Southworth’s portable Lift-Tool is an alternative to variable-height workbenches. The device facilitates a wide variety of lifting and positioning jobs, and requires only a cordless drill to move the platform up or down. At a workbench, the Lift-Tool is designed to help improve the user’s posture, reducing fatigue and back strain. For a shift change at a shared workbench or simply to alternate between sitting and standing during repetitive-motion tasks, a worker can adjust the platform within a vertical range of 14.25 inches to accommodate the work at hand. Fully raised, the Lift-Tool’s 22- by 23-inch platform is 17.75 inches high. With a load capacity of 300 lbs, it holds nearly 10 times its own weight, which is only 32 pounds, and is only 3.5 inches high when lowered. The user raises and lowers the aluminum platform with an electric drill (a socket in the unit’s durable steel screw-jack mechanism accepts a hexagonal bit). The Lift-Tool’s slotted platform allows for the use of straps and other workholders to securely fasten loads. For jobs requiring broader support, the Lift-Tool can be supported by an optional, adjustable straddle frame. Other options are a turntable and a slanted "assembly easel" that positions work at 25 degrees. The Lift Tool is available in Canada through Trans-Quip Inc.
