# Port A Mate review.



## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

I bought a Port A Mate a few days ago and tried to use it today for the first time today. I bought 7 sheets of 5X5 Russian ply and I could get a sheet off my truck okay but that is about all. I did get one sheet inside and put where I wanted it to go but after that my wife helped me to unload the rest. My wife got on one side and I got on the other and we picked it up and put it where it needed to go. One problem I had was reaching the lever to lower the panel then I had a big problem getting it off the Port A Mate. I am 75 and I can't handle those panels any more. I would give this tool a rating of 2 stars out of 5. I hate spending money on something that won't work for me. 


Portamate Portamate PM-1800 Panel Carrier


----------



## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

ouch...
plan ''B''???

.


----------



## tomp913 (Mar 7, 2014)

Exactly, slide the sheet off the truck onto the grid and cut it up right there. Although I can see the 5' x 5' sheets being a little trickier because they aren't starting out flat.


----------



## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

Thanks guys but this doesn't help me at all. I am not ready to break it down yet. It may be a month or so before I am ready. I had to buy some ash, red oak, and alder so I thought I would get the ply while I was there.


----------



## jj777746 (Jan 17, 2015)

hawkeye10 said:


> Thanks guys but this doesn't help me at all. I am not ready to break it down yet. It may be a month or so before I am ready. I had to buy some ash, red oak, and alder so I thought I would get the ply while I was there.


Good thinking Don,by the time you're ready to break it down the price might have gone up.


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

I'm thinking slide it out of the truck bed, all sheets, onto that stand thingie. Then tip one sheet at a time where you're going to store it. May be necessary to have it on wheels to you can move it to where you will slide it off and store it. OR, hire a couple of teenagers to move it all for you, $5 each would probably work, but even at $10 each I think it would be more than worth it. And I would try to get a refund on that mover thingie, which would pay for at least 5 hires to move plywood in the future. 

I get my sheets cut to the width I want at Lowes, usually about 9.5" X 48". That makes it quite easy to load, and to move into the shop for storage. Besides being a year older than you, my back has been bad for many years. I often don't have the last cut made in a sheet of plywood, which gives me a piece about 20" wide for whatever. I would say that 99.9% of my projects can be done with 9.5" wide pieces with a little wiggle room - I plan them that way, and that has been working out quite well for me for years.


----------



## sunnybob (Apr 3, 2015)

considering its useless to you, I am surprised you gave it 2 stars.
Send it back as "not fit for purpose"


----------



## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

JOAT said:


> I'm thinking slide it out of the truck bed, all sheets, onto that stand thingie. Then tip one sheet at a time where you're going to store it. May be necessary to have it on wheels to you can move it to where you will slide it off and store it. OR, hire a couple of teenagers to move it all for you, $5 each would probably work, but even at $10 each I think it would be more than worth it. And I would try to get a refund on that mover thingie, which would pay for at least 5 hires to move plywood in the future.
> 
> I get my sheets cut to the width I want at Lowes, usually about 9.5" X 48". That makes it quite easy to load, and to move into the shop for storage. Besides being a year older than you, my back has been bad for many years. I often don't have the last cut made in a sheet of plywood, which gives me a piece about 20" wide for whatever. I would say that 99.9% of my projects can be done with 9.5" wide pieces with a little wiggle room - I plan them that way, and that has been working out quite well for me for years.


You bring up some good solutions Theo. I hate having to get help to do something.


----------



## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

sunnybob said:


> considering its useless to you, I am surprised you gave it 2 stars.
> Send it back as "not fit for purpose"


Bob I thought about that but some of it is my not being able to do things.


----------



## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

So far my Gorilla Gripper and shop made 2 wheeled dolly for picking up and moving full sheets has been working well for me. Even the 5 X 5 sheets move easily on edge with them. 

