Dog Elevator

The last project was my scissor lift. I wanted to try something different and make a dog elevator to help my dogs get up on  the couch. To do this I would have change the position of the drill so I could reach it easier and from a different angle.

I have three dogs and they always want to go on the couch, I have some dog stairs but they don't like to use them. When I reach over to lift them they run away, so I thought an elevator may be the solution.

                                                                                                           

Since I will be using my Scissor lift from my last project I wanted to be able to make the new addition that was easy enough  attach and take off. Maybe I will have to build two of them.

This is the video for my Scissor lift ......

  




                                         Dog elevator video                      

                                           


 Pin Gears

To start I will make the gears. I first cut a circle from some plywood and using a caliper I divided it and drilled 10 holes for the dowels.  6 holes will be drilled into the smaller gear.

I used 3/8 inch dowels  for the pins. I cut 16 small piece dowels using my small bandsaw sled.  This goes very fast and  accurate. Since everything is set up cutting a few extra is a good idea.

                                     
A file is used to roll over one end of  the dowels, this will crush the wood a bit and be good for the glue to adhere.  

A slot is cut in the side piece. To do this I cut one side until it hit the stopblock, moved it over and cut the other side. Then the end was cleaned up with the band saw.

A couple of guides were cut and screwed onto the side then a small piece of 1/4 plywood is cut to fit exactly in the guide. Careful measuring and cutting the pieces makes everything move smooth. I find a caliper is best to make precise measurements.

 

These 2 -3/4" plywood  blocks are clamped and drilled, they will be used to guide the threaded rod and small gear.

The ends are rounded ......

....and screwed onto the 1/4 inch plywood slide. 

Two brackets are screwed onto the bottom and the side to hold the slide and gears. Removing the bottom screws of these brackets will make it  easy if ever you want to take off the side.

 Plastic gliudes are put on the bottom to protect the hardwood floor. 

A couple of nuts are used to adjust the height of the threaded rod. A large washer would be a good idea if this thing gets a lot of use.

I haven't checked the max weight it will lift but it lifts these tools and my larger dog no problem.

Molly sitting proud on the elevator. She does not understand it but is not bothered by the noise and she does get on the couch. With a little training I think it will be easier.

Conclusion

My dogs will go on this elevator but will take some training. The lift is very easy to take apart so I can use it in my shop as a work table any time I need too. 

Building slides and gears is fun and this project was very simple.

I hope this motivates you to build something creative.

What else can a lift be used for?

See Also

                                                                                            

         Hovercraft table                                          Angle drilling jig                               Scroll holder                                                                           

How to Make a Scissor Lift Table

Tables are handy for any workshop and having a scissor lift table is even better. Here I will show you a simple way to make your own lift table.

It can be used for  tools when you need a special height, or  as tool tray and adjusted to the level you are working with so tools are easy to reach. And don't forget it works nice as a computer desk.

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Of course you can make it any size you want, and if you make it larger it will hold more weight, and then you can sit on it.

           

    Top and Bottom

For the top and bottom I used a piece of  5/8th inch mahogany.  The pieces are cut to  13 by 20 inches. This is a good size since it will fit a laptop computer which are average  14x16 inches.
  

  

  Top Frame  

                                                                            
                  

The tablesaw and single blade are used to make a dado cut for cutting part of the frame. A stop block and miter gauge are used. Once the fence is set to the right distance you can just  chip away until you get the size dado cut.

A hole is drilled in the center through one of the end pieces,  this will be for the  threaded rod. 

The frame is ready to be put together. Some glue and a couple of brad nails will do the trick. One of the top boards will be screwed on top which will make it even stronger. 

This piece will fit inside the frame and support one side of the cross brace. The notch is for clearance for the threaded rod.

Cross Bracing
Hardwood should be used for the cross bracing if you want it stronger.  I decided to use spruce since this table is a prototype and test table. I will still keep and use it for  lifting light objects. 

  
                                       

My miter gauge and  stop block  were used to cut the braces 15  1/2". This way goes very fast and very accurate.

After the cross brace pieces were cut to the exact length the ends were cut round using the bandsaw. They were then clamped together and brought over to the belt sander.  This does a very nice job and because when clamped they sand more uniform. 

                                      

                                The braces were reclamped and this time a hole was drilled down the center for the bolt.

I should have used carriage bolts but did not have any so I used regular bolts. I used the end of my table saw top  that has a small hole in it then hammered the bolt flush into the wood.

