DIY Elevator Follow-up 

Even without any changes the elevator is way safer than carrying heavy and bulky things up a ladder like before. You made a huge upgrade for safety just by making the elevator and everybody goes crazy because it’s not 100% safe. This thing is probably safer than 90% of the tools in your shop. As far as water goes, aren’t similar type of winches mounted on vehicles where they are constantly outside?

I feel like I need to buy a calendar with 12 months of different elevator poses now.

To all the people concerned about his daughter and the elevator. Its a shop, full of saws, planers, routers, jointer etc. Relax!

Oh that ending was perfect! I laughed out loud in a restaurant! 🤣

re: Fisher’s Shop comment... Jay , your reply is THE BEST REPLY EVER!

I spit coffee watching the ending. Hysterical.

I love how even keel you are responding to all of the know-it-alls. The elevator is awesome! What a great add to your shop.

I'm so glad I watched the first 27 minutes and the very last ad just for the surprise ending! Bravo

1. I swear you always have the most useful videos right when I need them. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience as always. 2. The safety police were really on patrol in this one. Your shop/kids/safety situation already deserves an A+ grade. It goes past what’s necessary, and they still want more. My dads shop was fully accessible when I was a kid and had no precautions taken. He has five children and 0 incidents. They worry so much because they’ve lost sight of a small parenting trick called DISCIPLINE. 3. Thanks for the laughs.

My Dad never needed locks to keep my brother and me out of something. He had something called a belt that worked much better.

You're a better man than I. I would have just told them if they wanted it this way or that they could build one for themselves. No better way to find an expert on anything than to create a video on RU-vid about it.

You did a DAMN good job building this, and I hope you feel that way. This video looks like you are on trail pleading your case. You did a damn good job, explained it well, and made some modifications already. Be proud of this elevator lift you built!

@26:55 "I took appropriate precautions."....really? I don't see blast doors for a thermo nuclear war so did you, did you really, take precautions? 😂

ROFL!! 🤣 love it!!

The ending was perfect. And I agree with someone else when is the calendar coming out.

Great follow up video and I can appreciate your response about the gate and ladders. My 2 year old walked outside, found my ladder that I had placed against the shed as I was working on the roof of the shed. I didn't realise any of this until I turned around to see him standing on the ridge capping, in his nappy and nothing else.... Can you imagine the restraint required to not panic and just smile and say "hey buddy what are you doing up here"...

I know you don't need this redundancy but you did address the obvious real problems with the fall arrest attachment and the flex in the hoist support. I feel you did a great job and will be using your design! Great Job. Absolutely loved your explanations!! Going out for my own fireproof suit to get the mail ;P

WHAT? You climbed from your miter saw station into the loft! And you were not wearing a safety harness!!!! GASP!

Amazing job. I love this. Just a note, you have a shock absorbing lanyard on there. Check how much it deploys when it opens. Theoretically if the cable snaps the drum will lock to stop the elevator from crashing down, but depending on the weight the shock absorber will open. That'll cause the elevator to come crashing down another, 8,10,12?....feet.

I really like your DIY elevator. I have a build 3/4 done and you helped me solve a sticking point and got me thinking about a fall arrester as well. You are taking well thought out safety precautions in my opinion. Awesome project.

Great build! Lots of good ideas. Thank you for posting this! Some things I might consider: Use a remote that requires turning a key to enable the remote (then of course you have to worry about losing the key, and at least for me, misplacing a key is almost certain). A mirror opposite the lift for seeing beneath it on the way down would help negate the risk of squishing any pets who snuck in to take a nap beneath it. Lastly, a couple of grab handles bolted on to the back wall of the lift might be a good idea. If the lift ever does fail (snapped cable, etc), there might be a sudden jolt and it might tilt, which could knock you off balance and throw you on to the concrete floor below, so at least having a grab handle would give you something to hold on to. Aside from that, I think it's great. Give the whole contraption a thorough inspection a couple times per year, like any elevator.

