Home made DIY Elevator First ride with test dummy 😁
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- Опубликовано: 24 апр 2022
- My Aunt was cool enough to have a phone handy and film the very first passenger test ride of the home-made elevator project I've been working on with grandpa and some uncles.
More build info: • Gram's Elevator 2022
Wiring info: • Gram’s Elevator Projec...
Safety brake test: • Brake Test 2_1
I added some sweet music thanks to a totally different Alex out there in the Interwebs making kick ass free tunes for people to use:
Myths by Alex-Productions : • Epic Cinematic Trailer...
Creative Commons - Attribution 3.0 Unported - CC BY 3.0
Role of test dummy played by me.
Hopefully I'll get more videos uploaded with some details for anyone interested. 
Хобби
I wrote out a nice long information comment and when I hit post, I got "returned error" in red text from youtube. So.... Multiple comments i guess for now.
Gram's elevator project 2022.
First off... don't try this at home expecting whatever you read or see here and elsewhere online, to be enough information to pull this off on your own. Between the 3-6 people that had input on and assisted with this project, we had an electrical engineer, two mechanical engineers, a lawyer who wood works and myself, a jackass of all trades. I wouldn't say it's a weekend project for the inexperienced, but it can definitely be done by some good DIY veterans with a little help from youthful muscles at times. 😂
Step 1. is think about it and plan for a year. No joke, well, half joke. Pop considered where in the house to place this for quite a while. A studded wall or frame of some sort is required (for the safety brakes and keeping it in line) so we knew it had to go on a wall (Their house is too nice and too small for a frame to be taking up space in a room). We needed a wall without too many wires going across the stud framing and zero plumbing in the wall. Their house is from first half of the 1900's so the rooms aren't huge, which is why the elevator doesn't go directly into a bedroom. We chose a spot near an exterior wall so the motor could be mounted in the attic crawl space and not be in the living space of the attic.
Step 2. Recon: We cut some holes in the wall and used a borescope camera adapter on a cell phone to confirm the spot we picked did not have too many wires and had no plumbing etc. (This was unnecessary for us since we were so familiar with the house, having re-wired it after a fire some years ago, but I wanted to test my camera - it was meh, a little brighter light would've been nice)
2a. Motor and brake recon --- We chose to put the motor in the attic and run power lines up to it. Originally, before we knew we could use that motor and gearbox, we were planning on using a 12 volt ATV winch and mounting it on top of the elevator cage. (This would have been much simpler and would've meant battery backup built in, for power outages, BUT, it wouldn't have the acceleration and deceleration at the top and bottom, also, winches are LOUD, like 60-80dB right above your head?.. naw, the AC motor worked out great for us! As for the safety brakes, ours engage against the wood frame work we mounted to the studs that the tracks then mount to. If you've got the money, you could simplify the whole thing quite a bit by using a fall arrestor style safety brake. We would probably have chosen our system anyway though, because it was a fun design challenge and works really well, stop s the car in under half an inch if the main cable faults.
We also debated using a latching safety system similar to a car lift, but it would require user interaction for the down trip, which we weren't too keen on
step 3. Demolish the shit outta the walls! Just kidding... get a saw, cut it out nicely exposing no more than you really need (don't want too much to patch later).
3a. cut the hole in the ceiling/attic floor - we located the lifting point just rear of center to the car and just about an inch off center favoring the wall/track side. Use a plumb bob or whatever fancy maths you prefer to find where you're going to cut that and of course, oversize the hole.
3b. Cut the hole in the floor. Too late now... you're committed to this project and can't go back without looking like a chump😁. We chose to make ours about 40" deep, and about 30" wide. Basically, we sat in a wheelchair and measured down to the smallest we felt it would still fit with a little toe room.
**A note on the wall demo... we chose not to take the other side of the wall off downstairs because it was lath and plaster, but if you've got drywall, clearing that out too, would make installing the car to the rails WAY easier and it opens up the possibility of moving the microswitches to a more concealed place.
**A note on floor demo... depending on where your joists are, you'll want to support under the remaining floor boards so they don't bend near the gap at the elevator on the second floor. AND - if you make the whole a little too small, it's easier to cut more out than it is to remake the elevator car to fit or to try and fill in a hole. So, you know... don't be the guy that cuts it three times and it's still too short. Whenever possible of course. we all know Murphy likes to shove his law around some days more than others.
