flying pole lathes

[gavin]

With a simple 2 to 1 double-purchase pulley, you can lift a pole lathe fairly easily. If you have height, and you are short of space ( or you just like having fun hoisting things) you can do this:
Fit a stop-block to your line below the pulley. The wood tied to the line stops the line running all the way thru the top pulley.

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Pass that through your lathe-bed.

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(I'd remove the tools before sending the lathe up in the air. Falling chisels are not pretty.)

Hoist away.

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Here is the arrangement at the apex of the roof:

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[ToneWood]

Brilliant way to store your lathe out of the way. Unfortunately my garage has a low, flat ceiling because there is a room above it, which might sound handy but it's not, it gets very little use (the previous owner also didn't use it) - it is inconvenient to get to and unheated. Would have been better left as a high ceiling garage really - then could at least hang my bikes from the rafters, American-style on hooks*. The upstairs has its own small toilet & washbasin room within - thinking of removing that to make the entire thing a studio space for the wife & mother-in-law (the idea of a dedicated woodworking shop got shot down pretty quickly ). I guess that's how urban renewal happens - first the artists move in...

*Come to think of it, I have seen commercial lightweight pulley systems in the USA specifically intended for hoisting bikes into the rafters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS8_aRWO-Tk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCMd-KUZ7bM
But now I see you already discovered them for yourself: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2602