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Thread: Some tips on "raising" a big bandsaw

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Houston, TX
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    278

    Some tips on "raising" a big bandsaw

    Hello everyone. Thanks again for all your advice earlier in the month about moving heavy equipment. I thought I'd take an opportunity to post some pictures on my recent "bandsaw raising" exercise in case it might be of interest to another neophyte machinery rigger.

    Last week I took delivery of a new Agazzani B-24 bandsaw, which is certainly a huge upgrade from my previous 14" Rikon (which was a nice saw, by the way). Had a great experience with Jesse at Eagle Tools, who helped a lot with the planning and answered a lot of dumb questions on my part. But I digress.

    The bandsaw arrived unscathed in a crate suitable for shipping a full grown, live (and upset) bull rhinocerous to Antarctica. This was no skimpy crate. It took me quite a while to break into this thing using all the tools at my disposal (notice relative scale of large crate and tiny crowbar). The folks at Eagle tools ship the bandsaw in a horizontal position, so the first order of business is to tilt this 600 lb beast upright and put it onto its mobile base.

    Lacking the easy availability of 4 burly friends willing to lift for beer, I decided to focus on technology. Various misguided attempts using come-alongs and a lift table were unsuccessful, mostly since I have nothing high up in the garage to attach the come-along to (i.e. exposed beams or rafters).

    After nursing a few bruises (mostly on the ego), I looked into the option of renting a forklift to accomplish the task. Not such an economical option, not to mention the looks from the neighbors I was envisioning (and my lack of forklift skills). I ended up buying a 2 ton shop crane at HF for about $150 (which I will likely eventually sell although I'm having fun with it). Using this device, I was able to lift the bandsaw upright and put it on its mobile base in about 20 minutes by myself without breaking a sweat (or anything else). Easy as pie. Not a bad option and an even better one if you have a friend willing to lend you the crane. It's come in handy for a lot of lifting tasks over the past week, as well (moving a heavy 9 foot workbench, lifting dust collector onto wall bracket, moving lazy dog from couch).

    I will say that there is something quite satisfying about being a "crane owner," particularly since I had never envisioned being a member of this exclusive club. I've had a lot of these conversations over the past few days:

    Sally: "So...how was your weekend. Did you watch the Texans preseason game?"

    Me: "It was ok...did I mention that I own a crane? Have anything you need lifted?"

    Anyway, I'm sure this phase will pass. At any rate, if you have a large bandsaw that needs to stand up, this shop crane approach is pretty easy and safe and requires little effort.

    Rick
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Richard Link; 08-24-2009 at 9:45 PM.

  2. #2
    Rick -
    Just a short note to welcome you to the crane club from up here at the "Canadian Division" I bought one of these things about a year ago when I purchased a shopfull of machines and it's got to be the best investment I ever made. Even if it sits quietly folded up in the corner of the garage for long spans I do not intend to sell it. I still love it when people ask "what's that in the corner" and I reply smugly "it's my shop crane". You get almost the same instant respect as when someone says "I own a welder" ....

    Carry on,
    Lewis

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Toronto Ontario
    Posts
    11,247
    Quote Originally Posted by Lewis Cobb View Post
    Rick -
    Just a short note to welcome you to the crane club from up here at the "Canadian Division" I bought one of these things about a year ago when I purchased a shopfull of machines and it's got to be the best investment I ever made. Even if it sits quietly folded up in the corner of the garage for long spans I do not intend to sell it. I still love it when people ask "what's that in the corner" and I reply smugly "it's my shop crane". You get almost the same instant respect as when someone says "I own a welder" ....

    Carry on,
    Lewis
    HA!

    At least my welder doesn't leak hydraulic fluid on the floor like my Princess Auto shop crane.

    Of course I've never started a fire with the shop crane so maybe it's safer than a welder?

    Regards, Rod.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Forest Grove, OR
    Posts
    1,167
    I have one of those too. I tend to take it apart and stash it in the attic when I'm not planning to use it for a while, but then come weekends like the last one where I drug home a 16" Walker Turner bandsaw with a 2 hp motor that weighed in at about 700 pounds. Even the doors are cast iron. I ended up taking the saw apart to haul it home, and still had trouble moving it. The 1955 GMC dump truck engine sitting in my garage is lighter than that saw and easier to move.

    I have to say that shop cranes and welders do tend to attract and/or scare the neighbors, but not as much as a big old hydraulic press or an 8hp Troybilt.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Virginia
    Posts
    3,178
    Congratulations on your new machine, Rick! I think 24" is a great size for most of the kind of work most of us discuss here.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Hudson Wisconsin
    Posts
    317
    thanks Rick

    That looks like it worked pretty slick. Congrats on the new saw, just got called and my new bandsaw is waiting to be picked up.

    Phil

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    NE Ohio
    Posts
    6,982
    Hello Rick,
    I ended up buying a 2 ton shop crane at HF for about $150 (which I will likely eventually sell although I'm having fun with it).
    I'd hang onto it.
    The price drops each time you use it for something.
    Next time you need to move something heavy, the price goes down to $75.00.
    Next time, it's $50.00.

    I have quite a few tools that I bought w/that idea in mind.
    Framing nailer, Festool TS55EQ, Roto-Zip, basin wrench, etc.

  8. #8
    Looks good!!

    Another,,,,,better keep the hoist.


  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Location
    Cardiff, Wales, UK
    Posts
    24
    Congratulations on the Agazzani B24 saw. Two weeks ago I went through the same process with a 1 year old Agazzani NR'A 600 which I believe is almost identical apart from the electrics. It's a great saw. Awesome capacity!

    Being pre-owned it didn't come in a crate. I got it into the shop on it's back resting on skates. I took the cast iron top off (4 bolts) which made bringing it back to vertical possible with just the two of us - my son and I - no cranes needed!

    I have found hired cranes useful for other shop machinery lifting, but sometimes have difficulty with legs not sufficiently wide apart to straddle the machine and reach not sufficiently great to get there without straddling the legs.

    Enjoy the saw.

    Mark

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Drayton View Post
    I have found hired cranes useful for other shop machinery lifting, but sometimes have difficulty with legs not sufficiently wide apart to straddle the machine and reach not sufficiently great to get there without straddling the legs.

    Enjoy the saw.

    Mark
    Mark - you bring up a good point on these shop cranes. Originally intended to hike engines out of cars, the stance of the legs is not that great for some machines. When I got my jointer, it was not wide enough to straddle the crate so I came up with some "lifters" that allowed the cranes legs to go over the edges of the crate, yet lift the jointer free of the base of the crate. I then slid the crate out from underneath, and then set the jointer back down on the floor. There was a lot of fiddling to make sure the jointer didn't "lurch" as the crane is effectively locked in one place when I did this, but a couple of hours of gently raising it, re-adjusting the crane's location, then re-trying, yielded success.

    Here's a couple of pics if anyone is wondering about the lifters I made.

    Sorry to hi-jack the thread here - but thought it might be of use to someone.

    Cheers,
    Lewis


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