Scissor lifts

[Fergie 307]

Thanks-----are they rock solid in terms of steadiness?

Pretty solid as they are designed to take a few hundred kilos, but designed to stand next to. Would be no good if you want to sit at it as you can't get your legs underneath. Unless of course you made the top overhang the sides.

 

[Fergie 307]

You could make something like a thicknesses table. Four big screw threads one in each leg, each with a sprocket welded to the top and joined with a chain. Captive nuts on the legs, then turn the chain with a handwheel and viola. But as Pete says but the time you've bought all the bits and made the thing you might be better off just buying one.

 

[JoshD]

You could make something like a thicknesses table. Four big screw threads one in each leg, each with a sprocket welded to the top and joined with a chain. Captive nuts on the legs, then turn the chain with a handwheel and viola. But as Pete says but the time you've bought all the bits and made the thing you might be better off just buying one.

Absolutely, I've been thinking along those lines. But design guidelines for chain and sprocket systems tell you to avoid vertical axes especially for long chain runs. But it's doable with timing belts. I haven't ruled that out but more recently I've been thinking of using synchronous lifting columns, ie, the synchronisation is electronic rather than through a timing belt. I haven't found an affordable local source of lifting columns, but maybe if I import from China ....

Advantage of lifting columns compared to lead screws with timing belt is that they should be perfectly synched if you have suitable controller (timing belt won't be because there'll always be some slack in the system). Disadvantage is that if one fails you're stuffed.

Of course.there's always the low-tech solution suggested earlier: long workbench against the wall with stepped heights, eg, 850, 1000, 1150 ...