Hi Jay, I've been watching your videos for quite some time and always enjoyed them. I am a retired elevator guy with more than 30 years experience. When I saw the first video I could see quite a few issues. some you touched on and some you fixed. I still think there are a couple of things you should think about. The main one is the sling you are using at the bottom. When those things fail they dont give any warning. I couldnt see from the video but if there are sharp corners where it goes around the timber then that will increase the risk. I would be be attaching a piece of chain as a safety in effect paralleling the sling it can be loose to allow the main sling to work unhindered. The problem with relying ofn the fall arrestor at the side is I think that platform will rack sideways if it ever comes into use and I wouldnt be confident that it will stay between the rails. Also when putting any load on the platform I would put it as close to the back wall as possible to prevent distortion ( racking) of the platform. In the end I think the main problem is that its likely that some other folks who are not as careful as you will see this video and the outcomes could be not so good.

I built my elevator out of barn door rails and wheels with a tractor carry all and it binds and is HEAVY..You've given me names for upgraded material AND a better design for the platform :) Thank you! I found those winches are junk, bought a $2500 chain drive and it works much better.

Great build Jay, and your explanations for some of the safety concerns was spot on.The ending makes me LOL

The end was the best! And good thing you pointed out the fall arrester was broke, otherwise the Internet Safety Police would’ve broken the comment section.

Thanks a lot. Now i cannot unsee the outro.

Love the big photos of the little one in the background. Such a positive space!

I found your first video looking to build a lift, subscribed to both channels just because of your professionalism of your video, plus copying/cloning yourself in your videos is just awesome!

A great follow-up to address people's comments. Thanks for posting

I’m in the middle of a lift build. You started after I did and you finished before I will. (I’m retired) Mine is very similar to yours. When you loop the cable the auto stop no longer works so I plan to attach a narrow vertical board to the back of my sled that will trigger the auto stop when the sled gets to the top so I don’t accidentally let a tall load raise the roof, literally. Love your videos!

I liked the build and I think it's great you are taking the time to respond to the questions that were posed. I really laughed at your car analogy, a stroke of genius! although the absolute best comment was; "Just because she want's to doesn't mean she's going to.", the perfect response from a proper dad. You are there to be a parent, not their best friend and that means sometimes being the bad guy.

Jay, you just do you. I think it’s awesome and I did the same thing at my shop. And if they saw mine lift they would just crap themselves, while facing a corner and sucking on their thumbs. Great job.

Great solutions, Jay. First, just for information, is that GFCI breakers are available for your breaker box (not that you need one). Second, check out an OSHA approved belt elevator . No safety cage is required. Also, get Drew to pose for the calendar when you publish it (lol). Take care. Bill

Uni-Strut, Superstrut, etc are brand names. This stuff is called channel strut or strut channel. A variety of manufacturers make them and it's all standardized dimensions to ensure interchangeability. The common size is 1-5/8 x 1-5/8 but others exist. A good resource to see what accessories are available is McMaster-Carr. Btw if you want to remove flex from the strut channel supporting the hoist then just attach a 2x6 to the top using lag screws through the slots in the strut channel.

Love the ending! I agree, when is the calendar coming out?

Over the top! Also love the wrap-you outta go on RU-vid! Actually, I think I'll grab the time and watch it over and over. Absolutely Priceless!

Plenty of personal safety precautions taken.. The Safety Sally rabbet hole has no exit... Nice followup - thanks. The B-Roll was spot on, HA.

Sure can understand other shop-type workers offering suggestions of information about different products & stores, but telling you about what your daughter 'might' do and how you should handle it is crossing a line. It's like they think you can't parent sufficiently without them putting their noses in your private business. You have a lot more patience with those kind of people than have I. Your elevator is a great build, your build video is great inspiration! Thank you!

You made a video, warned everyone about DIY and your risk. You are humble enough to know like all of us we all make mistakes and screw up from time to time that is life and people who go at you like they are superior with an attitude would find fault with anything you did so... Ce La vie. enjoy thanks for posting

I think you are very thoughtful to go over all of their comments. I loved the ending 😆

I loved the video, really enjoyed you answering well meaning people with their comments. it's probably how OSHA got started. Great design

Regarding your comment about transporting 20' strut: Next time think about laying the long object, ez-strut, rebar, pipe, simply drive over the length of the product and strap it up to your axles. I bought 21' x 1 1/4" galvanized threaded conduit for use as a flag pole. The hardware store where I purchased it ha been in business more several decades. The owners adult son said he had never seen anyone do that and thought it was a great way to haul it. I ended up doing that several times as several of my neighbors on Lake Gaston in NC/VA wanted a flag pole as well. Just a thought. A rope, small ratchet strap or heavy wire will all work to hold the pipe. Give it a try sometime.

