Lumber & Leverage: Handling Plywood, Boards, ANY Material with Ease 

"Youth and strength and flexibility are temporary conditions but work is a lifetime commitment." That's poetry.

When you listen to Scott sharing his stories you start to notice that he remembers the name of all the people he worked with and always says something nice about them while he's at it. Besides the obvious instructional video and information he imparts, the manners and overall general lifestyle we glean from Essential Craftsman is invaluable. Thank you for making videos.

If only every high school shop class taught the subjects you teach in your videos, the world would be a MUCH better place. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

"Youth is temporary condition work is permanent." I love these little nuggets of wisdom in your videos

I'm happy to say that, where I live, the lads and the lasses in the yard are always ready and pleased to lend a hand when it comes to loading materials. I decided about ten years ago to choose one merchants and use them exclusively. I was doing two house refurbishments at the time and it saved a lot of time just going to one supplier. I always say hello and always please and thank you. It costs nothing and folks appreciate it.

A principle I've learned in 26+ years of general physical work is: my thighs/hips are hands and my clothing is a gripping/friction tool. Not something easily explained without demonstration, but I bet all construction guys know what I mean.

How am I (at 65 years old carpenter) still learning from a Master! - great video!

All great advice, and as always, I learned something new. To all you said I will add this: The older you get, the harder and longer it is to come back from hurting yourself, which also cuts down your productivity.

Yeah the first few minutes of the video I was yelling out loud "lift with your legs". Glad you finally did. I don't care how stupid it looks, everyone needs to be taught to lift that way when they're kids. Develop the habit early.

Way to go, Wadsworth! This is a truly excellent instructional video. Forget about listening to an old man tell you how it's done, WATCH THE OLD MAN SHOW YOU HOW IT'S DONE!!!

I very much enjoy your videos sir, as well as all the commentary. May the LORD bless you

My Grandfather was an Ironworker. His best friend, Meatball, was working with him one day moving metal decking about 40 stories up. They’d been doing this for years and thought nothing of it. But on that one day, the wind gusted just wrong and pushed the sheet hard enough to knock Meatball off the iron to the ground 40 stories below. It was a day my family never forgot. This was long before OSHA and mandatory tie offs. It was just the way it was. Those old guys were tough.

Mom, I’m sorry, you were correct, I don’t know it all. After watching today’s Essential Craftsman I am not afraid to admit! Scott, Thank you for this gift. Merry Christmas.

as a smaller guy in the construction trades i had to learn early in my career how to move/lift smart so i didn't kill myself, you would be surprised how much weight the top edge of your belt will hold if you have to rest the stack of 2x4s on it as you carry them as you said friction is good a good old heavy leather belt works too. Merry Christmas to EC & family & to all the hard working grunts out there work smarter young guys/gals not harder 🎅🎅🤶🤶☃☃

Sharing our wisdom is so important. Today I'm delivering concrete for a job. The young man who is doing the job was going to have me pull onto a blacktop driveway with a truck that weighs approximately 55-57 thousand punds. The crazy thing is the driveway did not belong to the job where he was working. I took the opportunity to share some wisdom that it probably would not be wise given the amount of rain we have had in Cincinnati the past week. Pulling on that driveway, even though he boldly proclaimed he had a 1 million dollar insurance policy, would have been a huge risk. My thought is why use insurance when you can take a little bit longer to do the job with a bobcat bucket and not lose your insurance because you have to replace a 900' long blacktop driveway.

This might be one of you best videos to explain something that doesn't come naturally to a lot of people. Very useful!

And thus, the Essential Craftsman Functional Workout was born! Great video, thank you; especially for us more 'well aged' folks. I still find myself doing it the hard way most of the time just out of habit. And then I pay for it later. Not anymore.

Great Tips, 50 Plus Years In the Trades and My Body Still Works and Has Original Parts. Working Every Day and Still Enjoy the Process

Your channel is the most useful on RU-vid,everything you mention makes life that much easier and makes all the sense in the world.just a great channel

At 76, things seem to get heavier every year. Even knowing how to handle things it is sometimes a struggle. You didn't get around to drywall or Hardieboard here, but the days when I could grab four sheets of 1/2" driywall and walk away are long gone. I'm thankful that where we live, young bucks often see an old man trying to do more than he should, and come over to help. Young guys, pay attention - your body will thank you later.

Amen brother! Age prompts one to work smarter not harder! I remember when I would grab two sheets at a time and go. Now, I'm looking for help just to move one... and if they would just put working brakes on those big box store lumber carts maybe they wouldn't run off when you try to load them... LOL!

