Ideas for lifting heavy maple table top

Grunt. That's why it's called wood *working*.

Well, my first thought is that you need to put a pin through the axis, so you can spin it from horizontal to vertical with very little effort (think "paddle wheel"). Then to lift it up and down, I was thinking of either a pulley type arrangement (hooked to the ceiling) or some form of gear/chain combination to crank it up and down. The pulley arrangement would probably be the easiest to set up, and having it move up and down a track. Maybe some pins to hold it at a particular height.

If you're feeling industrious (industrial?), you could put it on hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders to raise and lower it.

Clint

As your sig implies, the obvious approach is to not lift it all at once, just lift one end at a time working it like a lever and rely on walking and sliding it. You should never have to lift more than half the weight.

I'm not sure which applies, but you can do a lot with creative use of fulcrums and levers, block and tackle, and/or hydraulic jack. I took my

Sorry I can't be specific since I don't know the particular geometry of your porch, height at which you'll be working etc. I just wanted to throw out some stimulating thoughts.

Bob

Hire a couple of well muscled college students to help you out with it. Most will work very cheap just to earn a little cash.

Actually the second lift from the other side will be more than half the weight and that will decrease to half weight as the table top becomes level.

Grab, lift.

I don't remember how long the slab is but if 1/4 of it extends above the tabletop then that quarter will counterballance some of the weight, using the edge of the table as a fulcrum, and so you'd still only be lifting half the weight.

OTOH, the table may tip over, and if the slab is resting too steeply on the edge of the table then it will want to slide down when the bottom is swung out.

I'd use my engine lift, but that's just because I already own one.