After all the holes were drilled in the braces I used screws to attach everything together. The screws are temporary, I use this method to make sure everything lines up and moves correctly. If any changes are needed the holes can be enlarged and small changes can still be made to give me a perfect fit.




Threaded Rod

A 1/2 inch threaded rod was cut to 21 inches.  To do this I used My Angle Grinder. I am getting a lot of use from this grinder holder and it works so simple.

                                                            

A small metal plate is screwed on one end, this will be for the threaded rod so it does not dig into the wood. To lubricate you can add a small drop of oil to the end of the threaded rod.

The cross braces are now attached to the frame, again I am using screws, this way if I need to make any adjustment I can do so. Everything lined up on my first try so now larger nuts and bolts can be used. 

The last thing was to put on the top panel, this was put on with a couple of screws. This will make is easy if it ever has to be taken apart.

The drill was put on the threaded rod and the table was raised and lowered with ease.
I tried a computer,  belt sander and other tools, everything lowered and raised with ease. There is a bit of wobble but that is not a problem.  

Conclusion

What a fun project for the workshop. Making different sizes or a very  large one  would be very a good idea. I know there are many other uses for it in the shop. For now I will use this one mainly as a computer desk.  

I like the tool tray idea when you work at different levels the lift table can be adjusted to keep your tools close and at your fingertips.

What else do you think it can be used for? 

See Also:

                                                                                   

Wood clipboard                           Drill jig                                  Small computer stand

  
                                                                           

                                                                                                

          

    

How to make hex drivers

Hex screws or bolts are found in many machines and tools, and if you make jigs they can come in handy. Whether it be set-screws or bolts they are great for securing objects together.

Hex drivers work good for initial loosening and tighten but what I don't like about the common hex drivers is when you have a large bolt with lots of thread it does not turn fast. A t-handle is better or you can cut an Allen key and fit it in a drill, and this will go really fast. 

The wrenches with handles are not readily available at my local hardware store so instead of buying online I decided to make my own. I have collected many wrenches over the years so I decided  to make some handles. 

I will be making the sizes that I use the most around my shop. I will stick with Imperial for now, if I have to make more that will be easy enough.  Sometimes Imperial works on a metric fastener. For example 4 mm keys are the same size as 5/32",  8 mm will work on 5/16" and 19 mm are close to 3/4".   This is good for use on consumer products because the end user can use imperial or metric on fasteners or keys and vice versa without stripping.   

              


Let's start building

A piece of oak will be used for the handles, I like the look of oak and being a hardwood it will do well in the shop and last a long time.

                               To make a clean precise cut I used my  feather board, this keeps the 

                               board tight against the fence and ensures a better cut.

 After a strip was cut I turned the blade to 45 degrees and ran it through the saw 4 more times. This will make an octagonal dowel. I think this will give the handle  a nice look.

With a sled and a stop block set at 4 inches I cut the dowel into smaller pieces. To figure out a good length  I measured a couple of different screwdriver handles in my shop and they were all 4-5 inches. 

                           

To find the centre of the octagonal dowel I cut a small block a tiny bit smaller than half the width of the dowel and made a mark. As the dowel is turned it can be marked anywhere and the intersecting lines will give you the centre.

A simple jig was clamped to the drill press. This was made with a 2x4, it had a v-groove cut in the middle and the ends were cut out for the clamps. After the  jig is lined up to match the brad point bit to the dowel  it can be clamped.  Now the  dowel will sit in the v-groove notch and just by holding by hand the dowel centers can be drilled very fast.

                                Everything lines up. 

After the holes were drilled the ends can be tapered. I will do this using my new belt sander. To do this another simple jig was made. This one has a block that swivels and a screw as a stop. The taper angles can be changed depending on how you set the stops. 

 The Allen keys can be cut either with a hacksaw or an angle grinder. I recently built this angle grinder holder and I find I am getting a lot of use out of it. 

 Epoxy is used to glue the wrenches in the handles. After plenty of glue was applied the wrench was placed in a wooden vise  and tapped in the hole.  Any glue squeeze out was cleaned up right away.

After the glue was dried the driver was put in a drill and the other end was sanded a small amount giving it a nice round edge.

Conclusion

If you work with a lot of hex screws these hex drivers with come in handy. They work great for long screws since they are more comfortable to handle and will turn faster. You will still need a second set for the initial loosening and tightening.

Making the handles octagonal and using the simple jigs for shaping helps create a nice looking tool.

I have always enjoyed making jigs and tools, what kind of tools have you made?

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