Nice too see that this technic is world wide, I'm a carpenter for 45 years in Sweden and I have learned the same technic too work. Excuse my bad English. 😅

I did well with being logical and cautious when lifting as a carpenter. then one day I had an apprentice with me helping me carry a ladder, the guy slipped and pushed the ladder as he fell and I strained my lower back 😡. I was pissed. Took 3 years of babying it to get it back to normal all because of someone else. I just tell guys now even if you’re careful for yourself someone else will probably ruin it for you😂

I really appreciate it when you mention a previous boss with a treasured admiration.

You’re like a father I never knew and had. Thank you so much for making these valuable videos.

EC shows us black belt level skills in the ancient art of Board-Jitsu

Most muscle and joint injuries I had were doing something while not being warm-up. That and a bit of stretching is essential before you do that "Yeah , I can do it no sweat" extra difficult task. Being smart helps but without warm-up is a no-no.

Thanks for making this video! 25 years old now and I'm starting to begin feeling it in my back when i make bad decisions the previous day😂

I miss some things about working as a Carpenter. this channel is one of them

I love this channel. Gloves are huge help for material handling.

"Why didn't you carry 4 and make it worth your while?" Got me on that one. I almost skipped this video, but at 70 and still moving heavy thing around, I'm glad I didn't. Keep up the good stuff. Thanks.

Thanks for this one, reminded me as a young guy with too much on my shoulder!!❤

A rare example of manhood and a true gentleman. "The type man it feels good to be around" A line from the song A Bible and a Forty-Four

He’s had plenty of good videos but you can tell by his body language that he knows he’s got a banger on his hands here. And, well, he does. May that pep in the step remain for a long time

@14:53 "I'm not feeling any pain anywhere."😂 Me neither, not after putting a dose of Voltaren on my sore joints and muscles. At 72, I use my cell phone to call in an order, and let the young men at the lumber yard bring it out to the job site. But these are valuable lessons in material handling, which I had to learn decades ago. Thanks for the continuing education, Scott!

These tips and trick videos are your most valuable. Thank you very much

Not to critique, but FYI "keep the load close to your Base Of Support" " marry the load to your BOS" the further the load is away from your BOS the chances of injury increase. At the stack with grady/brady picking up 4 2x6. You pushed 4 towards grady. Grady lifted and pushed towards you. The load was married to your BOS but for grady the load was 12" out of his BOS. When you lifted , took the weight of the load , half or so of the weight shifted to grady whose hands were 12" in front of his body. Not good Two people carrying the same load , one persons wrong move could move the load out of the second persons BOS potentially causing injury. Dont know how many times with 2 person lift . You do the 1 , 2 , 3. Lift. And the second person puts little effort and you get twinges in your back. Absolutly " NO" twisting your trunk with your feet planted moving a load #1 cause of herniated disc. If you use proper body mechanics. Properly prepare the area where you are working , tripping over debris carring load could cause catastrophic injury weather one or two people carrying. So make more trips, carry less weight ask for help take time to prepair area working in. Pushing is better than pulling! Your back muscles are basically small postural muscles they are not ment to lift anything. That is what legs are for. A persons center of mass is 2" below the navel. That is where heavy objects carried with 2 hands should be against your navel. A 75 pound anvil for instance carried against body at the navel. And any time you can use a machine, a wheelbarrow, a dolly, forklift , crane a burk bar etc. Take advantage. Take care of your body March 1981 inital injury. I have missed out on so much stuff in life cause i now had to function within set boundries. Could not get cold, wet , stressed, fatigued , lousy nite sleep, working low to ground alwsys need one hand to support trunk. I never was able to pic my kids up when they were little. Very difficult walking on uneven surfaces. So thats what you get. Tortoise and the hare - slow and steady is fast. Apologize for diatribe but chronic pain sucks. Worked for caterpillar dealer 4 yrs. Crane mech. Naval shipyard 20yrs. Then physical therapist asst. 26yrs. Gotta check on turkey. Their is a gadget for carrying sheet goods kinda like a cane. JG Merry Christmas

When I used to frame, first thing in the morning I would grab 4 sheets of OSB, then the next trip would be 3 sheets, 2, than one. after doing this 1 sheet would feel like a piece of paper.

When working in the wind with plywood, never put yourself In between the edge of wherever you’re working and the plywood. A strong gust will take both you and the plywood right off the roof. A little pro tip for you younger fellas.

Yes, I was once young, dumb, and full of... enthusiasm. Great video Scott! Merry Christmas!

