Dumbwaiter plans??

Trap the cage using opposing wheels against whatever material you use for the vertical run. If using square tubing.....use two wheels set up perpendicular to each other on each vertical run so that the cage would be trapped. Cheaper and easier would be two vertical runs of angle iron with two wheels squeezing each side of one leg. The wheels would only have to be at the bottom as the hoist should keep the top centered in the run. BTW- steal the wheels from some in-line skates. (Garage sale or Thrift store find.)

Hope that makes sense.

"steamer" wrote in message news:RHa7f.627$ snipped-for-privacy@typhoon.sonic.net... | --Looking for plans for something simple but weather-resistant | that I can use for... are you ready? Safely lifting doggies to the second | floor landing. I've got a devoted following and one of them's had knee | surgery and can't climb stairs for two months. If I keep lifting him up | the stairs *I'm* the one that's getting the *next* round of knee surgery! | ;-) I've got an old electric chain hoist that I can rig for lifting, but | it's getting the "cage" running smoothly up some sort of guide that's got | me stumped. | | -- | "Steamboat Ed" Haas : When does Inuyasha get | Hacking the Trailing Edge! : to bone Kagome?? |

I developed a prototype of a vacuum dumbwaiter for moving parts where I work. Basically its a tube (the size is up to what you want, what you can afford, and what you need) made of green PVC pipe that's smooth on the inside. You can go do a search on "vacuum elevator" and you'll find the people moving kind, which I sort of used for inspiration in developing a smaller one. The principle I find really cool because of the inherent safety of the whole thing. My design was made from 27" green PVC sewer pipe, which is small quantities (or large) is expensive, but you can roll up some plastic sheet with a frame and possibly do the same thing. Due to OSHA and our unique operating requirements, the electrical controls wound up being more complicated than expected, but it is nonetheless way cheaper than anything I could have bought off the shelf, new or used. Get creative and you can teach your dogs to operate it themselves!

Use some basic black pipe as guide poles, perhaps 2". Select a diameter of sch 40 PVC pipe that will slide over the OD of the black pipe poles. Use a 3' long piece of this PVC as a slider for each guide pole. Attach PVC to carrier with big hose clamps since they are not supporting weight, only guiding it. Fast, cheap and very little to fabricate. PVC will wear over time, but should last a lot longer than a few months.

Pete C.