Moving timbers alone

canopy · March 10, 2013, 12:56:14 AM

I have timbers stacked in a pile. I would like to move them by myself in and out of the stack to work on them. Bamboo is about the only material I have available to build things with. I was thinking about an overhead rail system like pictured below made from bamboo where the timber is hoisted, then the beam slides across two rails to move it, then it can be lowered to where the log arch is waiting. Max timber weight is 500lbs. Is there any simpler or better way to do this?

shinnlinger · March 10, 2013, 08:46:15 AM

Are all the timbers the same size? Why do you need to grab one from the middle of the pile vs the side? I usually arrange a small stick or 2x4 perpendicular to the pile that I kick under the timber i want as I pick up one end. I can then see saw it out of it's position and roll it or move one side then the other to the edge of the pile. Sometimes I will put a round peg or pipe or two on the top of the pile to roll a big timber on those.

Dave

Brad_bb · March 10, 2013, 08:52:18 AM

Additionally, there were a number of styles of carts shown in this post for moving timbers:
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,62871.0.html

canopy · March 10, 2013, 09:29:22 AM

There are several different timber sizes with 6x8 20' being the largest. Each row has the same size stock vertically. Here is a photo of the stock for reference. So I might want to pull out a row that are the posts, work on them, put them back, do a row that will be plates, return them, and so on.

Jim_Rogers · March 10, 2013, 10:09:22 AM

I would say you have two choices but you may have four. That is two sides of the stack and two ends.

To move one off the end pick up one end and put a roller under it. Slide it off the end on the roller. Create a support system off the end for the roller to transfer onto. Like a pair of saw horses with a plank on them.

We did that here:

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,63250.0.html

Or as mentioned roll one off the side of the stack. Onto a pair of horses to the side.
You'll need to create a new stack of finished pieces. And you need to plan your stack so that you'll have access to them in the order in which you'll put the frame together, for fit up tests or for raising or both.

Good luck with your project.

Jim Rogers

Holmes · March 11, 2013, 06:51:56 AM

Could a tripod with a pivoting fulcrum work for you? 10 feet tall 44' fulcrum? with a harness for the beams and a rope to pull the fulcrum down.

canopy · March 11, 2013, 10:35:48 AM

Worth a thought for sure. Out of curiosity are such out of the box pivots sold in the US? Otherwise what might a pivot be fashioned from? If everything else was steel that would pretty much make for a straight forward job, but in this case the pivot would need to clear the top of the bamboo tripod poles and somehow be well secured from tipping. The end of an unsupported bamboo pole of the type I have available would not be in the safe lifting zone with 500 pounds. Adding guy lines could solve that but might require some exotic bamboo joinery to be developed.

Holmes · March 11, 2013, 04:52:22 PM

I remember old pictures of moving boulders to build foundations. I believe the fulcrum was set in a " saddle" of rope ,meaning lots of rope, wrapped around where the tripod was tied together. It could be used to pick up 1 end and put rollers under the beams to move them .

canopy · March 18, 2013, 09:05:03 AM

After talking with Jay he was confident I could move them by hand and gave me a number of useful moving techniques that I experimented with, but there was just one sticking point. A lot of the timbers are so gut wrenchingly heavy that lifting one end requires 2 hands for me, especially if there is wane the timber can want to flip if only holding it up by one hand. The solution was to use two boards as a fulcrum and lever with a strap over the timber so that I can lift an end of the timber with just one hand, then use the free hand to put a roller under the timber. For 20' timbers I like having 2 rollers--one at the end and one mid point so they can be freely moved in and out. I don't believe I will need any hoists or anything like that at all for this job. Just 2 rollers and a log arch.