Okay, as much as I love hearing your advice, it’s the words of encouragement that keep me coming back Scott❤❤❤

Your information is like a gold nugget, your back’s health very important to your well being. Thank You !

I’m grateful to have begun my passion for carpentry in a lumber yard. Learned a lot of these tricks my first summer when it was real busy and some customers expected to be able to sit tight in their vehicle and trust you would pick them out some decent lumber. Gotta say, for any of you young kids fresh out of high school not knowing what you want to do with your life, get a job as a material handler in a lumber yard. You learn a lot of these tricks and you learn a lot about people too.

They are not free, but several companies sell grips for plywood. They also have wheeled dollies that carry ends of plywood to move. The friction grips are well worth their money. A person could probably easily make them if they have the skills. The plywood dollies I would only use when needing to move some distance with plywood that cannot be dragged along such as cabinet ply. Thanks. Good video.

“Youth, strength and flexibility are temporary conditions, but work is a lifetime commitment” that hit home. No truer words have been spoken, 100% spot on Scott. That should probably be on a t-shirt. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to to entire Essential Craftsman family!

I am a plumber from New England. Been in construction my whole life. And I have to say of all the people I've ever worked for are seen you are by fire the best tradesman out there as far as a builder goes. Understanding these simple things like moving material around the right ways to do it how to set up a job. And the fact that you think it all through before you do it speaks volumes about you. I've watched every single one of your videos and I've been impressed every time. Also I was watching a carpenter carry a 2 pieces apply with up a ladder to a roof on a really windy day. And I kept telling this kid you should not be up on that roof when it so windy, He was very gung-ho to prove to his boss that he could do the things he was there to do but took risks doing it. And he went up the ladder fine and as soon as he got to the roof the wind picked him right up like a kite with both of those pieces of plywood and dropped him right on the lawn. And thank God this kid was OK cause he basically wrote the ply would down as a kite. But I immediately called his boss and told him this kid's a good kid and he's gonna break his neck for you trying to prove that he can do the job.

Awesome tips. I have a couple of sheet good carrying handles hold the load from the bottom and allow you to walk around standing straight up without straining back or arms.

I’ve been watching for a while and I have to say I love watching your videos and for a multitude of reasons. I loved most how you had to back it up to show a level of experience you didn’t know you knew and pivoting that plywood. Keep it coming🙏

Yup I learned too late what Scott is giving for free. Its amazing the ease that one simple change can make in moving something. Like he just demonstrated.

The way you went through the lumber at the first was the way I was taught by my dad. I've taught my son, grandson and a couple of their friends as they were growing up. I was 20 year old, that was back when we had real lumber yards. I had just bought my first home, picking up lumber one day as you were doing, there was a couple of "old guys" probably in their 40' 50's, LOL, watching me. After watching for a while, they asked how I learned to handle lumber that way. Told them, they said they never saw that before and they always came to yard together because it wore them out and took both to get the lumber. They were shocked at how easy it was. Work smarter, not harder !!! Appreciate all the info you give us. God bless ya'll and hope ya'll have a blessed and Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

Dang, Some really good tips in here for handling plywood. I had several face palm moments where I realized just how much better it could be...

Ah yes the initial secrets of the pyramids. I suspect the Egyptians understood your methods. Right up until I watched you flipping those 2bys I never knew that there were snakes embedded in them. Your respect shown to lumber yard and their materials might be subtle but it speaks to your character. Exceptional information! Pray maintain speed and course.

the world needs more men like this. many many more....

Had to figure alot of this out on my own as I went, but this is an incredibly VALUABLE video that I really hope alot of the younger folks find. Me and a buddy were talking the other day about how many 18 year olds don't even know how to use a broom or a Shovel. Seems like another good video idea. Everyone starts from zero, it's up to us to teach them. Thanks for the fantastic vids. Wish you and yours a Merry Christmas!

As a 125 lb framer, I can say that I’ve done a lot of these methods simply because I’m not strong enough to do it the other way! Anyways, great video, would love to make one together sometime!

Im 24 years old,ive always felt like i could do things in one trip but Ive realized that working smarter is always best, I enjoy working with my hands and i can see how i can already use these skills in my everyday life. Thank you for your wisdom! Im glad i found your youtube channel.

I did cement and framing for 28 years and I am thrashed .I wished I had listened when I was younger , I learned all of those tips the hard way .hopefully some younger folks will listen cause all that makes a difference in how long your able to work or even just getting around from day to day.😊

I was never strong enough to carry 200 lbs of lumber. I started in construction late in life started right off looking for the “easy” way. That helped me a lot.

Thank you so much for videos like this. I have been watching you since very early in the spec house series. I’ve been slowly preparing myself financially, and finally closed on a building lot. I have plans to build myself a very small starter house starting in the spring/summer. It’s because of videos like this that I feel like I can do it. So please keep up the good work and keep these coming.

Dang, great little tricks!! Especially with those full sheets!!

Thank you, what you shared here reduced wear on my body today. I watched this video when it was first posted and remembered to watch it again today because I was going to have to move a dozen sheets of 3/4" OSB that was delivered to our house. While that's no massive task and I'm not that old, I thought the task would leave me a little tired, but it was a pretty mild task thanks to the techniques you shared. No jolts, hoists, or leaning over like I'd previously done when handling sheet goods. I also think I finished faster because I wasn't tiring out, allowing me to just keep moving to the next sheet without taking a break, and I also could keep working afterwards for longer because I hadn't tired myself out. (Even younger guys can appreciate being able to work longer hours if they don't tire themselves out as quickly!)

We never had a tractor on the property until 3-1/2 years ago when I finally broke down and bought a sub-compact tractor. For years, anything that needed done we did by hand....and grandpa's saying was always "I've got more time than money"....in an excuse to never have equipment around to make the task quicker and easier. As I have gotten older, and I don't have as much time now as I did when I was in school, I realized, grandpa isn't gonna be here forever, he isn't able to help me anymore, my mom passed away, as did my grandmother, so its just me now, as grandpa passed away in January of this year.....so a few years ago I finally said the heck with it, and bought a small tractor. For the 1 acre of property I've got now its great....we used to have 2 acres in which a bit larger tractor would have been fine, but even having the sub-compact tractor has saved me so much manual labor in 3-1/2 years. In the Army it was always work dumber not smarter...if it was a 4 man lift, 1 man is plenty....they never seem to figure out why there are so many injuries from moving stuff. Never had a forklift and never had a pallet jack....if you wanted something moved everything was done by hand....no longer being in the army...I work smarter not harder, I have the tractor with pallet forks for a reason, and those pallet forks get used a lot, seemingly more often than the loader bucket. Being on my own now, that tractor is a huge asset. I've never been very good at moving lumber, or sheet goods, but I can get it onto the forks of the tractor now and move stuff pretty easily, that is until I get to the shop, then I have to carry it all in by hand since the doorway isn't wide enough LOL....but I've also redone a lot of stuff around the shop so I can drive my pickup right up to the door and offload into the shop that way so I'm not carrying stuff very far vs having to walk across the driveway and through the back of the shop.

11:21 I usually slide it off the stack and lift up a little with my upper hand and catch it with the other hand. You flipped it down and picked it up off the ground. The momentum of the slide assists the lift.

Technique beats strength every time! But to have both is to become a master!

you explain things well ...its hard to believe that our newer generations don't have these things come second nature,,,these videos with these instincts explained in such a way will be priceless...

That's some real insight from a real tradesman!

Worth saving for the future, thanks for this kind of sharing. Charles

Work smart not hard Your body will thank you for it Cheers Scott. Merry Christmas to all, love from down Under And keep up the good work

work smarter, not harder. I pick up tips and tricks when I work in big projects, just take a step back and see how other people doing is a big help.

Thank you for sharing your hard earned knowledge with the rest of us. Merry Christmas!

Really great knowledge and people should take note. Great teacher 👏

I consider myself a top notch catpenter, but I must say you have mastered how to put decades of hard lessons to words! I wish I could give your videos 10 thumbs up. Keep up the good work, you are the Essential Craftsmam

The dad we all needed.

One of the handiest videos I've watched!

So true. I remember back in the day when I was laboring on a big tract home deveopment in San Diego and I screwed up my neck by carrying some wet ( forest squirrels till clinging to them), heavy 2 x 12 x 20 foot joists. I had to pull on my arm between my knees in order to go to sleep. Took forever to fix itself. I also remember the morinng my boss took me on top of the hill overlooking the site and said, "Jim. We have a problem." Which I understood to mean that I had a problem. The lumbar yard had packed all the finish trim and siding into the stacks for framing. By the time the finish materials would be needed , they would have been too messed up. So my job was to tear apart the stacks, move all the framing lumbar into the garage and stack the finish stuff up so that a truck could come by and pick it up to return it to the yard. I spent three days disassembling 74 stacks of lumbar. I turned into a game of trying to lay it alll out so the layout guys, the framers, and the stackers all had easy access to what they needed in a logical , progressive manner. At the end of it, I realized haow much a man could move in a day one stick or two at a time.

