the video i saw had the man using the laser light clamped to the front also, but he rigged up a board across the front of the frame so that the panto could rest on that. then he followed the panto with the laser right there in front of himself and could see exactly what he was doing. i agree, i don't like to work in the back because i can't see. that's why i want to try the board. i don't think i can make a mistake that way. they also come in blocks.
the brower's lifts attach temporarily to the sides of the frame and have a system for lifting the roller bars that's different than turning the side wheels. i don't know how you lift on the metal frame, but the lifts have a top handle, sort of, level with the floor, that makes it very easy to screw the bars higher and lower. browse it. they're privately made. if your dh is handy, he might get a similar idea. i'm not saying he should copy it.
if you look at 'photos' or 'pictures' (whatever) on the tin lizzie Yahoo! group, they show them, as well as all kinds of retrofits and basic instructions as to how they were made. like the table extension, but i got tired of waiting.
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http://www.kathybowers.com/