I made the dolly using 3/4 birch ply using the wheels and axle stubs from the front of a junk rotary mower. I also saved the larger rear wheels and axle stubs and I'm considering making another dolly from them because the route into and out of my shop is not smooth or level, and I think the larger wheels might work better for me. 

In use, I pick up the sheet, standing it on edge if it isn't already, and then set the bottom edge in the dolly, then let the dolly handle the weight while I maneuver the sheet to where I need it. The dolly can be placed under the middle of the sheet and roughly balanced, or near the trailing end, while I lift and carry the leading end of the sheet using the Gorilla Gripper to hold the leading end up while I move it around. This works almost as good as having a helper on the other end when moving the 4 X 8' sheets. 

I'm also 75 and needing to find ways of handling large and heavy things that I can no longer do alone. My DeWalt 735 planer is on a folding miter saw/planer stand, so I can move it around like a hand truck and then lift the stand and planer into operating position without help. It also stores easily on end with the planer still attached, consuming only about a 3 sq ft of floor space when stored in my shop. It's always used in the parking area outside the shop, since my shop space is limited. I have the discontinued hose and fabric drum cover, plus a 55 gal plastic barrel that I use to collect the chips ( to keep them out of the neighbors pool) It works great, if the fabric cover stays on the barrel. 

The one thing that I failed to add when building the small wheeled dolly is handle holes to make it easy to pick it up and carry it when moving it to the location of the sheet stock. I'll be adding handle holes in the tall sides of the large wheeled version when I build it, maybe later today. Adding them to the small wheeled dolly will be difficult, because I glued and narrow crown stapled it together. If I cut them now it will be difficult to round the inside edges of the holes for comfortable carrying. I could, and might, just add small hardware handles to both sides above the wheels instead.

I guess pictures are needed. I'll try to take some today.

The first (and last) time that I had a sheet cut to size for me they splintered the cut edges so badly that I lost 2" of material from both sides of each cut. They also cut it wrong, making it useless for the intended purpose. No thanks, I'll do my own cutting and I'll manage the full sheets until I cut them, somehow. I know of one woodworker who has a battery operated track saw, who breaks down his sheet stock in their parking lot. It might be worth getting one for this.

Charley


----------



## Danman1957 (Mar 14, 2009)

Don your age is just a number. Some people half your age can't move large bulky items such as a 5 x 5 or 4 x 8 sheet of ply. I am only 59 but have a bad shoulder so I avoid lifting full sheets as much as I can. I have a furniture dolly that I lower the sheet onto and my floor is smooth enough to go where I need to. My sheet goods storage is the first thing in the shop right next to the garage door, that makes it easier to handle. I have seen plans for a table saw attachment that you bring the sheet to it then a lever helps to flip it up and it locks in place. I am thinking of doing this this winter.


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

hawkeye10 said:


> You bring up some good solutions Theo. I hate having to get help to do something.


Time tested. I don't like having to get help either, and also I just don't want people in my shop.


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

CharleyL said:


> The first (and last) time that I had a sheet cut to size for me they splintered the cut edges so badly that I lost 2" of material from both sides of each cut. They also cut it wrong, making it useless for the intended purpose. No thanks, I'll do my own cutting and I'll manage the full sheets until I cut them, somehow. I know of one woodworker who has a battery operated track saw, who breaks down his sheet stock in their parking lot. It might be worth getting one for this.
> Charley


My back won't let me handle even a half sheet comfortably anymore. First thing I do when I get plywood cut is, avoid Home Depot, and go to Lowes. At least at Lowes whoever is on the saw has done it before. Nothing like standing there for 10 minutes or more, waiting for someone to do some cutting for you, and they have them tell you they have never done this before, and then ask how to do it. And I stand right there and check, just in case - no issues with Lowes. If I could load full sheets, I would take them home and cut them to whatever size, off the end of my truck, but I would use a corded drill. Simple enough to make a track guide for that. So, I'll just stick with Lowes cutting my plywood, for now.