Step 4. We got a couple 16 foot long 2x6 boards and ripped them length wise, because finding a straight 2x4 post 2009 seems to be a damn near impossible task. 🤦🏻♂As it is, we spent over an hour at the lumber yard picking through a whole pallet of wood until we found a straight dry one. These get mounted FLUSH AND PLUMB like nothing you've ever plumbed before, because if they're crooked at all, the tracks will be very hard to get square to each other, and they need to be. (Unless you wanna get real fancy with the car mounting, but that would add more depth sideways than we wanted). We used a laser level and old school level and plumb bob whenever and wherever possible, throughout the whole project. We mounted these 2x6 ripped down to 2x4 to the existing studs, and the base plate of the wall frame. Shimming where needed to get the two new studs perfectly flush and plumb and square to each other. We also mounted them in a way that they sit just proud of the existing studs, creating a little clearance room for the safety brakes to engage behind the steel tracks, into the wood itself. This also helped with clearance for the car keeping it away from the wall a little was useful as it passes through the floors and very near a doorframe upstairs.
Step 5. Mount the tracks to the uprights - thankfully we had some really nice stainless steel tracking from a food plant assembly line on hand that is lined with a very hard plastic to provide a smooth gliding surface. The rails we used also had mounting tabs pre welded onto it, so we were able to just use heavy lag bolts and anchor it to the newly installed stud uprights. The tracks were multiple pieces and interlocked together. We staggered the joints, such that the south track joints were not in the same spots as the north track joints. - This was in theory to reduce any binding at the seams. I wanted to use rollers, but we ended up using 1"x 1.5" x 12" square tubing as slides in the tracks, welded onto 2"x3" x 6' angle iron. which then bolts to the elevator car. The stainless tracking guide is 1" so the steel tubing fit nicely in there and with a little grease, it slides nice and smooth and the elevator car barely rocks or wiggles at all - even less so than a real elevator in an office building does, so that's a plus for not using wheels. BUT.. we have found that if the rider leans too far forward in the car, they can cause the slides to bind up a little in the guide tracks and the motor stalls out tripping the breaker. So, next time, wheels. and, we're going to add a guide roller to the main lift strap that will keep the load centered while lifting as it raises, instead of letting the strap pull the car forward as it spools up on the drum. So ours will be an easy enough fix with an added roller and/or just not leaning forward, but if I start doing these for people, they'll likely be rollers instead of slides
Being an engineer myself I can honestly say what you have achieved there is brilliant. Hats off to u buddy
Many Thanks, I appreciate it👍
I don't believe you
I built one in 1984 and it worked great for 20 yrs when I finally relocated. Always appreciated it...but my now location doesn't have one, however, I was tempted to build another one. Nice job sir! 👏
@Tom McQueen Sorry you don't believe me. I did build one.
@@timothysobina6777 I think they were replying to the original comment, maybe they don't believe that person was an engineer.
That’s brilliant. Way better than my idea of a trebuchet in the yard aimed at an open upstairs window.
Totally. I hate flies and such in the house, no way we're leaving a window open long enough to get the aim right.😅
😂😂😂😂😂
But not anywhere near as fun as a trebuchet flight!
@@shadowsandfire not to mention all the other side uses for a trebuchet when it's not helping the injured. 🙂
Why not a large crossbow style? Easier to aim with and in a small form factor for portability if you decide to move.
Don't mind rude comments, It is a good job, It works, keep on the right, thanks for sharing
Thanks!
Very very nice….👍
Very nice 👍
Thanks 👍
Wonderful! I think, it's a good solution for old relatives. Everybody knows about their difficulties when going upstairs.
Yep. The whole project arose from Gram hurting her knee pretty badly from falling at the top step. We all feared that happening again and her going down the stairs instead of up.
@Alex R don't let the moral subjectivists infiltrate ur country again, the west is collapsing and coming for the east, no one cares about family or people anymore and the east is the last vanguard of the great schism of 1054
Good Job 👍👏
This is flipping amazing! Great idea to keep people in their 2 storey homes longer!
That's impressive. Not many could make that let alone so smooth 👍
Wow! This takes me back a lot of years. I did r&d for American stair-glide which changed its name to Access Industries and then to something else. We did a minivator and the Windsor when I was there. We had safety arms that would snap out into the t-rail if a cable broke. A safety pan which would stop the unit from crushing pets and a pan on top that would cover the hole in the floor when the unit came down. There was a switch bar on top of the unit that would stop it if grandma was setting on the floor hole cover. Very cool!! Thanks
Thanks! I appreciate the comment.