Thanks Jay. I agree, you addressed the safety concerns very professionally. And, nice build.

Damn Skippy - nice JOB DUDE!!!! This is awesome.

One thing I have found to be absolutely true... there are a few thousand armchair engineers (due to a recent stay at a Holiday Inn) that think that every single project should be rated for commercial use in a public space, permitted by every possible permitting agency known to mankind (including those that are not based in this country) and require waivers of insurance coverage to be used or even pondered from a distance. The mere fact that you went to the effort to install a fall arrest system says that you are way above the majority of people that have created one variety of this project and DON'T have a RU-vid channel to display it on. Gonna guess that there are literally thousands of projects just like this one in place that have never ha d a failure and are way jankier than your well engineered build. Kudos to you for your ingenuity and screw you to the armchair engineers. As with ALL DIY projects... your mileage may vary and do it at your own peril and risk. I am building two of these for "second tier" storage solutions in my own fab shop thanks to your designs. Thumbs Up!

One of the most enjoyable and interesting workshop projects I've watched from you. Well done.

oh. wow. this is the greatest. I didn't know you and Fisher were buds. you guys are my favorite and i've learned so much from you two.

OMG I can’t believe you didn’t use 4000 rubber bands to prevent a fall… LOL looks great….. I ran across this video while looking to ideas for my lift. Thank you for the details you included!

Very good video (audio, content, lighting, etc)! Considering one these myself. With regards to the shop being “off limits” you also consider future owners. If you are no longer around unexpectedly (car crash, heart attack, etc) the next owner may not be so cautious with access. That’s why there’s building codes.

Thanks for the video and the follow up. I think the safety stuff may be warranted in a public space but as you said its NOT a public space. And due to the fact it is a slow moving system, I really doubt a LOT of these suggestions would be a big deal. The only thing I would add is another fall arrestor on the other side with the exact same attachment style so that they can both take the full weight. I like what you have put in place. I think I am going to use this design and put one in my shop in ADDITION to my stairs because I don't like carrying heavy things up my stairs.

I love that you went from a a single room shop all the way to a shop with a freaking elevator!

I wish I had seen both videos before commenting, but good job making improvements. I agree the concerns about your daughter and the lift are the least of your worries in a shop full of tools. I would reconsider adding a chain or rail across the front because in the event of a minor failure, or the lift unexpectedly jerking, you could lose your balance and fall, or your cargo could shift and fall, damaging the cargo, injuring you, or breaking something below. Again, great project and it should work fine for your needs.

Kudos to you for answering these questions without mocking all the dumbtarded safety gurus! You made it way safer than most everything I’ve ever done, or would have.

Thank you for this follow-up. I just watched the first video and it gave me a heart attack.

Wow!! After reading your comments I realized that if these people saw you walking on water they'd say it's because you can't swim. The most noise is made by people that do NOTHING!! They won't, and haven't, built an elevator or anything else for that matter. It's easy to sit back and criticize what other people are doing. You have taken "reasonable" precautions to ensure safety. Build quality looks good. You have fall arresters. Everything has a safety factor way above what is required. You can keep adding safety features until the lift won't carry it's own weight. Remember, people ride motorcycles without helmets every day. Don't let people harsh your mellow. You did a fantastic job and it looks great. Be proud of what you've done.

Nailed it. Well done Jay. And the ending was perfect

Nice call on all of the reasonable suggestions and handling the over-cautious ones by people that feel they "must be heard". I'd be happy to have anything like that in my shop/barn, but I wonder if a garage-door torsion spring cable would help offload some of the load, provided it's "lift" is less than the weight of the empty cart. I built a lift for a lake property (look for "girls go downhill the easy way" on youtube) and I got similar suggestions of how destructively unsafe it was and that I would die using it, but I never did, much to their disappointment I'm sure.