----------



## dirt_dobber (Jun 9, 2017)

Danman1957 said:


> Don your age is just a number. Some people half your age can't move large bulky items such as a 5 x 5 or 4 x 8 sheet of ply. I am only 59 but have a bad shoulder so I avoid lifting full sheets as much as I can. I have a furniture dolly that I lower the sheet onto and my floor is smooth enough to go where I need to. My sheet goods storage is the first thing in the shop right next to the garage door, that makes it easier to handle. I have seen plans for a table saw attachment that you bring the sheet to it then a lever helps to flip it up and it locks in place. I am thinking of doing this this winter.


I purchased this "Leg Up Table Saw Panel-Lifter" to help me with getting the plywood on the table saw. It really helped give me that extra hand needed.

https://www.amazon.com/Leg-Up-Table-Saw-Panel-Lifter/dp/B001UP2UX4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509102494&sr=8-1&keywords=leg+up+table+saw+panel-lifter







here is a short youtube video of it in action


----------



## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

dirt_dobber said:


> I purchased this "Leg Up Table Saw Panel-Lifter" to help me with getting the plywood on the table saw. It really helped give me that extra hand needed.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Leg-Up-Table-Saw-Panel-Lifter/dp/B001UP2UX4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509102494&sr=8-1&keywords=leg+up+table+saw+panel-lifter
> View attachment 306010
> ...


Thanks Randy; Why didn't we think of this?


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Things like that leg up thingy, I would just make if I needed one. If I had the space in my shop I'd make a panel saw.


----------



## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Well, that helps you get a full sheet up onto the table saw. Actually, they have a shop made version of it where I work. Their's is a hing and piece of angle iron with a hook shape on the bottom end. It works, but it's on a 14" Delta 7 hp saw with a whole sheet of plywood for an out feed table and another turned sideways on the right side of the saw. There's also about 10' of floor space around all this in every direction. My whole shop is about the size of their saw and attached tables.

I finished building my other larger wheeled dolly on Thursday, but then went to the Klingspore Woodworking Show in Hickory, NC yesterday. I took some pictures of both of my shop made dollies today, but then I left the camera in the shop. I'll try to remember the camera tomorrow and post the pictures of both sizes. I even tested both with full sheets of Baltic Birch and 4 X 8 birch cabinet ply, with a few pictures. Sorry, no video. I don't own a video camera, but may soon. I'm not sure which I like the best. The large wheeled version moves over rough ground easily, I also cut handle holes in the top, making it easier to pick up and carry.Both have advantages and disadvantages, enough that I might build a third version and scrap these two, but each let me move full sheets much easier than I have been experiencing recently and either is a definite improvement.

Charley


----------



## Marco (Feb 21, 2009)

Would love to see the Pictures Charley


----------



## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

This is my 6th attempt at posting these pictures this morning. My internet is going up and down, causing me to loose everything in this post before I can save it. Every time that I choose "Manage Attachments" and then try to "add a picture" my computer crashes with the "Choose files" screen locked up. I can't get past this and I've run out of time to mess with it. I will try again tonight.

Charley


----------



## bwilling (Jul 14, 2015)

JOAT said:


> I'm thinking slide it out of the truck bed, all sheets, onto that stand thingie. Then tip one sheet at a time where you're going to store it. May be necessary to have it on wheels to you can move it to where you will slide it off and store it. OR, hire a couple of teenagers to move it all for you, $5 each would probably work, but even at $10 each I think it would be more than worth it. And I would try to get a refund on that mover thingie, which would pay for at least 5 hires to move plywood in the future.
> 
> I get my sheets cut to the width I want at Lowes, usually about 9.5" X 48". That makes it quite easy to load, and to move into the shop for storage. Besides being a year older than you, my back has been bad for many years. I often don't have the last cut made in a sheet of plywood, which gives me a piece about 20" wide for whatever. I would say that 99.9% of my projects can be done with 9.5" wide pieces with a little wiggle room - I plan them that way, and that has been working out quite well for me for years.


