliding garage door or sliding truck door. Follow-up thought: you want to lift the sled at it's center of gravity, not necessarily it's geometric center. Since you're loading it slightly differently each time, you need some system that is robust enough to handle this without losing too much energy. Pulling it by the top two corners with cables going straight up to an axel could help here. Also, throwing a ratchet mechanism on for safety would be a good idea! That way it doesn't fall down if you lose your grip.

This is what makes your channel so great. Not only do you come up with incredible solutions but you are not afraid to share the “incomplete”. Thank you for being real and transparent, the world needs more people like you.

I bet if you added a counterweight, you could use an old garage door opener to motorize it ;-)

I’m willing to bet that your rope is getting caught between the wheels and the frames of your pulley. Most pulleys have a track for the rope so that it doesn’t get wedged.

I think adding a counterweight to reach equilibrium with empty board would be a good start. And improving the friction between the board and the track (and wall ?)

To show and to assume the fails is very valuable and honest. This is valuable because everyone has fails. Showing this allows the others not to discourage when they fail. Congratulations for your honesty, Laura. I like what you do.

It doesn't matter if the final result works or not. Always a pleasure to watch the imaginative and "outside of the box" ideas and solutions. Thanks so much!

I’d also say that the system doesn’t increase storage because you can’t store anything underneath it. In fact the clamp storage is now taking up twice the space, because it needs room to move into as well as room to use, if that makes sense. I do however love how you are prepared to share your successes, of which there are many, and your not so successful projects.😀

I'd say: - reduce friction on the sides - replace bearings with "real" pulleys - add counterweight but overall sadly there's not much use of this very good looking storage system if you're just adding complexity (pulling up and down to get your clamps and glue) and now still have to leave the space beneath clear if you ever want to use your clamps (which, as you're woodworking, you will of course do all the time).

Looks great and I love the idea. I think a counterweight, and a crank to make it easier to wind and unwind the rope would look cool and make it easier to move!

Thank you for being brave enough to show us your imperfect projects as well. I would not call this a failure, but simply a learning experience in terms of how to deal with a large area and a heavy weight.

A: Rework the pulley system, more loops and wheels? B: Use a counter-weight system instead of pulleys? C: Improved intersection between the vertical guides and the main board? D: Motorise it?

Laura, you need to clean the stator on your band saw chop saw. The brushes were sparking like crazy when you were using it. This is almost always caused by conductive grit getting in the ventilation holes. If you catch it early and clean the brushes and the stator and armature, there is no harm done. To prevent it from happening in the future, take a very thin sock, hose if you have it, put that over the ventilation grill. The motor will still be able to cool itself, but the sock will act as a pre-filter. You can just vacuum the sock off once a month or so

Lots of people have made great suggestions. I, however, love that you are willing to just build it. You’re an inspiration to me because i just overthink these things. Thank you Laura.

I like that you showed what you tried whether it worked the way you wanted it to or not. Sometimes you don't get it right on the first try ...kinda like life sometimes. Enjoy your determination and sweet spirit.

1: you have to guide the rope, having them simply on the bearing will strafe them on the side of the bearing and increase friction, possibly leading to having the rope stuck between the bearing and the metal plate. That's why pulley have a round shape for the rope. 2: of course counterweight. Take a look on how an elevator works, there is a counterweight which is the same weight as the cabin so the motor only have to move the people inside. On your case, having a counterweight at least the weight of the empty board, maybe a little more is you know the board will never be empty. 3: improving the vertical guiding. I think your guides with wood on metal is causing too much friction. Adding small rollers on the side will make a great difference. Last thing: it's great to see a maker who speak about failure too. Failure is usually the quickest way to learn and improve our skills, but on youtube most of the time you only see the success version. Thanks for sharing this too with us.

Wondering if it's binding in the rails. Maybe add rollers in each corner. Then if needed add another two pulleys. And yes motorize, which will also prevent accidental dropping. Love that you share the "oops that didn't work" moments.

"of course i know how a pulley works." Love it!

Priceless to watch you design, engineer and create that beautiful setup, and then just go "ok....so I don't know how a pulley works," LOL. Love your honesty!!

It's a great idea. I would say, since you would be unable to store things under it due to it sliding, i would recommend maybe adding a white board so you can use it as a drawing board for plans and notes. Also regarding the pulley system, either a crank or possibly motor driven may make it much more convenient to use. And a motor project would be pretty cool.

