Thinking about moving tools. what's a good way to do this?

[Travis Conner]

Ok so I have my tools in a storage unit and I was thinking of moving them into a bigger unit. The problem is everything in my unit is 200-350lbs. I have a table saw, a bandsaw, a drill press and a workbench. The thing that worries me the most is these tools getting damaged when they get moved. Honestly I don't see how you could move the bandsaw without bending up the base. You guys have any ideas? Do you think I could have a moving company with a truck that has a hydraulic lift on their moving truck? Honestly I would only need them for a couple hours, so I don't know what that would cost. 50 dollars maybe?

[Scott Brandstetter]

I'm not sure this is the optimal solution but here goes. I recently bought a jointer and planer, each over 300 pounds. I went ahead and bought the 600 pound hydraulic lift table from Harbor Freight. The darn thing worked perfectly. Easy lift and lower system. I realize your tools are sitting on the ground so what I would suggest with this lift is to have a friend help you position the tools on the lift and the move them. I'm not sure if you are simply moving within the same storage place and can pull the tools to the new unit or moving across town to a new unit. If the latter, the lift I bought would raise the tools high enough to go into the back of most pick up trucks. Hope this helps.

[Charles Taylor]

A couple of years ago, I had my machines moved into a storage unit, then out again about six months later when their new home was built, both times by a local moving company. It was not cheap. Big woodworking machines are heavy and awkward, and movers know it. $50 didn't even cover the tip I paid the guys. You may have fewer big machines than I did, and you may find a better deal.

(I re-read your post, and you do have fewer things to move than I did. But I don't think you'll get them moved for just $50.)

If you're of a mind to move the machines yourself, then over on the OWWM forum (owwm.org) you can find lots of discussion and advice on how to do it, because some of the the folks there have moved literally tons of old machinery. If you can get your hands on some mechanical helpers such as an engine hoist, a come-along,some iron pipe for use as rollers, and heavy dimensional lumber for skids/blocking, you can do a lot on your own or with the help of a friend or two.

[Mike Henderson]

You can rent a truck with a lift gate. Add appliance rollers and you can move almost anything.

Mike

[Matt Day]

Could you clarify what tools exactly you have? Anything below 500# is pretty straightforward to be honest and not that difficult. I moved a 1000# bandsaw with a helper on and off a trailer and down a flight of stairs for instance.

What obstacles do you have? Steps, terrain, etc.

A moving company, piano movers, Labor from craigslist, friends & beer/pizza, etc would all likely be able to do it. inwould guess hiring pro movers for half a day would cost a few hundred depending on how any guys and what equipment.

Some equipment can be taken apart to make it easier to move as well.

[Travis Conner]

Could you clarify what tools exactly you have? Anything below 500# is pretty straightforward to be honest and not that difficult. I moved a 1000# bandsaw with a helper on and off a trailer and down a flight of stairs for instance.

What obstacles do you have? Steps, terrain, etc.

A moving company, piano movers, Labor from craigslist, friends & beer/pizza, etc would all likely be able to do it. inwould guess hiring pro movers for half a day would cost a few hundred depending on how any guys and what equipment.

Some equipment can be taken apart to make it easier to move as well.

Yeah I have a drill press, table saw and a bandsaw. Each weight atleast 250 pounds.

[Travis Conner]

I'm going to move it down the block to a different facility so it does need to be put into a truck of some sort.

[william watts]

I moved my shop twice, both times I rented a 20 ft moving van with a lift gate. I did not need a 20 ft.van; but had to take what was available. The only places I found that rents trucks with lift gates cater to industry and truckers. U-Haul and Ryder did not rent lift gate trucks in my area. I hired the man that does my yard work to give me a hand and with his help, a hand truck, a four wheel dolly, and lots of tie downs and rope we moved a table saw, band saw, stationary sander, jointer, planer, lath, drill press compressor and hand tools. These are hobby level tools not industrial strength. We did it under 4 hours, the minimum rental time on the truck. Costs was over $50 closer to $200.

[George Werner]

How did you get the bandsaw into the storage unit without bending up the base in the first place?

[Andy Fox]

I moved my shop twice within a few months. Both times, I rented a lift gate truck. I did most of it myself, but my wife helped a little with the larger items. I just have the typical hobbyist stationary tools like a contractor saw and 14" cast iron bandsaw with riser.

My bandsaw stand is all solid panels. I just slid the bottom of the hand cart under it, strapped it in well, and tilted it back. The bandsaw and drill press need to be steadied well because they're the most unstable. At the end of the second move, I wheeled my bandsaw up the driveway too quickly on its mobile base. The front wheel hit a pebble, and the saw nose-dived onto the concrete! Amazingly, the only significant damage was a broken trunion and trunion attachment.

[Matt Day]

Yeah I have a drill press, table saw and a bandsaw. Each weight atleast 250 pounds.

Could you please list exactly what machines you have? A 250 pound table saw is what a hybrid or contractors saw? Most cabinet saws are 400+ pounds. I've moved my cabinet saw, drill press, 14" bandsaw, workbench, etc with a friend and a handtruck about 5 times and it was easy with the right preparation - removing extension wings, removing the upper wheel assembly of the BS, etc. Hardest part was the 8" jointer which took 4 guys. Loaded into a moving truck with ramp (lift gate would be better), pickup, or trailer.

What bandsaw do you have that you would be worried about "bending the base"?

[Travis Conner]

How did you get the bandsaw into the storage unit without bending up the base in the first place?

I set it up in the unit. It was in the box. It's easy to slide a 300 pound box off a tailgate and onto a dolly. Basically I connected the bandsaw to the cabinet base when it was on its side and then had a helper put it upright. So I guess in theory I could just lay it down on its side and put it on two dollys to roll it out of the unit.

[Matt Day]

Travis, I don't know why you're not helping yourself by telling us exactly what equipment you have.

What make and model and size bandsaw do you have?

What make model table saw?

These things will help us help you decide how to move your stuff, as a lot of us have a lot of experience moving tools, especially these smaller hobby tools.

A cheap engine lift from Harbor Freight could be of use too if you need to get up to a pickup truck.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

My approach will work very well for some. Rent a mini skid steer loader with forks and a flatbed trailer. Strap the tools to wood pallets, and you can move a block or two in an hour. Honestly, for that weight of tool, you could easily do it with several friends and low trailer. I'm moving now and I use the skid steer approach. I put several tools on a pallet, try to keep them less than 1000# for my machine. It will move bigger tools though, but you have to be more careful.

[Jim Finn]

I moved my entire shop two years ago...alone. Of coarse I was only 70 then. I had a "PODS" dropped off at my house. Built the necessary 3" high ramp and rolled or trucked all my equipment into it myself. Tied all the equipment in place and had it delivered to my new shop and unloaded it with the same ramp and hand truck. The hardest for me to move was a, heavy, bench mounted drill press. I moved it with my shop cart so I did not have to lift it from the floor to the bench.