I did the same thing at Lowes. Bought a sheet of cabinet grade Oak 3/4" ply and had them cut it in half. Sure glad I did because it delaminated right down the center of the ply. Last sheet they had and last sheet I ever bought from Lowes. I am 79 and have the same problem with lifting. I am in a quandary as to where to buy ply in the UP of Michigan. I use to buy locally in Iron Mountain, MI but the owner complained with the saw dust on the floor when I brought my own saw to cut up the ply in 3 pieces to fit in my SUV. :frown:


----------



## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

bwilling said:


> I did the same thing at Lowes. Bought a sheet of cabinet grade Oak 3/4" ply and had them cut it in half. Sure glad I did because it delaminated right down the center of the ply. Last sheet they had and last sheet I ever bought from Lowes. I am 79 and have the same problem with lifting. I am in a quandary as to where to buy ply in the UP of Michigan. I use to buy locally in Iron Mountain, MI but the owner complained with the saw dust on the floor when I brought my own saw to cut up the ply in 3 pieces to fit in my SUV. :frown:


Bob I buy from a place called Hood Industries. They mainly sell wholesale so I have to but at least $200 worth at a time which isn't that much lumber. I buy what they call straight run lumber which is 13/16 thick and has one straight edge. The face and bottom is skipped planed so I have to run it through my thickness planer. I get better wood and for a cheaper price than the box stores have. Just to give you an idea on prices I will post what I bought last week. 

Russian Baltic Birch is 26.50 a sheet for a 5'x5' sheet and the grade is BB/BB. The 1/2" was 18.90 a sheet.

Red oak 2.15 a BF

Alder 2.15 a BF 

Ash 1.96 a BF

Pine .96 a BF


----------



## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

Handling full sheets is getting harder these days. My solution is pretty basic. When I load sheet goods, I bring it to the truck on a cart, then lift one end high enough to rest on the tailgate. I have three 2x4s spanning the top with cross pieces set in to lock them in place. I can lift the other end of the sheet and push it onto the 2x4s pretty easily. A few years ago I put some steel loops on the side of the truck bed, so hooking up a few tie downs across the sheets is easy.

I cut to size while the goods are on the truck. If I have several sheets, I push a couple of 2x4s between the first sheet and the rest of the stack. I used to use an 18v circular saw to then cut it to manageable size. But now I have the Triton Track saw with an infinity blade, so I can cut to final size. Very accurate, and a really clean cut...easily as good as my table saw.

I keep a 4x8 piece of insulating foam around to make some cuts on the floor of the garage. Hardly ever use the saw horses any more. Thinking of buying or making a couple of light weight folding ones so I can hang them up out of the way.

The three beams in the truck bed just lift out and store in a dry place. They're redwood, really light weight. One thing I need to make is a sheet goods and lumber storage rack on castors. I've accumulated a pretty fair amount of cutoffs and leftover pieces of BB stock, and since I cleaned out the garage, there's just enough room for it.

I hope to be able to keep plugging away with this method for another decade or so, Lord willing and the krick in my back don't rile.


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Dang. As much as I don't care for the idea, I may have to get a battery powered circular saw, or something similar. Found a place reasonably close that will give what's left of plywood sheets after CNC cutouts have been made on them. The sections left over are not really large, but plenty large enough for a lot of my smaller projects. If you get a pallet load, they will even load your truck, with a forklift. Don't know as I could haul a entire pallet load, what with my small pickup, but if I could cut the pieces out, then I could load a number of sheets by myself. Of course, by then they wouldn't be one piece (with a bunch of largish holes), but would be light enough I could easily load a bed full, and my truck should be able to handle that with no problem. I could just use a hand saw, but that would be slower than I would like, and too much like work. Drat, now I need to look for a halfway decent power saw, at a halfway decent price. Bah, humbug.