20:30 - yeah, excellent point about children and household safety. The lift is most likely not the risk point in the house. I.e. chemicals, elec outlets, 'don't run in the street' etc. 26:30 - Absolutely! Safety is very important & is a personal judgement in a one-person shop. Obviously if you are working with others, then it is a team decision. Great vid, thanks Jay...

Very nice. The only thing I would suggest is loading it to capacity with a quick release on the winch about 3ft up and see how it handles things. The single side fall arrest may cause it to twist, and then new factors like wall anchors for the track come into play and the possibility if it throwing a person and the items off the lower side due to the sudden unexpected change in angle. great video and great project!

Jay Bates, you are a better man than I. I would ignore all the dummies that are worried about things that are none of their business or tell them to flake off. I guess you asked for comments so you responded but i would let my kids play on the lift and have fun!!! I was plowing fields when I was 7 years old. I had a .22 and a 410 by the time I was 8. I helped milk the cows, butcher hogs, chickens, turkeys, cows, and any other animal we wanted to eat. I would go stay in the woods for several days at a time when I was 10. I built an underground 3 room house all by myself when I was 12. I'm not bragging, it's just that people now days are such wimps they don't even live a life of fun and enjoyment. Always worried about things that aren't any of their business!!! Good job on the lift by the way!!! I used unistrut for lots of things....

Jay it is great design and I feel you followed the reasonable man theory towards the safety concerns. I saw roofers on a two story house today working using their heads as well as their hands. Ever watch an Amish barn raising? Look forward to more great ideas

Adding a GFCI to the outlet may cause nuisance tripping. I don't recommend it here. The most likely point for nuisance tripping is the initial load on the way up. If the GFCI is up top, it will be hard to reach. If its down low and it trips when you are up top, you are stuck :) EDIT: LOVE the Outro!

One thing you need to watch for overtime is the cable delaminating/ spreading apart, which will weaken the weight holding capacity of the cable. I have a similar setup with using a hoist for my wheelchair lift and about four feet from the end the cable started to do this.

The fall arrestor. Bad move to put it on the side. The platform will want to tip to the unsupported side and put stresses in the direction this platform isn't designed for. I suggest adding another to the other side. Have you had any problems with tracking unevenly as in the event of a load that could not be centered? Excellent job! I'm glad you came back to address concerns.

hi, i never comment on this stuff, (till now ) your music video part cracked me up ! everything else was done very well with strong points on safety and your personal security needs. GREAT JOB !

Analysis to paralysis. Jay, thank you for doing your build, accepting advice from people when it improves the operation of your lift. At least you are willing to take the risk of creating something rather than analysing all of the negatives to the point of never creating anything. Life is not a sterile bubble.

As for all the stupid questions, This was an awesome build. I have used a DIY lift that someone made maybe 30 or 40 years ago. It was made with a angle iron in a box frame and lowers up and down to a basement. Though it is super small about 3 foot square and the hoist was centered. Though it needs to be updated it still works very well. If i ever need to build a lift anywhere I know what I will do to make it better.

Cool project Jay, I'm not an engineer but it looks fine to me. You can't post anything on RU-vid without the safety police showing up. 😁 What matters is that you're happy with it and feel comfortable in your own shop. You're right, we all risk our lives using ladders and rarely think about it.

🤣🤣 the ending! Wow 🤩 🤣🤣 thanks for the laugh !!

As a mechanical engineer, I would suggest sizing your materials for at least double the capacity you plan you use them for. That would be a safety factor of 2. Most of the structural engineers I work with design for safety factors of 2.5-3 since the occurrence of failure typically means serious injury or death. I've never designed an elevator but I would consider looking at the fail safes residential elevators use in their products.

Necessity is normally the mother of invention, you did a great job with your creative concept, practical application and then producing a video as an added bonus. Well Done !!! The term "Unistrut" or "Strut" used in the construction field comes in several width and length dimensions. It is made with both a galvanized coating and or normally painted in glossy green. It's probably a little late now but FYI to anyone else doing future builds it is always a plus to know the availability of 7/8", 1-5/8" wide and or 10' and 20' lengths are both very popular for support of different applications. They also make 1-5/8"X1-5/8" wide back to back "Strut" that is spot welded together in 10' and 20' lengths for use where a more rigid application is needed. Along with the track roller brackets in the 1st video they also make both a two hole and or a four hole angle bracket to build "Unistrut" support frame work secured by "Unistrut" nuts for either 3/8" or 1/2" bolts and square washers. Besides the cost it's almost like having access to "Adult" version erector set. :)

GREAT ELEVATOR, JAY, especially love the idea and thus safety of the fall arrest! you went above and beyond doing this follow-up, kudos to you!, BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT ENDING.

