From www.kevincaron.com - Artist Kevin Caron shows how to lift items easily using a tool people have used for centuries ....
Caron is lifting some large and heavy pieces of 5" square steel tubing onto his workbench. A viewer had written in and asked what those ropes were that Caron was using in his video about the magnetic lifter.
He explains they are a block and tackle, which has one block, or pulley, at the bottom and another at the top. The ropes in between are what is called tackle. It's very old school - the technology has been around for a long, long time.
There are lots of different types and styles of block and tackle. The one Caron is using has three "sheaves," or grooved wheels, that the ropes run through, giving greater mechanical advantage. They let you pick up a heavier load with less pulling. The block and tackle is doing the work for you.
Each of the 5" x 5" x 1/4" wall steel tubes Caron is lifting weighs about 140 pounds. Could he lift them onto the workbench himself? Yes. Does he want to? No. That's what he got the block and tackle for. It's just a whole lot easier to use a block and tackle than to pick them up by hand.
The block and tackle also lets Caron do a whole lot more work by himself. It's safer and quicker and is much better for his back.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind if you're going to add a block and tackle to your shop. First, make sure your block and tackle is attached to a strong, solid beam. The beam his block and tackle is screw into is two 2x6s on edge, sandwiched together, with a strap around them. It's good and solid, which is important if you are going to pick up anything heavy with it, like an engine block.
If you are picking up something big and heavy, also try to get your attachment to the item centered so it picks it up flat and square rather than off to one side.
You want to watch the equipment ratings, too. Different block and tackles are rated to lift different weights - 100 pounds, 200 pounds, etc. Caron's is rated to pick up 2 tons, so it will pick up a lot more than those two 2x6 beams will even hold.
Finally, the more sheaves you have, the more rope you'll need and the more you have to pull to lift items. A single pulley will lift pretty quickly, but a triple pulley means a lot more pulling to do the same work, but it's easier. So make sure you have enough rope - Caron thinks he has about 50 feet on his block and tackle.
A block and tackle is a great tool - it doesn't use gas or electricity, doesn't make noise, and is a great workout for the arms and chest when you are picking up something with it. And it just hangs out up there until you need it.
Caron found his on eBay, but you can also find them on Amazon and probably also brick-and-mortar stores in your area.
He's ready to go back to work, so you can head out to Instagram and follow him at KevinCaronArt to see images from his studio and life. Or you can head to www.kevincaron.com to see more how-to videos and his crazy sculptures.
Well, you might want to hang out for another moment to learn about mechanical advantage (or not) ....
"Inspired sculpture for public & private places."
Artist Kevin Caron has been sculpting full time since 2006. You can see his more than 45 commissions in public and private places coast-to-coast and online at www.kevincaron.com.
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17 авг 2024