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Normally I am not a fan of battery powered tools, unless you use them where there is no power. I use all corded tools in my shop. But the chance to get a bunch of usable wood, free, is too good to pass up. The pieces are too bulky for me to handle on my own, and a stack of it would be way too much for my little pickup. So, would have to cut the sheets into smaller pieces to allow me to salvage usable wood. Which means cutting by hand, that's not going to happen, or get a inexpensive battery powered saw, for this purpose only. It is a matter of buying, or passing up free wood. Bah, I hate choices like this. So been surfing the web a bit, and came up with these two saws. I think I am leaning toward the jig saw, I might have other uses for it, but the circular saw I can't see any other uses. So, I wonder if anyone here has tried either of these, and if so, what is their opinion on them.
https://www.harborfreight.com/18-vo...rcular-saw-with-laser-guide-system-68849.html 
https://www.harborfreight.com/18-volt-cordless-jig-saw-62871.html

I know they're not top of the line, but I won't be using them that often, and Harbor Freight has a great return policy.

And this is the full stack, that they will load by forklift.


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

Well, well. Just found this on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ZBC5L0/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=IIBNR4D25U70X&colid=3L9IXDJK1H5JM

Check it against the one I found on Harbor Freight. Both Drillmaster, both look like they are the same model (I didn't do a lot of comparison, so could be wrong). The one on Amazon is going for a lot more than the HF version. Guess I'll be going with HF, if I get one. Pays to shop around.


----------



## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Well, it looks like my upload problems of several days ago weren't mine after all. Today my photos have uploaded on the first try.

The attached photos show my latest method of moving sheet stock. I've built two versions of these wheeled dollies from the wheels and axle stubs removed from a trash high wheel lawn mower. One dolly was made using the small front wheels from the mower, and the larger (the one with the handle holes) was made from the larger rear wheels from the mower. Both are working well and each has different advantages. As such, I haven't decided which one that I like best. This may result in me building yet a third version to try and capture the best of both from these two designs. Both were made from 3/4" Birch cabinet ply scraps with the center piece being 1" thick 

The first two photos is of the smaller version with the smaller wheels. It seems to do the job very well, but I'm wishing that I had cut handle holes in the top. I can't do this now, because it was assembled with glue and narrow crown staples and although I could cut the holes easy enough, rounding the edges would be difficult. Handle holes will definitely be in version three.

The third photo is of the second larger version with the handle holes included. After using it a while, I like the handles, but I have decided that the center piece should be a little longer. With the larger diameter wheels this version tips too far when there is no sheet on it, so a longer center piece would reduce this tipping. I might try adding some rubber to the top of the center piece in version three as well.

Photos four and five show the larger version in use with a full 3/4" thick 4' X 8' sheet of BBirch Cabinet ply in it. Notice how it stands up by itself (when I took the photo - the wind blew it over shortly after).

The last photo is of my Gorilla Gripper. It's the model that will handle from 1/4 to 1 1/4" sheets. It is doing a great job when handling the 4 X 8 sheets of any thickness in that range, but the 5' X 5' Baltic Birch sheets put the Gorilla Gripper a bit high for this old 5' 8" tall 75 year old woodworker. I can use it, but I wouldn't want to carry a full sheet of BB more than 100' or so with it since I have to hold the handle too high to be comfortable. A taller person would have much less trouble with it. The most comfortable height for the Gorilla Gripper is when the handle is at your shoulder height with your arm folded tight and against your side.

I have another idea for moving the 5' X 5' BB sheets that I'll be making and trying as soon as I get the time, and will post photos of it too. 

Version three of this dolly will likely have the larger wheels, be a bit shorter, but have the center piece longer to keep it from tipping so far when it is empty. Both of these models work quite well, but I think I can improve on them. Most of the dimensions are very non critical, so just looking at my pictures should be enough for you to successfully build one, I didn't measure anything when I made them. I just found some scrap about the right size and trimmed it to suit, then assembled them. 

