Please talk me out of this machine...

[Matt Benton]

I am considering getting a 2000+ pound machine and putting in the garage/shop, which I share with my wife's car. It's a J/P, which I do need, but am concerned about such a large machine in a relatively small space. Any thoughts on this? What's the heaviest machine you've seen on a mobile base?

Thanks!

[alex grams]

Do you have some more information? Model/Type? Does it already have a built-in mobile base? 2,000 pounds is a lot, especially to put on a mobile base. If you wanted that machine mobile I would much prefer it already have its own specifically designed mobile base installed.

I can move my sawstop around quiet easily on its mobile base, which I guess is about 600-700lbs with everything on it. 2,000 lbs though would be something I would not want to move often. Grizzly has their 20" planer with a built in mobile base as 920lbs also.

[Mike Heidrick]

For the BIG tools, I have learned the secret. Leave them on the pallet. (That or many of these super heavy one have a base that will work with a pallet jack - may need a narrow tine pallet jack). A regular pallet jack is $199 and will lift 5500lbs or so. This is my solution to my new shaper. Plus it lifts the bed above the other tools so your work can pass right over the top. I have even seen some tools sitting right on the pallet jack permanently.

As far as heaviest I have seen on a base - I have a 1000lb planer on a HTC custom base made to support it. Great lakes casters leveling casters would easily do this as well.

[Chuck Saunders]

Pallet jack is a handy tool. Largest machine I have seen on a portable base would probably be the Saturn V rocket.:)

[Matt Benton]

Thanks guys.

It's an older European 20" J/P. Pallet jack would probably be the way to go, although I'm guessing I'd mostly just leave it in place and work around it...

[Chip Lindley]

A mobile base can Be built for any machine! Just Heavier Everything!

[Brian Kent]

I am considering getting a 2000+ pound machine and putting in the garage/shop, which I share with my wife's car. It's a J/P, which I do need, but am concerned about such a large machine in a relatively small space. Any thoughts on this? What's the heaviest machine you've seen on a mobile base?

Thanks!

You asked us to talk you out of it, so… Don't buy it!
It is not balanced with the rest of what you can fit in that space.
Step down to what you would want in an ideal shop of that size.

Brian

[Dan Friedrichs]

You asked us to talk you out of it, so… Don't buy it!
It is not balanced with the rest of what you can fit in that space.
Step down to what you would want in an ideal shop of that size.

Brian


Or if it's really cheap, but it and re-sell it. Use the proceeds to acquire something more reasonably sized for your space.

I also have a garage shop with a car in it, and thinking about the size of a pallet jack...that's twice as big as my table saw!

[John Harden]

Thanks guys.

It's an older European 20" J/P. Pallet jack would probably be the way to go, although I'm guessing I'd mostly just leave it in place and work around it...

If the manufacturer (Felder, Mini-Max, etc) is still around, contact them about a mobility kit. Many, if not most of these larger machines had mobility options. Nice thing about the one made for your machine is they usually fit up underneath the outer shroud and you just hook a lifting bar to one side, lever it up and away you go. You then only store the lifting lever and not a pallet jack.

Talk you out of a good deal on a 20" J/P combo?!?!?!? Why would I ever try and talk you out of something as nice as that???

Have fun with the new toy!!!

[Philip Johnson]

I can't believe anyone on here tried to talk you out of buying a tool. Is there any punishment or 30 day ban from posting for such behavior.

[Jeff Duncan]

I once asked a machinery dealer about mobile bases for a machine I was looking at. He pointed me to a rather large beast of a planer which was probably over 2000 lbs. I easily moved it across the floor with one hand. It was one of the custom HTC bases.
good luck,
JeffD

[Garth Keel]

should always be bought. You will find out in a short period of time you can't live without it!:D

How's that for talking you out of buying? :)

[Matt Benton]

Ha! You guys aren't helping much...:rolleyes:

Unfortunately, its 1500 miles away and the shipping quotes I'm getting are twice as much as the machine itself. Maybe I can get someone on OWWM to rucker it...

[Heather Thompson]

Matt,

Where might this machine be located? :D Some of us Creekers may be closer with nice trucks and gas money.