Very well executed plan! I always admire your logic. I thought your attention to safety was far sufficient with the fall arrester. Personally, I would have been too lazy or cheap to add it to my plan lol! Well done!

Really, really interesting, Jay!!! Great work! Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

Love the lift, about to build one myself. Thanks for the tips Jay. I appreciate your approach, just don't sell the house as an inspector will tear you up.

Sounds like you have a good grasp on parenting skills. 👍 😆 ROFLOL to the finale of the video! Love it!

Jay!! Absolutely spectacular, sir!! Not only was the 1st video on this project stellar, but your follow-up was .... well, I was gonna say 5 star, but in actuality, it's a whole box of stars. Way to go, Jay! And, when all this pandemic mess is over, I hope to catch you either in Mathiston or when you're up this way to visit Chad at the sawmill or anything else you need to do in Tupelo. Take care, sir! Great job all the way around!

The only form of redundancy a father needs in regards to their children's / child's safety. Comes in a hefty dose of Respect / Trust. Children are a lot smarter and intuitive than you think.

On the subject of flex: if the uni-strut flexes downwards, then the ends lift up. If the ends lift up, then they aren't touching the outer two supports. If they aren't touching the supports, then the supports aren't actually supporting the weight, just the inner two supports are providing the support.

Great video, especially the sultry ginger outro.

I have never used any sort of fall protection on ladders and I have taken some bad falls. Be careful. You correct about your safety.

Way safer than I would make it :) You made some good changes, it seems pretty sturdy from here. Of course, you know how sturdy it is better than anyone on the internet. I'd guess the timber lift is the weak point (appropriately strong though), but it's a small lift, so I'm sure that you would struggle to get more onto it than you can lift. Good vid, have a great day

I think the whole reason you did this was to show off how much weight you have lost. Looking great Jay.

Great video, great project and attitude all around. Thanks!

I agree with everything you said. If you wanted to take restricting the elevators motion to another level. You could run a padlock threw the super strut track thus preventing the travel of the platform just like people do on garage doors.

Holy crap that ending.... Love it!!

I would agree with some of the other comments I would find fall restraint without the absorber because those will stretch 6 to 10 feet in which then wouldn’t do Do you much good you’re really after something to catch your elevator immediately without picking up speed prior to be restrained

ha ha ha...the eye contact!

Good replies! Especially about concerns regarding your daughter. Arm chair quarterbacks always have noting to do. I built one with as similar design but built for much more weight. I will post mine soon. Person preference.

In that 2X10 at the top, suggest you put lag screws in to those studs, nails may shear off over time as they aren't made for shearing forces.

I like your way with the strut... if you ever bang into the lower piece, you could replace that easily...

First!

Thanks - I love your projects and the follow-ups are actually helpful

I agree, looks safe enough and many other things that are just a dangerous sitting in shop. Just one thought, kids are very smart and understand phones and computers better than we adults ever have. Only concern is you have a video of use and all safety tricks revealed. That said, your deal and nice safety features.

Great explanation of your design and the safety features you incorporated in it. I love this idea for storage in the attic or loft area. I have been looking at a solution for about a year for my attic above my garage. Thanks, Jay! Felix

Your design is simple and elegant for its purpose. If it works I wouldn't change anything.

OMG - the ending. - Classic!

Some simple tie downs for tippy loads would be a possible consideration. Love the out take especially with the broken fall arrester. Not sure why you wouldn't have one on each side for double redundancy. Great build...and thoughtfulness regarding taking appropriate safety precautions. After all, caution is just that, isn't it?

Very good follow up Jay!

I worked at four different Lowes stores, we always called it Unistrut. At one store we could special order all the different sizes but not at the other three.