Planer down the steps......SLOWLY.

[Tom Gerken]

I am looking into buying a used planer. 20” grizzly. I need to get it into my shop which is onto a stair landing from garage (mid flight of the stairway), turn 90 deg and down about 7 steps into the basement, stop, 90 turn, into basement.

I figure this thing weighs about 700 lbs +-.

So my question is: Is there a right/wrong way to do this?

The stairs are well built but I would most likely put some temporary bracing under them. To ease the trip down my first thought is to rig up a come-a-long (anchored to wall studs) and slide the planer down on 2x lumber slowly releasing the cable. This way nobody gets hurt. Hopefully the friction of the lumber helps as well. The house is a fairly new so the rise/run is not to steep.

Second question, how much can it be disassembled to make it lighter? Right now I just have a lunch box planer so this kind of bulk is new to me.

Thanks in advance.

[Thomas L. Miller]

Tom,
Can you take the planer apart and take it down the stairs that way? At least taking the motor off would reduce some weight. To install huge chillers (some weigh several thousands of pounds) in building basements, the chillers were assembled and tested at the factory, put on a truck and shipped to either a job site or rigging yard. Once at the building, they were then taken apart again, taken to the basement and reassembled. It solves a bunch of problems. Just a thought.
Tom

[Van Huskey]

Motor, infeed and outfeed tables are easy, after that it depends on your mechanical prowess in terms of teardown and refit.

Using the studs as an anchor would give me the heebie geebies unless I built it or at least watch it be built...

[mreza Salav]

I am more or less in your shoes (well later in the summer) to take my combo jointer/planer in the basement. It's over 800lb. Have thought about it a lot and most likely going to do it the same way I took down my other tools (including ICS sawstop at 650lb): take it apart to manageable pieces, tie them down to a dolly and go one step at a time.

[Tom Gerken]

Just found this prodcut.

http://www.powermate.info/powermate_videos.htm

Apparently is available at Sunbelt rental locations.

If it rents for under $50 it would have to be worth every penny.

[fRED mCnEILL]

I have vending machines that have to be moved from time to time. When there are stairs involved I call a local mover who has a "stair climber" Call the local vending wholesale supplier and ask them who they use. They can be a little tricky to use. On one move as were were bringing my machine in another company was moving there's out. The machine slipped on the first step and went sliding down the steps on its own.Luckily there was no one in the way.

[mreza Salav]

Just found this prodcut.

http://www.powermate.info/powermate_videos.htm

Apparently is available at Sunbelt rental locations.

If it rents for under $50 it would have to be worth every penny.

Those look very cool. Very clever invention.
The can come very handy for taking things in and out of basement shops if there are not tight corners and turns.

[Rod Sheridan]

Here are a few photographs of a Hammer B3 going into my basement.

I moved it by myself by making a stair climber platform as my basement stairs have a right angle landing at the top that's just large enough for the machine to sit on.

Regards, Rod.

[Maik Tobin]

I have moved a cabinet saw and my new 17 inch bandsaw into my basement in the last year. This year, I plan to buy a stationary planer as well. In all cases, I found a couple of guys that work for a mover and they took them down my bulkhead using an appliance dolly. It was not really that difficult and they were brought down in their packing crates, so there was no assembly issues to deal with.

[Paul Johnstone]

I recently bought a 20" Jet Planer.. I ended up finding a mover on CL.. He came over with 2 other guys and moved the thing down the basement in about 10 minutes. It ended up costing something like $60-75.. I can't remember exactly, but definitely under $100.

Think of all the time you will save by not having to disassemble/reassemble.. You are not risking injury to you or friends.
You don't have to buy (and then store) some kind of gadget to help you move something that big down the steps.

These things are super heavy. Sometimes it's best to not DIY something

[Greg Portland]

Second question, how much can it be disassembled to make it lighter?

I would pull off the infeed and outfeed tables but would leave the rest alone. IMO, there is not going to be a huge different between 500lbs and 600lbs... either way you're going to use some form of rigging.

I would be extremely reluctant to attach 700lbs to a 2x4 stud. The lag bolt and wood may hold but the entire 2x4 may rip out of the wall (you are -really- trusting the framer here!).

Have you weighed the planer? Local piano movers may be able to carry this right down the steps (grand pianos are a similar weight).

[Ray Newman]

Before I would hire anyone to move a heavy piece of equipment or work on my property, I would check with my homeowner’s insurance if they would be covered for any injuries. You do not know what their medical or other type of insurance really is or if they even have any.

Considering today’s lawsuit tendencies, it might save you some real headaches….

[Frank Guerin]

I don't have a basement but always wondered about movings things up, not down.

[Steve Peterson]

+1 on the Powermate or similar stair climbing hand truck. The guys installing our pellet stove used one. It climbs the steps one by one with a battery powered belt by the back wheels. The motors do all the work and you only need to provide balance.

Steve

[Tom Gerken]

Thanks guys. Ended up buying a new 15" vs a used 20". Several hundred pounds lighter and now not such a big deal. I'll follow up when the new planer arrives and is happily home in the basement.