I've got a couple ideas and plans for the pan on the bottom, and a general concept for the false floor on top, but so far, we only have the slack rope safety brake installed. We have a gate for it, but Gram doesn't like it on, so... meh.
I've been toying with the idea of setting up infrared eyes in the landing area and around the opening of the car as well, but lack some of the knowledge and all of the R&D budget. 😆
The goal was as shallow a step up into the car as possible, that's why we didn't just do a switch plate like you'd see on any commercially available units. Although, I'm pretty sure I could get that thickness down to about an inch or two, which I now know, would've been ok, but I didn't feel like arguing with Pop at the time. He's kind of right anyway, people just pay attention and it's worked out well for us so far. I'd love to finish developing it to be safer someday, but as the saying goes; "Nothing is more permanent than a temporary solution that works."
Glad for a grandfather
Man that is awesome, clean and smooth moving.
I dream to do the same.
Thanks, 3phase motor and slides instead of wheels was key to the smoothness. 👍🏻
Brilliant 😊
"Test dummy" haha, good one.
thanks
This is what Love looks like! Making a way. Great job💜
Much Thanks👍
Epic!
Great job! Ingenuity at its best.
Wow, thank you for sharing,and explaining how many were involved in this project. Especially knowing codes,and a lawyer for any legal problems. Always wanted to install one in the back of our store to bring up merchandise. Know we have to check also with zoning, fire and safety agencies. Thank you again.
Go for it. Elevators are worth it. In a store, with employees and the public, I'd surely want to make it's legally.
thats the most realistic dummy ive ever seen
Thanks, my parents made it quite a while ago
Yeah man... good looking out ❤
Sweet! That is so cool. I've always wondered if that were possible, and you showed it was.
Excellent, props to ya!
This would be so great to have in a home where there is disabled or elderly to be able to move from floor to floor.
I feel strangely uplifted watching this.
👍🏽we had one growing up, my dad built one in the 70’s in our colonial house in Long Branch nj
Cool.
Now that’s a “dumb waiter”!! 😂😂😂😂
Good job 👍🏻
Dude is a Guru
Nice job!
Thanks!
That’s awesome!!!! You need to install a speaker for elevator music!!!! Lol jk…. That is so cool what you did!!!! Hats off to you !!!
Thanks! we've definitely considered it, but I'm not sure where or what to get that would play automatically.
Super cool 😎
Awesome
U rock
Very kind, thanks much!
That's awesome
Very cool
This is Awesome!!
thanks
That's awesome. Looks like a smooth up and down too. I was thinking it was going to be a fail video. Glad it wasn't
Thanks 👍
Brilliant LOL Great job
Nice!
That's cool.
I have thought about turning disassembled forklift into a elevator.
I've seen that on video once, looks nice, but the hydraulics are so loud and the potential for mess... In a garage it'd be swell.
I started cheering that the end how could you not??😂
Amazing innovative way to DIY!
Wow amazing
That's awesome! Hats off to you for coming up with a genius idea!!! 👍👍
thanks
Hell, you can get up there faster by just walking up the steps, but okay, can't hate the guy for his ingenuity and motivation
Yes. Yes, I can.
My 90+ yr old grandma, however, struggles greatly with the steps after the first few.
Thanks for watching👍🙂
This man is a national hero! I literally told my wife last night that I want to install an escalator in our house so it's easier to go upstairs and tell the kids goodnight! 🤣
Ha Ha, Thanks.
Escalator. 😆
Well done, sir.
Well done, great job.
You just need some elevator music now 😆. Great job
I'd be lying if I said the thought never crossed my mind😁
Just about to start building one in so cal in existing home...3 stories and yeah its alot of work.......but if you got the money and plan on living in your house forever....its a good idea
That’s amazing
thanks
Uplifting video 👊👍
nice!
Congratulations 👏 hats off to you mate makes me proud to be a man
More interesting even to read how you do it, Respect for work.
thanks👍
I love it
I applaud you as a family. ❤
thank you
@@AlexR_44 you're welcome and may you all be blessed 💕
Sir I salute you..
Great job....
I build elevators for a living very cool😊
Thanks much👍
I love the elevator that you have ridden. Do you mind that I share it on RUclips and other networks and tag you. thank you
yeah, that's cool. I'd appreciate a link to watch if you do.
Excellent project🎉
Thanks🙂
Cool.
I like it! Good job bud
thanks
Intelligent guy 👍🏾👍🏾
Nice 👍 Buen trabajo..
nice 👍🙂
Id call it a dumb waiter 🤣 jk cool diy.
thanks
I do spend a lot of time waiting. 😁
Браво...хорошая идея....