I'm in software engineering but I've done more than my fair share of DIY projects. This content reminds me how much "3D" brain power I had to spend doing DIY (full scale renos, furniture, landscape, etc.) vs code. You have to be logical, methodical, and analytical to do both...but with my DIY projects, I had to also deal with fatigue and physical coordination/limitations. Respect to everyone in the trades that makes a daily investment in the mastery of their craft... and extra respect to the masters who take the time to teach it. Thank you EC!

Warming up is good practice.

I work in a lumber yard-great material handling tips here. Everyone out there, please remember to tip the yard guys. It’s a hard, dirty job and a couple of buck sure is appreciated.

Thank you for this. I am a 66yo software engineer, and I sit all day. When I was fixing up our house in my 30s, I just manhandled everything. Strained my back more than once. Now, I'm upping my woodworking game, so hauling sheets of hardwood boards or heavy birch plywood around back to my workshop will become a more regular thing. I've got to be smart about it like I never was before.

thanks again! feels like some channels cater to dad advice like wranglerstar, yours definitely fits the wise grampa advice category. love watching your content!!

I'm an aging young guy. Just out trying to do and I want to say to you if you read this, keep up the good work. I love your videos

Amazing you can still toss wood around like that at your age. I’m 46 and struggle daily with pain from just moving. I beat up my body snowboarding and mountain biking for the 23 or so years I lived in Denver. I’m nowhere near as active as I used to be but that’s probably the problem, I became too sedentary & lazy the past few years.

There needed to be a mention on the benefits of wearing protective gloves (when possible). Getting splinters and cuts in your working hands will not only hurt, but also reduce productivity, and the cuts can lead to infection.

Great info - especially for a new guy. I even see lumber delivery guys struggle with handling material sometimes. They don’t know the tricks. This was an incredible summary. Thanks!!

As a home-gamer, years ago I got some simple plastic handles from one of the big-box stores, for moving sheet material. I found them easy to use, letting me carry multiple sheets at a time without lifting very high, and without the narrow edge of material against my fingers. We downsized to a mobile (RV) lifestyle well over two years ago, and got rid of a *lot* of stuff, but I kept those. I suspect you can still buy them, and they aren't expensive, but they're small enough it wasn't worth throwing them away to save on storage.

Great tips, maybe now I can carry heavier loads. I noticed at 2:45, he gave the lumber a little boost up with his left knee to help get the lumber moving upward.

👍👍👍👍perhaps having a case 530 at the house when I was in my 30's saved my back some til I got smarter lol. Still wish I had it now......great info

Thanks as always.

I have a feeling I’m gonna come back and watch this video several times. I can use all the help nature and physics can provide when moving sheet goods as I am no longer a young man. Some of your tips I had figured out on my own over the years but some of the techniques were definitely new to me.

Another great episode. Naturally your stories always bring me arond to my own youth. Being stupid and full of energy I spent my younger years alone doing projects that should have been for two but what thre heck. Building a 6' wide 12' long (out of 2"x12") set of stairs on the ground, standing up and placing it up to a mezzanene, accidently slides off and squashes me to the concrete. I crawl out and do it again, this time successfully. Or, drywalling a large commercial room 16'x 36'x 12' high i carried 1/2"x4x12 sheets of drywall up an extension ladder and screwed in place, luckilly no ceiling work. I gotten hurt but never injured, in some instances I am now at 70, paying the price for working alone so many years, now I have a helper.

Outstanding advice, very well presented, thank you !

At last. Someone showing the correct and Easy way to carry sheet materials. In the Crook of the arm. I would never throw it up though. Place one corner on the ground, get your arm in place first and rock it up. Easy and safe.

Pretty cool how I started my first big carpentry job on an industrial site barely knowing how to handle material. I just observed and picked up a lot of these techniques from fellow workers quick. Soon I was carrying down 6-8 2x6s on my shoulder at a time

I'm an 'old man', Scott, and I learn every day - I hurt most days too - and today, I learned a few tricks from your video. Thank you for posting.

Love your stories.

Everyday Home Repairs pointed me here. Thanks for the upload

Thanks for the awesome content!!

You always have great information in your videos, and you communicate it so well. Love your videos and keep up the good work.

Old man tricks... Love it... I try to show these young bucks daily...

I’m a 135#, 74 year old lady about to load and unload 15 sheets of 5/8-3/4” OSB and T1-11. As a younger woman I would have just fought it until I got it where I needed it to go. Dragging it will be my preferred method of madness tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll not hurt myself. Thanks for the video!