With one of them roughly centered under a sheet of either size, moving the sheet around is very easy and I could push or pull it as far as needed. The action required is much like moving one of thos 6 wheeled industrial carts where the center wheels are larger than the end wheels and you balance it on the center wheels when moving it around. The larger wheels are a definite benefit when traveling over uneven surfaces or lawn, so they will be part of version three as well. Since both came from the scrap pile and a scrapped lawn mower, all I have invested in them is time, some glue, and a few staples. Just a couple of uses will recover this small time and material investment.

For those of you wondering why I'm working in the road, it's actually my driveway. It loops around the house and the house (to the left of the photos) faces the lake and not the road. I live on the very end of a peninsula in this lake. My shop is to the right of the photos. This parking area is where I do my outside woodworking, mostly breaking down full sheets, and using my planer. 

Charley


----------



## CharleyL (Feb 28, 2009)

Theo @JOAT Every time that I've bought an electric power tool from Harbor Freight it has burned up within the first hour of use, except for one tool, one of those fixed speed oscillating multi tools. I don't use it often, but it has been a very good tool and has paid for itself several times over, each time that I've used it. If I ever buy another power tool from Harbor Freight, it will be just before I'm planning to use it heavily, so I can take it back when it burns up. They seem to take things back without issue, as long as you have the receipt and you return it in less than thirty days. Their store is about 5 miles from my home, so I can return things quite easily. But in most cases I hate it when I can't depend on my tools, so I buy better quality tools for most of my needs. I hate it when I'm in the middle of doing something and have to return or buy a replacement for a tool before I can continue with the project. 

I hope you have better luck with their power tools than I have had. I buy many things from them, but avoid anything that requires accuracy, electric power, or heavy use. My son and I are frequent buyers of their 7 1/2" metal cutting circular saw blades though.

Charley


----------



## JOAT (Apr 9, 2010)

CharleyL said:


> Theo @JOAT Every time that I've bought an electric power tool from Harbor Freight it has burned up within the first hour of use, except for one tool, one of those fixed speed oscillating multi tools.


Interesting. I have about 7-8 power tools from HF, had them for years, and only had problems with one. I got a drill press from them somewhere around 20 years ago, and the switch went out in about a week. A $4-5 switch from Lowes fixed it, and I still use it. Use all of them in fact. I once bought an angle grinder from a big name store, it lasted about 2 minutes, go figure. 

Once saw a contractor in HF trying to buy a display tool of some sort, the last in the store. Heard him say he used them 10 hours a day, 7 days a week, not sure what he did, but he definitely wanted the tool. He said a big brand name tool would last about 4 weeks working like that, while a HF version would only last 3. BUT, the big name tool cost twice what a HF tool wood, so he could bet 2 weeks more work out of 2 HF tools, for the same price. 

But HF does have a really great return policy. You can get cash back, or another tool. I used to get a lot of low cost tools, vice grips, what all. Don't know how long they would hold up, because they always tended to follow my younger son out of the shop, so I wound up buying quite a lot of the same type of tools. Still need to get a replacement set of various size and style vice grips. 
:crying:


----------



## bwilling (Jul 14, 2015)

hawkeye10 said:


> Bob I buy from a place called Hood Industries. They mainly sell wholesale so I have to but at least $200 worth at a time which isn't that much lumber. I buy what they call straight run lumber which is 13/16 thick and has one straight edge. The face and bottom is skipped planed so I have to run it through my thickness planer. I get better wood and for a cheaper price than the box stores have. Just to give you an idea on prices I will post what I bought last week.
> 
> Russian Baltic Birch is 26.50 a sheet for a 5'x5' sheet and the grade is BB/BB. The 1/2" was 18.90 a sheet.
> 
> ...


I get my red oak for 3.50 BF and travel 2.5 hrs to get there for 15/16 which I plan down to 3/4". I go to Bennets in Wausau, WI. You are lucky!!


----------