I had a friend that ended having to pay a professional a ton of money to fix his errors after trying to built an elevator himself. It is very nice to have tho but finding or making room for one is not easy. My other friend did one of those chair lifts in her stairwell. Both are lifesavers!
No doubt, one of the hardest parts was figuring out where to locate it. Some of the family wanted to go the chairlift route, but Pop didn't. He and I both agreed, not many more things can make you feel old or crippled like riding a stairlift for over a minute. (they're so slow) Plus, walking by it all day, they had a big psychological hurdle with the chair lift for some reason.
When you tell someone you have a Wonkavator in your house and they don't believe you
Хорошие идеи для тех кто живёт в двухэтажном доме где есть пожилые люди
А если эти пожилые люди упадут в эту лифтовую шахту!?!?!?
Why would they do that? You do realize that would have to be a deliberate action...
Anyway... answer is, they'd get banged up and bruised and embarrassed when we had to come help them up out of the hole.
Дед скажет "спасибо внучок!". А сам по лесенке ходить будет от греха подальше)
I don't think that translates properly...
Simple winch and ratchet strap in the attic. 👍
Actually, it's way cooler than that. It's a 3 phase motor and gearbox with VFD and upper and lower limit switches with speed changes a few inches before parking.
That's dummy's very life like 😮😂😂
This is Love
God bless your good deeds
Everything is great bar the lift box itself. Looks as though the bottom could pop off after long use.
Nah, there's aluminum angle brackets and a bunch of screws. It's stronger than it looks👍
@@AlexR_44 fair enough. Great job 👌🏻
👏👏👏
Nice!....from a elevator constructor
thanks
Questo si che è bel progetto x persone con difficoltà motorie e con case a 2 piani
It just shows the amount of money companies charge , thank you,, ps I always say if he can do it so can I 😂
I went to a house to do a electrical job. A old man claimed his winch was broken. When I got there I found he was using a truck winch to do the same thing. I couldn't help him because of liability issues but It was an interesting day none the less.
Hmm. I wonder what was wrong with his winch. I looked at winches before I found out we had a good quality motor and gearbox, and the only issue I had with them was their duty cycle is crazy low. Like 30 seconds on before the mfg says too bad so sad. I can certainly respect not working on it though, that a liability for sure. Dude should've taken it out and brought it to you. 😁
I don't actually remember. I just know I got there he was it won't go up and I went back to my truck and called my boss and was told not to touch anything because of the threat of being sued. Boss said to just thank him for calling us but we can't work on it and to assure him we wouldn't be billing him the trip charge or anything else. He got angry and was upset because his son in-law built it and wouldn't answer his phone. He said he had it a while with no issues. It all looked like harbor freight materials and if I had to guess it was probably the batteries. Guy had a small trickle charger to two deepcycle batteries and then to a small truck winch.
We got sued for Recommending a company that later drove on some Karen's grass and another time for doing what the insurance company said to do and then got sued by said insurance company. We didn't loose in either case but by the time the dust settles you're out 2-3 grand in lawyer fees. Another crazy job a guy INSISTED we were not to GFCI his woorlpoll tub but we did since it's code. Like 6 months later that same guy killed himself by electrocution in that very tub. NO BS....
@@CORYSart ahh yeah, a trickle charger won't likely even overcome the resistance of two deep cycles😅 Good Guess.
@@CORYSart One thing I've always disliked about our fine country is how litigious some folks are, suing for this that and the next thing instead of just living life. Insurance companies are amongst some of the worst, vile creations out there, they take what is a great concept and then fight tooth and nail against fulfilling their end of the deal. 99 times out of 100. 🤢🤮
Next stop, to the Moon! 🚀
Ooh ooh.. or, infinity, and... Beyond 😁
Респект и уважуха!!!
Genius.
Ya know, I wish I had a million dollars for every time someone said that about something good I've done.
Or.. ten grand for anytime it was sarcastic about some crap I've pulled😆 Either way, I could buy a house for myself.
Don't forget the shockdempers...👍
I'm just glad we didn't need a counter weight😅
Здорово! 👍
Perfect DIY project. The only problem is getting it certified. Depending on what country you’re in, a device like this will require an engineer report before you can get permits to build it. I hope everything worked out for you guys; it’s a lot of work
Been working great so far👍
Gratula ,ilyenben én js gondolkoztam ,sima csőrlő motorral
thanks
Молодец!
