Manufactured boards are generally bought from the supplier in large sheets, such as 2400 x 1200 mm or even larger.

The reason is that the bigger the sheet, the easier it is to minimise wastage when you're cutting it up.

But that doesn't mean it's easy to carry and manoeuvre!

If a board is too heavy or too awkward to move on your own, always make sure you ask for help.

An offsider can make a big difference to the effort required to lift and carry a sheet.

And the extra control you have will lessen the chance of damaging the sheet when you put it down again.

For more information on good manual handling techniques go to the Manual handling page in the Working safely unit.

Mechanical aids

There are various mechanical aids you can use to reduce the manual handling involved in moving sheets around the workshop.

Here are some examples.

Board grips are useful when you need to carry large sheets any distance. They're designed to be used by two people, with one person at each end lifting the sheet with their own handle.

A panel skate is handy if you're working on your own.

It lets you slide the sheet into the V shape of the skate, push it to its destination, and slide the sheet out again.

A panel trolley is designed to move several sheets at once.

It can be tilted sideways, and also raised or lowered, so that sheets can be slid easily from the trolley onto a saw table.

Panel lifters work by creating a vacuum under a set of suction heads, allowing the board to be lifted and moved with an overhead crane.

Flotation tables are often incorporated into beam saws.

They blow air upwards through a series of holes, allowing the sheet to slide smoothly over the top.