Featured Technical Skip The Jack Stands, make Riser Blocks

I've had a set for years, although not quite as high as some of those posted. My problem was getting a jack to raise the car up enough to get them under the tires!

 

This (above) is how I did it.

 

I had a neighbor that worked in the Jones Beach NY carpenter shop.

He would bring home these m***ive blocks of wood leftover from highway dividers. Those were his jack stands.

 

I built mine out of treated lumber because I don’t have the room for them in the garage so they live under the carport. Still out of the weather and sun as such and they should have a long life but the rascals are heavy. I’ve put my OT F150 Supercrew on them and they’re solid as a rock.

 

You guys are overthinking this.

 

If you want them to last forever, you can cut up all your pieces and "paint" them with used motor oil and let them dry before ***embly.

 

I use cribbing under the wheels as well and I love it, but mine are solid, no space in the center. Mostly 4x4's tied together but I have some base pieces that were cut up from a huge engineered beam. My top ones always have ends screwed down so the car can't roll forward or back. Great for exhaust or floor work, stands tend to get in the way for stuff like that.

Would probably be way more expensive to make if you didn't have a bunch of free wood s****s, and they are kinda heavy. But I think weight and cost is the only reason to build them with that negative space in the center, and to me it's worth it for the peace of mind.

 

at my age, i realize i'm not immortal. i just use decking screws and wail away. jack stands make me nervous!

 

Yup, I have a couple of sets like that as well. They work great for a project that's going to hang around for awhile.

 

I put small cuts of 2x4’s for the in between the boards on the front and back of the cribs just because the negative space had me nervous.

 

Yikes!!

 

Made this set in 2001 to drop the trans out of a 55 olds… made them as a stackable set. When I need a little more height I add another set on the bottom and lock them together by inserting square blocks vertically in the voids.

 

MANY moons ago, we used wire milk crates with 2" x 12" lumber on top of them. Perhaps on the foolish side, but at age 19 it seemed like a good idea .

 

Best bet for your bucks is to go to a manufacture that builds truss's for roofs, they use number 1 pine or spruce and usually have a large supply of s**** on hand. As we all know pine and spruce is not good wood to burn in wood stoves so there should be a lot of s****. I would pre-drill and use screws to put them together.

 

How are you feeling Dan?

 

Better, recovery is slow maybe another week? according to my Dr.
Dan

 

I just found I out I have Raynauds syndrome? Wtf I'm not liking this getting older sh!t.

 

This getting old ain’t for wimps
Hence the cribs on here. Now if @Marty Strode would come with something to get me back up off the floor I get down easy enough.
Dan

 

Somehow, "LIKE" is not appropriate here. At 81, I resemble that remark...

Russ

 

Wonder if there's much to be gained by doing a "glue and screw" job on them? Maybe calling it a screw and glue job sounds better . . ?

 

Sounds like your shop was built over one of those pesky "Gravity Hot Spots".

 

It’s gravity alrighty the gravity hasn’t changed but my antigravity stuff doesn’t work like it used to
Dan

 

It's these same "hot spots" that also pull tools and fasteners down to an inaccessible area beneath the center of the car!

 

Don't forget your cheap harbor freight furniture dolly so you can roll them to all 4 corners of your car.

 

Made these from s**** lumber. They were heavy, so I drilled holes in 'em.

 

I'd glue them as well... I was a woodshop major in high school, so I know things.
I have a bunch of 2x4's I was going to put out front with a FREE sign. now I'm going build some of these to put my 1949 Chevrolet on so it looks like I am working on it.

 

My old buddy Ernie, had ropes hanging in his shops from the ceiling, so he could roll on the creeper over to one, and pull himself up. He died at 84, and used the ropes the last few years.

 

A third option when scavenging the neighbor’s lumber stocks. What he’s got will dictate how I proceed. The conversation will start with, “Hey Bob, let’s take a look at what you have in the way of wood!” Lumber that is… keep your minds clean!