Material doors in the wall?

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My shop is tight on space. I've been thinking of making a material conveyer that I'd load the steel on outside and have the saw just inside. Have a little flip up door to roll the material through. Anyone done anything like this? Pictures?
Reply:I've see pictures of shops where guys with lathes punched a hole in a wall to accommodate the occasional long piece of material.  One went into the guy's office. The other was just a hole in the wood siding of an old water-powered, belt driven shop."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Hello PFD402, that is a common practice in many small/large fabrication shops. It allows their saws to be operated in cold weather without experiencing freeze-ups of the coolant/lubricant systems and also gives the operator a bit of protection from the outside elements while he/she is doing the job. In the winter and the rain it can be really nice. Another thing about this is that generally there will be a roll case inside of the building feeding into the saw and another set of roll cases outside to allow for loading with a forklift or other lifting devices. Others will likely chime in with suggestions about this topic also. Good luck and best regards, Allanaevald
Reply:I seen a guys shop once and thats exactly what he had. There was about a 6' roller to the right side of the saw that ran right into the wall. About a 2' by 2' square trap door in the wall (insulated even) and then out side was a lean-to style building with another 10' roller and racks to store full 20 and 30 foot sticks. It seemed to work well for him, he said the only complaint he had was during winter the mad dash outside to load another stick. If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:It's a great idea and really helpful.I used to work in a shop that had little doors so material could be fed into the planer and the jointer. There was also a door for the outfeed of a huge old shipsaw. An interesting note on that saw, it was so old the few welds that were on it were forge welds.In my shop now all of my big machinery has long power cords I made up so I can move them over to the big door or even take them outside for more room.
Reply:They were in the shops I've worked at also. Like other s said, it keeps the forklifts and the bulk of the material outside and keeps the shop less cluttered too..Big Jeremy
Reply:You could use a standard "Access Panel" for the door.Gizzmo