Motorizing it would be absolutely ridiculous, and is clearly exactly what you must do! This was another fantastic inspiring video, thanks for sharing! PS, Tell Smudo I said Hi.

If something didn't work out the way you envisioned, but you learned something in the process, that's a win!

Your thrill, even with a semi-fail, makes me smile 😊 😄 😁

Maybe make a platform you can raise with the pulley in the middle of room as with this design you're still loosing the wall space. I could even see wiring lights underneath the platform so you could have a chandelier storage solution. They raise and lower chandeliers all the time with pulleys for cleaning.

SNATCHBLOCK!!! ....as Destin would say from Smarter every day! 😄 Maybe you just need more pulleys?

most folks and business suffer from terminal vagueness , organization and knowledge of your flows and process is key, period, to ultimate success, some will disparage it calling it obsessive, that's oates that have passed thru the horse already. Keep going sweetie pie your amazing person and I am amazed by you often;-) yours Brian

Garage door opener system. I thinks it’s cool u posted video even though it wasn’t perfect- like most of your projects. U rock!

Put wheels on the board that run in the track. Use a single pulley and rope on each end of the board. Put counterweights on the ends of the ropes, totaling the mass of the board and half of the clamps. But you're not really freeing up floor space, because anything you put there will need to be moved each time you want to get to the clamps. Maybe get one of those sets of rolling steps, and just mount stuff like the clamps permanently higher on the wall.

Having the rails further off the wall would give usable space behind the board. Could be mounted at front edge of a tall and shallow shelving system. Alternative is to have a movable storage or work table underneath that can roll out of the way when you need the clamps.

Motorised was my first thought, but then I am old... and very weak... 🤣🤣 No idea is ever wasted, something to be learnt from everything tried. Love watching you work though the challenges, always admire your efforts.💯

Laura.....you will get this ........Smoodo looks so warm and comfy!!!!!

I sure admire the creativity, as always...and of course your wonderful mixing of metalworking and woodworking, not to mention your delightfully direct narration! But candidly, I'm not sure what you gain by the basic concept of the sliding sled. When it's finished and it works smoothly, you'll certainly have more open wall space at the working height. However, I'm not clear on how that new space can ever be put to any other use. But perhaps I may be missing the goal of the project?

Alwys love your crazy builds. If you want to keep it simple and mechanical I would take it instages to improve it. There's probably a lot of friction between the wooden back board and the runners, could add some HDPE/nylon or PTFE runners. The pulleys rope is running on the outer race of the bearing so the rope can drift and contact the side plates, normally pulleys have a groove to keep the the rope centred and away from the sides. Finally once the friction is taken out I'd think about a counterweight or gas strut.

Never give up.... That's the makerspirit..👍

I have zero problem with videos of ideas that "didn't quite work ideally". It actually gets my mind working a bit better than if it was perfect in the end.

Hey Laura, I think one big problem is that you are trying to use bearings for pulley wheels which means the rope spins the bearing....aditionaly you made a block and tackle setup if you add more bering wheels it will be a force multiplyer and cut the load down.

I'd say have two "sleds" rather than one giant one holding the clamps, roughly balanced between the two and use one as a counter weight for the other.

Hi Laura. Love your videos. Previous comments have suggested the following which should all improve your project… 1. Pulleys can have multiple “layers” - not just two so add an extra pull-through on each one. 2. Add a winch - even sailors have winches and a ratchet would make it safer on the release. 3. Add rollers on sides to keep it running parallel. Key to pulleys is that one is fixed and one moves. I’m learning a lot from your videos - putting it into practice building a mini caravan from the ground up… Keep them coming :)

Very nice space saving shop storage. It turned out very well there. Hopefully you get great use out of it my friend. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friend. Keep making. God bless.

More snatch blocks and a crank/gearing system would make it easier and safer.

Even if it did work, and the below comments are probably right - your 'home made' pulleys might need replacing with the 'real thing' - you still need to leave the space below it to drop it down - so is it really 'space saving' at all?? Good luck sorting it, though, Laura.

Great idea! And what he said 👇 about the counterweight. Also you could insert some bearings in the sides of the board to act as guide wheels to prevent racking and getting wedged. Just a thought. Thanks for sharing! 👍⚒

As a teacher i know that many old chalkboards and whiteboards are being replaced with smartboards. So if you walk to the nearest scrapyard you will find the mechanism you need. after that, use a simple rope system to get it up and down. What i really love about your content is that you don't leave out the 'faillures', but you rather use them to make great vids. Well done!

As soon as I saw what you had in mind I thought electric winch. Motorize it.

The market will be very favourable now due to the rapid growth of Bitcoin which is $61k, The rich won't disclose it so don't be fooled, it's right time to invest, Christmas is on the way🎄

Hi I hope I can learn . And as always it is so fun see you I thank God I found your channel

Maybe a used garage door opener might do the trick….hit the remote up it goes,hit the remote down it comes …love your channel Laura been faithfully watching for a long time…cheers from Ontario Canada 🇨🇦

Everyone has an opinion! My opinion is.... you did FANTASTIC! So creative. If first you don't succeed, redesign and try again!

I like the laser on your saw. That's really nice for making quick cuts.

Hand powered boat winch and cable. Bearings on the plywood for inside of the track. Great concept.👍

Anytime that you learn something new it's a success, right? Thanks for the video.

It's always a win when you learn something, Laura. I love the concept but agree that you need to tweak it some. You mentioned you might need to motorize it, and I like that idea. I agree with "seegurkekiller" below that the sides that slide need to have some sort of lubrication. I think the wood against the metal just bindes up. One thing is sure. Laura will figure this out. Love ya, Laura. Thanks for sharing. Felix

Modify a garage door opener to lift and lower. Use wheels in the aluminum track to reduce friction. Great video and cool idea!

1 problème... 1 solution... mais pas toujours... super vidéo... encore... merci !!!!!!!!!

To start, any video with Smudo is a winner 🤗 Dogs are a blessing. As long as you learn you're winning. I agree with some of the other comments... A counterweight system might solve your problem. Also you could change the mechanical advantage by altering the radius of the pulleys as well. Kudos on an instructive and entertaining video... As usual 🥃

Great fun vid,some simple pegs would make it safer,but motorised? Now that sounds like a fun project. Stay safe. 😎❤✌

It's always a win, when you learn something new. This project is just not quit finished yet, and I'm sure that you soon have "crack the code" how to make the work best for you!

Iterative design is how progress is made. Looking forward to watching you work out the problems with this system and move towards a final design that you're happy with.

Not so great idea maybe. But the learnings you share with such joy is so valuable to us all. Lot's of ideas to keep building on. As long you keep producing I'll watch and learn 🙂

Laura, A fantastic idea. Two things that might help: 1. Put rollers on the plywood edge to ride against the aluminum channel. This should markedly reduce friction . You might try roller blade wheels. I have seen them used this way before. 2. If the rollers cut the friction your current block and tackle (pulley system) should work. If weight becomes a problem, more sheaves (rollers) in the blocks will be the answer. You will have to pull more rope but it will be easier. Two more sheaves, one top and one bottom, should do the trick. Best of luck to you. Your idea is the neatest and most eye appealing clamp storage system I have ever seen.

Good job, from brazil 🇧🇷

Definitely think if you counter weight it especially with something like heavy gage sheet metal that could slide in the track behind the shelf you should be able to shove the shelf up and the back sheet should come down. If you drill some pin holes in the rail, store shelf, and sheet metal when the shelf weighs quite A bit more than the shelf you can put a pin in to stop the shelf from coming back down until you want it and if you have a lot of things off the storage shelf thus making it substantially later than the sheet metal you can pin the shelf in the lower position until you're ready to put it back up. Phenomenal idea and you did a fabulous job on it!!!

I think it's an awesome idea and a motor sounds like a great idea

Hi Laura. Thanks for sharing another great video. A bearing race on the edges of the board + a counterweight would help with movement. Happy Sunday :)

I'm looking forward to seeing the finished product 👍👍

Great film. Really, isn't every build a prototype...an iteration? Nothing is ever finished. : ) Mahalo for sharing! : )

Good job. I agree with the idea of ​​a counterweight. you can also use car trunk jacks to counter the weight of the assembly.

Happy Sunday!🌞

Tye counter weight idea from other comments is nice. Also some kind of ratcheted crank could work to pull it up or the motorized version you say. :) For some reason I love to watch "failure" videos of makers. The lessons everybody can learn from those are much more interesting than the successful projects!

Thanks for sharing your failure with us, cool to see your process! :)

It looks great!! Its a win

Meine Ideen sind, das Seil in ein Drahtseil zu tauschen da das sicher steifer ist und dadurch keine Kraft durch streching verlohren geht. als zweites hätte ich direkt noch eine Kurbel mit Ruecklaufstop benutzt um das ganze sicher und bequem zu manövrieren. Als letztes hätte ich die Aluprofiele von innen mit gleitmittel fuer Kreissägen etc. bepinselt sodass die Platte an sich besser gleitet und somit weniger Wiederstand hat. Mega video wie immer. Danke fuer die Zeit die du in so tolle Videos investierst.

