over head cranes

["George Graham" <georgergraham@zzzzzzzzzzz>]

I'm just seconding Clive's thoughts on overhead cranes.

I've never been able to put one in my personal studio, so I never thought of
mentioned them on this forum. I've kind of put my past years of working in
the monument industry behind me, which is where I used these kinds of cranes
for many years. They can be very versatile , reliable, and very simple. As
Clive said, with some preplanning they are not hard to put in when a shop is
being built.

I don't think they would be hard to install in a shop already constructed. I
used them all the time to move everything. Especially the small  markers
weighing 100 pounds. The small ones are the ones that hurt your back!

As you all know, I like to tell shop stories,,,, so the last shop I worked
in had an old overhead that was really old. Pre world war 2. The power was
direct current, and broke every safety rule known to man. It rolled about 4
mph and had no brakes. Just stops welded onto the ends of the beams it ran
on.  When I wanted to stop I would let off the controls about 25 feet ahead
of time and coast  to a stop. In an emergency, one had to hit the direction
button to send the crane in the opposite direction. If the button was hit
too long it would kick off the main breaker, so there was no control at all.
I would just get out of the way.  I used to have bad dreams about that
monster.

But, rest assured, all you who should consider getting you own overhead,
anything made today, is amazingly safe, and slow moving. Well I made it out
of that last monument shop ,,, alive and with all my fingers and toes. If I
get the chance, I'll put an overhead in my shop in a heart beat!

Thanks Clive.

George Graham