FILENAMES: beam1.jpg beam2.jpg beam3.jpg beam4.jpg beam5.jpg beam6.jpg hembrug1.jpg DESCRIPTION: These are pictures of an I-beam lifting frame. Posted by Bob Powell . Bob provided the following description: ================================================================= These are photos of the final assembly and first use of the I-beam lifting frame outside our shop. A good fun Sunday project. The frame is for loading and unloading items weighing up to a safe design working load of 6000 lbs from a pickup or trailer, using a chain hoist or other aid. My friend Ken Marquess helped with the process and is the person attempting to hide from the camera in several of the photos. The posts are 3-1/2" i.d. schedule 40 steel pipe, projecting 12'4" above the concrete. The lower ends are sitting in "sockets" that were carefully plumbed and set in concrete before the pad was poured. The sockets are 4" schedule 40 galvanized electric conduit which has an actual i.d. 1/16" larger than the 3-1/2" pipe o.d. so it's a good tight fit. The sockets have steel plate welded to the bottom and are set 30" into the concrete. The columns could have just been set directly in the concrete, or bolted to it afterwards, but I reckoned it was easier to just locate the "sockets" and be done with it. The beam is a W10x30 structural steel I-beam, 12'2" long. The ends are closed with 1/4" plate to reinforce it upright, and the bottom flanges are bolted to sections of 3/8" plate welded to the ends of the pipe, using 1/2" high-grade bolts. The pipes weighed about 150 lb each and the beam weighs 360 lbs so a handy Bobcat was used to lift and set them in place. The bucket only reaches 11' so the scaffold was used as an intermediate point with the beam raised the last two feet by hand (more specifically, by Ken) one end at a time. For now I'm using a Harbor Freight 2 ton trolley, and a Jet 2 ton chain hoist. The last two photos are of unloading the Hembrug "Ergonomic" slant-bed lathe that had been sitting in the back of the truck for a week waiting for the lift frame. From its handling during unloading, we figure the lathe weighs close to 3000 lbs, not surprising what with the stand being a single iron casting. The lathe was a scrap gamble from Boeing Surplus. Not sure what kind of repair it needs but it's a modern precision toolroom lathe, about 8" x 18" capacity, 3500 rpm D-4 camlock spindle, 5C collet closer, 4 hp motor and some peculiar features in addition. If you have any knowledge about this lathe, please contact me. Lots of metal projects-in-progress here: the workshop, the Bobcat, the lathe, an electric chain hoist... Bob Powell Vashon Island, WA bobp@dogpatch.com