Beautiful work 😃

counterweight! counterweight! counterweight! :-) love your projects and your videos!

My grandfather had a lift/dumb-waiter he built to store material on the upper level of his shop. It was wide enough for a sheet of plywood standing on its end but shallow. I don't remember what kind of rail system it had to keep it level, but I do remember many many loops of rope around the pulley and a big steel bucket full of old rusty nails and screws as a counterweight. Of course it wasn't intended to elevator humans, but my cousins and I had huge fun riding it up and down. Him yelling at us that it wasn't safe didn't deter us so he finally had to padlock it whenever we were around.

Smarter Everyday has a whole video about pulleys that I think would really help explain how to fix this. I thought I understood pulleys before but Destin really made them make sense.

Wie immer ein schönes Video, hat Spaß gemacht dir zuzuschauen 😊 was mir einfällt ist ein Rolladengurt mit Motor 😊

Thanks. I like it the way it is, as long as the thing has no safety concerns.

Dear Laura, I think it's the second time I write something to you although I'm watching you many years now.I like your inspiration you combine with improvisation , you act like a musician!my my mind to this project is: you try to succeed space and organise your clamps. unfortunately clamps are useful all the time and even if you make it easy the way up, you'll still move it down often, and you will have it on your down wall most of the time, that means that nothing else can live there.I would think making all this system, attached infront of a Regale with not so important stuff(you may want to hide, materials for example).the panel looks good like this, so if this don't work, put it on castors with a cool idea of yours and that's it.. with all my best! DImitris(Athens)

Love the idea!! Might want a lip/block on the end of the clamp shelves, just so those long clamps don't decide to slide off on your head.

Love it either way!

In addition to the counterweight that so many have already suggested I would also suggest having bearings in the track and maybe small casters on the back of the board to help everything move smoothly.

Look into counter weights. Specifically, visit a local theater if you can and look at their fly system. They raise and lower curtains, lights, etc with these and having an adjustable counterweight is massively important for it to work properly.

Thats great , even though ist doesnt work perfectly. I always enjoy watching your Videos . Thanx a lot.👩🏼‍🎨

Cool build, excellent video production. I say a motorized centralized screw/worm gear mechanism tapping power from that junction box above.

Always learning... Thx

this video made my day LK - thank you x1000

Love it! Even if it's not perfect!

A nice one, I exspected a 1000 kilo’s ballast on the other side of the pullies and a steel wire, greetings from Amsterdam

Great idea ! You also could remove some friction either with specific material (feltpads, some plastic like PV or something etc) or bearings that could remove the stickiness it has too mush right now because of the weight

As always, you are Rock Star

glad to see you are a fan of Peaches... and I say go with a winch and put some plastic on the aluminum channel to act as a bearing surface.

First seems to be a great idea and practical - Nice job! let's jump for my tips: 1. Add rollers on the lateral panel to smooth the up/down 2. Change the rope and use Coated Cable (check the best thickness considering the weight) 3. Add lateral stoppers/blockers on the mainboard (higher and lower position) Good luck!

I like the crank idea. Maybe a capstan like they use on sailboats? The only thing about counter weights is they have to travel farther than your clamp board due to the setup you have. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Always learning!

Kugellager??? habe ich schon ewig nicht mehr gesehen. Sehr interessant, mach damit weiter. Schöne Grüsse aus Bonn

Good evening Laura, great idea 💡, however can I suggest to you that you should consider a winding handle mechanism on the free end of the rope that you were pulling on, so as to not give your self an injury and also maybe put the two edges of the board inside a c-channel to guide the clamp board up as you wind the handle, obviously with a gap so that the board can rise and full without it swaying away from the wall. Have a think about this suggestion of mine and I will look forward to seeing your next video on Sunday next week and until then TaRa for a bit.

Cool project! Maybe add rollers to the edges of the board to reduce friction wiht the rails. And it may be cool to add a sail-boat winch to the system to make pulling up easier.

Your pulley idea makes me think of how warehouse bay doors work - a chain and pulley system on a rotating wheel/axis. I used them in my receiving jobs all the time and they weren't too hard to lift up those giant overhead doors, so might be worth looking into! Also, Smudo looked so precious all wrapped up next to the fire, so wholesome!