Heather

[Dick Strauss]

Matt,
You could always use a set of four automotive wheel dollies to roll that beast around.

[Doug Shepard]

Just MHO but a 20" J/P is way overkill for a garage shop, as cool as it it would be to have one. Unless the price is less than the cost of a good 8" jointer + 12" planer I'd say pass. Everything in my GaShop is mobile and I've got an awful lot packed into 1/2 of it but unless I wanted to give up something major like the TS or BS, there's no way a 20" J/P would ever fit in. I just pulled the trigger on a 12" J/P and even that requires sucking in the GaShop gut before slipping the jeans on.

[Matt Benton]

Doug,

He's asking $500 and may be flexible....

[Richard Link]

Let me see if I have this straight...you're asking fellow creekers for restraint when it comes to machinery purchases?

I'll say what everyone is thinking. Forget about the 20" jointer planer. Small potatoes. Go for the 40" jointer planer that fills an entire garage bay and see if you can flatten a car sized piece of redwood on it. And it there is a CNC attachment thingy, get that too. Just be sure to post pictures!

(and give us directions to your house...)

[Doug Shepard]

Doug,

He's asking $500 and may be flexible....

OK. Buy Two.:D

[Brian Backner]

Matt,

Trust me, 2,000# is NOT heavy. As has been mentioned above, a pallet jack can easily handle twice that load. You can also find 1,000# capacity casters from which you can build a custom mobile base (it's usually best to add up the weight capacity of the total number of casters and then halve it for safety's sake).

I'm in the process of restoring an old SCMI sliding panel saw that weighs about 1,800# and just today looked at an absolutely humongous planer that has to weigh over two tons. I also have several machine tools that are in the 6,000-7,000# range and while moving them is not something to be undertaken casually, it is not hard to do with simple tools like pry bars, jacks, pipe rollers, etc. If your garage floor is relatively flat and smooth, it would not be difficult to roll it into the space vacated by a car, use it for a while, and then roll it back. Putting down a coat of epoxy paint will also do wonders for rolling ease.

Bottom line, if you have some place to store it, if not actually set it up permanently, go for it. When it comes to tools, there ain't no such thing as too big!!!!!!

Brian

[Steven DeMars]

Do you have the power requirements . . . I would imagine that a 20" planer won't run on a 20amp breaker . . .

Also, sure it's not a 3 PHASE machine?

I have a JET 12" Jointer/Planer sitting on a welded mobile stand . . . It tends to be everywhere I want to be or put something . . . I am glad I made it mobile . . .

I would not have any piece of equipment that I could not relocate in minutes safely by myself . . . In a standard double garage you will be "squeezed" in quickly . . .

Steve:)

[Scott T Smith]

A 20" planer is probably going to have a 7.5 - 10hp 3-phase motor on it, easily operated off of a rotary phase converter.

I had a large 16" jointer in my former shop. Due to the space required for the fence, they typically require a couple of feet behind them, in addition to the width of the machine. Figure on about 5' of space required off of your wall.

$500.00 sure sounds like a great deal, but 1,500 miles is a long way to go to pick it up.

[Matt Benton]

It is 3 phase, but I'm willing to replace the motor with a 5 HP single phase, or get a VFD, but the best shipping I can get is about a grand (residence to residence, lift gate on both ends). With the new motor, it just isn't worth it...

Stephen,

I remember the mobile base you made for the JJP. I really like it, and if I could work metal, would use a design similar to your's for all of my machines.

For those interested, he still had it as of this morning...

sale-nq2jw-1287713117@craigslist.org (sale-nq2jw-1287713117@craigslist.org?subject=Planer%20%2F%20J ointer%20-%20%24500&body=%0A%0Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fphoenix.craigslist.org%2Fw vl%2Ftls%2F1287713117.html%0A)

[johnny means]

You might want to try uship.com. Sort of like ebay for shipping. These are usually professional movers and transporters trying to top off their load. I bet you could get that bad boy mobed for around $500.

BTW my 20" JP isnlt hard to move and requires little more space than any other planer. Go for it

[Loren Hedahl]

I went the other direction and got rid of most of my heavy iron.

Whew! What a relief!