Check out this guy's elevator!

[pararich]

That is elegant!

[beerod]

glad you like it guys!

[JGNI]

glad you like it guys!

Welcome to the elevator guy, how does it safely lock into position on the 2nd floor?

[beerod]

ta for the welcome!

i'll give you a bit of an overview of the lift/elevator. i'll start by saying that the video was taken on day one. my knowledge of using it has now increased that i really fly between floors now, faster than someone could run up the stairs. it's really very liberating, leave your car keys up stairs? no problem.. up and down again in less than 30 seconds. i'm VERY pleased with it in operation.

so.. to your question, the car locks into position at both the top and bottom of travel, it needs to do this because the total mass of the counter weights is the same as the combined mass of myself, the chair plus the car.(actually the weights are around 10 kg heavier to allow for fine adjustment of the balance point in the way of adding or subtracting ballast to the car) in effect, if the rider steps off at the bottom when the car isn't locked in position, the weights fall downwards and the car upwards because of the imbalance. the piece of hardware i used to lock in position is known as an index plunger. it is welded into the frame of the car and the pin locates into one of two holes drilled into the steel post/runner at the bottom and at the top of travel. index plunger here..

http://www.zycon.com/Profile/Carr-La...-Plungers.html

i love the idea that others may adopt the design for their own home as i love this so much.

[fuentejps]

awesome. i need to make something to get up into our loft. its huge, would make a better gym, more room for new equipment...........

there are a ton of homemade wc lift/elevators on youtube.

[beerod]

oh.. and you can see the whole house here if you're interested..

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/b...se-tour-108218

[Cherbears]

Hi Beerod-that's a great loft! I like the exposed brick.

[number1advocate]

Beerod, that lift has been in my brain for many years. Alas, I am not an engineer and it has never been more than a fuzzy image. It has always seemed ridiculous to me that to access more than one floor in a home you must pay for the complexities of a conventional elevator (and then worry about the dreaded power outage).
I can imagine your lift tricked out with some metal art, etc.
Who designed and built it for you?

[CowboyCrip]

Cool place!

I wonder about heating, wall and attic insullation, etc. I imagine there isn't any.

In regards to the lift, I wonder if the same principles could be incorporated into an inclined platform stair lift?

[feisty]

oh.. and you can see the whole house here if you're interested..

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/b...se-tour-108218

your house is perfect.

[skippopotamus]

Hi Brod, could we see a close up of the wheels and the way that they are attached to the track they go up and down on, please? It looks like the track is an I-beam in the video.
If we ever have a CareCure Cribs contest I am nominating your house as the winner.

[Le Todd]

That is the shit! No power necessary? Hot damn!

[Broknwing]

That is AWESOME! and TOTALLY designed by a theatre person! I LOVE that lift! I WANT ONE!!!

[RJC]

smart.........

[beerod]

hey skippo.. i'll take a pic and post sometime for you, and number 1.. i designed it.. i've always been a bit of a tinkerer but this was a bit too big for me to build solo so had a local steel fabrication firm make up the components and a handy group of strong friends help with the installation. i love it.. it's been running for around 18 months now and i still appreciate it every day. well worth all of the head scratching.