Load Metal

[RYANP60]

I am VERY new to CNC so please be patient. I have a 4x4 table. How do I safely load a 4x4 sheet of 1/4 in or thicker metal on the table with killing myself or damaging the table? I have seen magnetic lifting magnets.....has anyone used one of these? Are they safe or a joke? Thanks for the help people.

[abmetal]

A lifting magnet is all I use. Bought it off Ebay. It works good.

Allen

[weldor2005]

I currently would be using chains a hoist and some 3/8" grab hooks on all four sides of it.

[oregonsigns]

I AM LEANING TOWARDS A HIGH LIFT PALLET JACK. ANYONE USING ONE?

[jimcolt]

Battery powered PrestoLift, bought it on Craigslist for about $200.

thCA4PCN1Z.jpg

I AM LEANING TOWARDS A HIGH LIFT PALLET JACK. ANYONE USING ONE?

[cmercertx]

I use an engine hoist and a spreader bar I built. The chains on it are adjustable for odd shapes and sizes of material.

[kkroger]

Another option is a relatively inexpensive Harbor Freight or Northern Hydraulic Lift table/Cart.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lbs-c ... 69148.html
With some Conveyor Rollers mounted on it (McMaster sells em or you could fab some up)
I store material on the base of my table, so I can roll the cart under when not in use.
Roll it out, raise it up a bit load the material on the cart, raise it to table level and roll it off on top.
You could use some roundbar to roll it across the table.

[yoshi]

I use a magnet in my shop and it works great (although I haven't used it to load plate yet). I just built a big gantry over my plasma with an electric hoist and will be using a combination of magnet and chain with hooks depending on what i'm loading.

[JEd]

I use a harbor freight shop crane and chain and spreader bars like this.

[Russ K]

I also use a Harbor Freight engine crane to load my sheets. I have a very small shop so I store my 4'X8' sheets in an adjoining room, on edge, on a sheet rock cart. I usually have about 6 or 7 sheets of mostly 11G on hand. I roll the cart into the shop next to the table and hook my picking spreader either side at center line. I then rattle the set bolts down so nothing can slip off. As you start picking the sheet stored vertical on the cart, it begins to roll to the horizontal because of the sheave on the cable. When it is high enough, the cart is rolled away and crane pushed about 3' over the table and lowered. It is slow to do single handed but not particularly difficult. It does help to have someone steady the sheet as it rolls to horizontal but goes OK by yourself if you go slowly. The picker holds up to 1/4" thick metal. I have loaded 3/4 of a 1/4" sheet by myself with no trouble.................RK

[plain ol Bill]

I have overhead trolley beams in my shop and elec. hoists on them. I store my material vertically - take it out of the rack and roll it down the shop to where the plasma table is. Then I lay the material flat and use a spreader system on another trolley/hoist to load it onto the table. This works very well for me. On heavy plate (3/8 and above) I have a big magnet and use that to handle material on/off the table. Generally I throw a short piece of 2x4 under one edge of the plate when I use the magnet to take material off of the table or the magnet is powerful enough it wants to pick your slats up with the steel when removing it.

[plasma_burn]

I also use a Harbor Freight engine crane to load my sheets. I have a very small shop so I store my 4'X8' sheets in an adjoining room, on edge, on a sheet rock cart. I usually have about 6 or 7 sheets of mostly 11G on hand. I roll the cart into the shop next to the table and hook my picking spreader either side at center line. I then rattle the set bolts down so nothing can slip off. As you start picking the sheet stored vertical on the cart, it begins to roll to the horizontal because of the sheave on the cable. When it is high enough, the cart is rolled away and crane pushed about 3" over the table and lowered. It is slow to do single handed but not particularly difficult. It does help to have someone steady the sheet as it rolls to horizontal but goes OK by yourself if you go slowly. The picker holds up to 1/4" thick metal. I have loaded 3/4 of a 1/4" sheet by myself with no trouble.................RK

I wonder if some kind of brake could be incorporated to allow control as the sheet rotates from vertical to horizontal position.