Ist eine tolle Idee vor allem für ältere Menschen die die stiegen nicht mehr schaffen.😊
Здорово придумано 👍👍👍
That’s pretty cool. It runs at a good speed and can double as a hefty front door blocker. I’m pretty sure elevators are regulated and need to be inspected as a people moving cable car or something like that.
that's right. It's a fancy security system, I only call it grams elevator as an affectionate nickname. 👍
Needs a fall arrest (which it may have, it's unclear) a fall, even from that relatively low height, could result in serious injury, especially to the elderly.
There's an imminent danger that it could lower on somebody standing beneath it, it's going into an open area of traffic. Even assuming the house is a sole occupancy, it's a danger.
Health and safety laws for lifts in this domestic situation may not apply
@@iandeare1 link in description. The safety brake test video is shorter to watch than that took to type😆. Good looking out though, thanks👍.
❤ Veramente interessante...è quello che ci vorrebbe per me. Scrivo dall'Italia e qui costa parecchio far installare questo tipo di elevatore per persone, potresti fare un filmato in cui fai vedere come lo costruisci e cosa utilizzi per sollevarlo? Potrebbe andare anche per 2 piani...cioè 1° e 2°. Grazie.
I'm not comfortable providing more details on the lifting equipment or how we actually built anything in detail. Sorry, that'd be way too time consuming for a freebie, and too much of a liability. But... there are plenty of videos out there with enough details that an intelligent person could use to duplicate what I've done here.
Só o olhar feliz de satisfação do idoso já vale a pena o investimento.
Yes, gram loves it very much.
I need one
When I told me kids, I wanted to build upstairs so I could have my own space ( dream since I was 18), and I was going to have a lift. They laughed at me.
I can't wait by a miracle build upstairs with a LIFT and place a sign saying OUT OF ORDER when they look for me 🤭
I have great kids, but they did laugh about the lift 🙃 and I do want to move upstairs (help)
Australia 💕 Christina
If you fly me to Australia and give me a place to stay and some spending money for a month, I will totally build you a lift😅. Actually, it might take 6 months. How's the job market there? I may just want to stay forever. Have you seen the women in Australia 😁.
@Alex R
🤭🤭🤭🤭😳
So far, it looks like I might have the lift to the roof top
Do you have a brother or father, or grandfather for me who is a builder so I can build upstairs 😋
If you're 35 good-looking like my beautiful daughter 🥰 we might have a deal.
Definitely free food and accommodation. We might need to negotiate the spending money. But once you see our pretty Australian 🇦🇺 attitude and European bloodline, you might not worry about it 😇
Australia 💕 Christina
An elevator you can never get stuck in.
Would be cool if it was built into a set of cabinets that had doors to keep the area clear below.
no doubt. If the house was bigger, a more dedicated space certainly would've been preferred, but the fact that it's by a frequently used door means that area is kept clear. It sounds silly, but it actually works out quite well for the lifestyle of the people that live there.
@@AlexR_44 can that door that opens into the elevator be removed?
@@JimsEquipmentShed I suppose it could, but it's easier to just make sure it's closed. It gets used a lot, and the elevator car parks upstairs, so it's only ever blocked briefly.
We had planned on adding a magnetic interlock to the door, but their lifestyle doesn't really need it. The times of day the elevator gets used don't line up with when they'd expect any visitors.
I am slowly loosing my ability to walk, soon, I won't be able to go upstairs, I need some like this in my house, any chance you can provide me with some info how this elevator was built? I truly think that your elevator is awesome, love the rc, thank you for sharing this video!!!
Sure, I can give a basic a rundown and/or I could probably even get you some more technical specs like what size motor to use and how the safety brake system works etc. But I may want a little money for detailed specs and wiring schematics, since it did take us a good amount of effort and arguing to get it all worked out the way we did. 😅
Give me a little while and I'll post a pinned comment to this video with a basic rundown of what we've built.
here ya go ruclips.net/video/EJxJECE--h4/видео.html I made a video with some pictures showing a little of the process
@@AlexR_44 yea sell the specs to ur safety hazard ass elevator
@@TT-ik3kd naysaying jealous punk. 😂.
You sour because you can't make one for tour grandparents?
Shitty job
Awesome
Great job! I would love to know what the mechanisms are or where you got them. I saw a glass elevator and it’s expensive!
Sorry, it was used industrial equipment, not something I can give an Amazon affiliate link for. 😁
Best I could say is find a good, qualified builder who's not afraid to try something new and they'll find what you'd need.