mreza Salav
11-02-2010, 4:35 PM
(It's a long read).
Last time I used my lunch box planer my wife banned me from using it anymore as it is LOUD. I also was thinking of upgrading my 6" jointer. Given that I'm tight on space I decided to get a combo machine. Searching the craigslist I found this 14" Minimax jointer/planer combo in Las Vegas. It is the FS-350 model and comes with TERSA cutter heads (it came with two extra sets of blades).
I was going there anyway for a conference. So after talking to the lady who was selling it I got some more info and decided to buy it. After a LOT of thinking on how to get it to my shop in Canada (given that I live in an apartment in downtown Chicago right now) I thought the best option was to ship it here to Chicago and store it in the storage.
A lot of preparation went into this process, including taking measurements of my 58"x41"x32" storage box, the machine, the quotes of shipping it here, how to crate it, etc etc. I also spoke with Jim Becker as he has an identical machine. I would like to thank Jim here for answering all my odd questions :)
I flew to Vegas last week and instead of spending my money in slot machines and spending my time in casinos, I spent my money on this machine and my time crating it.
Here is the machine in its original place:
166134
It's beast! the beds are about 72" and it weighs around 800lb. So it was not going to fit in my small storage area. I had decided to take the beds off already. After removing a few wrong bolts i figured how to take the beds off by removing just two bolts. Then got a few sheets of OSB and a bunch of 2x4 and 2x6's and started crating it. I didn't take many photos as i was in a rush to get it done. it took me a lot longer, partly due to the fact that even without the beds moving it up a ramp to the crate wasn't easy. It came with a mobility kit but boy with the beds on I could barely move it and without the beds still was difficult to move it on the ramp.
Here is the photo of it in the crate (partially done).
I made two shelves that were secured on the machine itself and to the crate from the sides to store the beds.
Sorry the photos are bad as I took with my cell phone.
166135
There was a 4" step from the shop to the drive-way and I was hoping that the truck would back up on the drive way and have his lift-gate just in front of the door so that he could scoop up the crate with the pallet jack.
But once the driver came he said he is not allowed to go on the driveway and I had to take the crate off that 4" step! http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/images/smilies/mad.gif
So there we go, I had to uncrate the machine, take the crate out and put the machine on it (fortunately the floor of the crate was just about the same height as the floor shop, so i could roll the machine on to the crate again).
Anyway, the freight company came again on Wed and picked it up. It arrived this morning to Chicago. Here are a few pics of it in the back ally of our building:
166136166137166138
166139166140
After about an hour of work I took it out of the crate and onto a dolly I had made and it went off into the storage room (or should I say box). It barely fit with very little room around to store the crate pieces so that next summer when I want to move back to Edmonton I put it back on the crate.
I am hoping I can ship it with our household stuff but I have not figured out yet how to put the crate on the shipping truck as I suppose those moving companies don't have a lift gate. But I'll worry about it once it gets closer to that time. I'll also have to figure out how to get this thing down the basement into my shop. It's even heavier than my sawstop.
Right now I'm happy that the first leg of the journey went smoothly without any damage.
The whole thing might sound crazy but I think I got a good deal on it and it's a way better machine than the typical 8" jointer +15" planer I was going to buy. So it was worth the efforts (so far!) http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
Last time I used my lunch box planer my wife banned me from using it anymore as it is LOUD. I also was thinking of upgrading my 6" jointer. Given that I'm tight on space I decided to get a combo machine. Searching the craigslist I found this 14" Minimax jointer/planer combo in Las Vegas. It is the FS-350 model and comes with TERSA cutter heads (it came with two extra sets of blades).
I was going there anyway for a conference. So after talking to the lady who was selling it I got some more info and decided to buy it. After a LOT of thinking on how to get it to my shop in Canada (given that I live in an apartment in downtown Chicago right now) I thought the best option was to ship it here to Chicago and store it in the storage.
A lot of preparation went into this process, including taking measurements of my 58"x41"x32" storage box, the machine, the quotes of shipping it here, how to crate it, etc etc. I also spoke with Jim Becker as he has an identical machine. I would like to thank Jim here for answering all my odd questions :)
I flew to Vegas last week and instead of spending my money in slot machines and spending my time in casinos, I spent my money on this machine and my time crating it.
Here is the machine in its original place:
166134
It's beast! the beds are about 72" and it weighs around 800lb. So it was not going to fit in my small storage area. I had decided to take the beds off already. After removing a few wrong bolts i figured how to take the beds off by removing just two bolts. Then got a few sheets of OSB and a bunch of 2x4 and 2x6's and started crating it. I didn't take many photos as i was in a rush to get it done. it took me a lot longer, partly due to the fact that even without the beds moving it up a ramp to the crate wasn't easy. It came with a mobility kit but boy with the beds on I could barely move it and without the beds still was difficult to move it on the ramp.
Here is the photo of it in the crate (partially done).
I made two shelves that were secured on the machine itself and to the crate from the sides to store the beds.
Sorry the photos are bad as I took with my cell phone.
166135
There was a 4" step from the shop to the drive-way and I was hoping that the truck would back up on the drive way and have his lift-gate just in front of the door so that he could scoop up the crate with the pallet jack.
But once the driver came he said he is not allowed to go on the driveway and I had to take the crate off that 4" step! http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/images/smilies/mad.gif
So there we go, I had to uncrate the machine, take the crate out and put the machine on it (fortunately the floor of the crate was just about the same height as the floor shop, so i could roll the machine on to the crate again).
Anyway, the freight company came again on Wed and picked it up. It arrived this morning to Chicago. Here are a few pics of it in the back ally of our building:
166136166137166138
166139166140
After about an hour of work I took it out of the crate and onto a dolly I had made and it went off into the storage room (or should I say box). It barely fit with very little room around to store the crate pieces so that next summer when I want to move back to Edmonton I put it back on the crate.
I am hoping I can ship it with our household stuff but I have not figured out yet how to put the crate on the shipping truck as I suppose those moving companies don't have a lift gate. But I'll worry about it once it gets closer to that time. I'll also have to figure out how to get this thing down the basement into my shop. It's even heavier than my sawstop.
Right now I'm happy that the first leg of the journey went smoothly without any damage.
The whole thing might sound crazy but I think I got a good deal on it and it's a way better machine than the typical 8" jointer +15" planer I was going to buy. So it was worth the efforts (so far!) http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif