Heavy chuck

[Winegrower]

For anybody thinking about a project like this, I recommend National sliding door hardware.

Exterior Barn Door Hardware

From Box Rails to Track & Hangers, we've got you covered. With extensive testing, our hardware works for farm and commercial use with a smooth, quiet operation.

www.national-hardware.com

The pricing is very reasonable for both the rail and the trolley. I hung three very heavy garage doors on this stuff, and as I recall it's rated at 600 pounds per trolley.


Edit: Umm...maybe the Unistrut is not as bad as I thought. Caveat Emptor, I guess.

 

[Jake M]

...well not flat enough.

I've heard of those Strong Ties, but I'm not familiar with them. They have a VERY good reputation....

Those heads look very small. It's a long shot, I'm not sure how big your finger is, it's gonna be close if it will work at all, but do those heads pass straight through the factory slots? As in, could one of those be driven THROUGH the slot, to attach a bracket above it?

The problem I'm seeing with "back to back" is that if there's a slot on the bottom, there is also a slot on the top. That's gonna be a hard way to get hardware put together.

They make a special bracket for this job! Not super complicated. I'd be tempted to have a horizontal bolt too if I fabbed them.

Trolley Tracks,

https://www.mcmaster.com/5927K19

Those brackets absolutely require the horizontal bolt. It's got Zero to do with hanging. The obvious reason is that it stops the channel sliding in the bracket, since it's a free fit. But most important, it shortens the lever arms on the side pieces to keep the "hooks" from letting the strut slip out the bottom. Using a 200 pound gorilla as the test instrument, 2 of six factory ones wouldn't pass the chin up test. If anybody's making those, the horizontal bolt passes over top of the channel that's hung in it, but only just. It needs to be as low as it can be, and tightened so the bracket is "snug" on the channel, but not "tight" tight...

 

[yota]

did you see the photo in the amazon link above?

 

[yota]

I'm going to mount the brackets flush with the ceiling, don't want this hanging from threaded rod. will be using the horizontal bolts.

 

[rwdenney]

mounted the 12" 4 jaw on my new lathe today. jeez, I'm too old and skinny for this LOL. I have googled all the threads about ways to mechanize this process and I'm not going to spend the money for that skyhook thing. I have a 12-foot ceiling height and I keep my chucks on a table at the head of my lathe. was chewing on ordering a 10 foot long, 12 ga section of Unistrut, running it on the ceiling starting at the table on the centerline of the lathe, bolted to trusses every 2 feet.

they sell this 4-wheel Unistrut trolley I could put a shackle on and hang the antique chain fall I was gifted and rebuilt a couple of years ago that is taking up space on my floor. all of these parts are rated to 5 or 6 times the weight of anything I would need to move. I could even move the giant ass tailstock that's even heavier than my chucks. about got a hernia putting it back after adjusting the locks LOL.

whaddya think?

You mean like this?

I rate this hoist at a quarter ton, but that is enough.

The chainfall was a cheap way to get it going, but I found the operating chain to always be in the way. I have switched to a cheapie Vevor electric hoist.

I use exactly the big hook you pictured for moving my Skinner 10" 4-jaw chuck. Works fine.

I used 4"x1/4" lag bolts into the ceiling trusses. And I agree with the comment above to put the horizontal bolts in the hangers to keep them from spreading. And never forget end stops!

Mine cost a LOT less than $500, even including the old Jet hoist.

Rick "does the job" Denney

 

[yota]

You mean like this?

I rate this hoist at a quarter ton, but that is enough.

The chainfall was a cheap way to get it going, but I found the operating chain to always be in the way. I have switched to a cheapie Vevor electric hoist.

I use exactly the big hook you pictured for moving my Skinner 10" 4-jaw chuck. Works fine.

I used 4"x1/4" lag bolts into the ceiling trusses. And I agree with the comment above to put the horizontal bolts in the hangers to keep them from spreading. And never forget end stops!

Mine cost a LOT less than $500, even including the old Jet hoist.

Rick "does the job" Denney

exactly. I have similar trusses with 2x8 bottom chords. only differences, mine have a plywood ceiling and mine are only 12 feet up. awesome.

 

[yota]

BTW, this trolley I got from Amazon is really well made. bearings are smooth as butter; the plate is stainless steel with no reaction to a magnet.

 

[Weldingrod1]

Nice rig!!!

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

 

[yota]

testing the antique.

 

[yota]

when you pull on this thing it can really get moving along the track. maybe with the chuck on, it will be slower. damn chain hoist weighs almost as much as the chuck. was fun getting it up there. now I need to get the light fixtures back up.