Advice on moving woodshop to California

[Jason Tuinstra]

Well, it’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted a project here. It’s a simple explanation – I haven’t built anything :( . Reason: we’re getting ready to move to California :eek: . I recently accepted a call to a church in Lemoore, about 40 minutes out of Fresno and real close to all those “Happy Cows” you see on the commercials from time to time. Alas, this has consumed all our spare time and hence the hum and buzz of the shop has been silenced.

I’m simply wondering if any of you guys have had to move your shops any serious distance, and if so, how do you prepare your equipment for the move? I’m wondering if I need to lube up the surfaces to prevent rust. If I do that, should I crate some of the equipment to prevent everything else from being “lubed?”

I guess I’m just looking for some general advice from those who’ve done this before, or, those that are simply smarter than me :D .

Regards!

Jason

[Mark Singer]

Jason,

Thats great! I moved my shop about 250 feet from my home next door...not much help there. But, a Big welcome!

:cool:

[Bill Ryall]

Moved this summer from Pittsburgh, PA to Portland, Maine-

What I learned:

Movers are don't give a damn about your stuff. I had to ride them every second about how to handle my tools. (no, you can't put that armoir on top of my table saw!)

Keep a very, very accurate inventory of every single item in your shop, seperate from their packing list. Check off every item as it is packed and loaded, and make their foreman sign your inventory list.

Make them wait on the other end while you unpack and inspect your equipment, and check your inventory list on the other end.

Photograph EVERYTHING! the condition it is in before it is loaded, and the condition it is in after it is unloaded.

The obvious- remove motors, extension wings, etc.

Remember that you, NOT the job foreman has the final say. If you dont like how they are handling or packing your stuff, put your foot down.

I had a major moving company pack and move us. I had some issues on the Portland end with some items being missing, broken, etc, and a lot of trouble with the crew on the receiving end. (I had to threaten one individual with local law enforcement, and then legal action regarding my insurance claim)

The biggest thing to remember- you are the boss

Bill R, somewhere in Maine

[Jason Tuinstra]

Mark: Thanks for the welcome! I'll take fog over snow any day. We're flying out on the 18th to check on some houses. But talk about sticker shock :eek: Chris already told me that I should keep quiet as homes in Lemoore/Hanford are a deal compared with homes in San Jose - my assumption is Laguna Beach is even worse. I think any town with the word "Beach" in it comes at a premium :p

Bill: Yes, I've read nothing but horror stories about moving companies. We're leaning towards having a trailer dropped off and packing it ourselves. We'll have plenty of hands to help from our church family, so that won't be a problem. My wife and I got a kick out of reading the moving company reviews on epinions. When the pro's are "The Judge ruled in my favor" and, "No one was mortally wounded" you know there are issues. Some of my friends had similar issues as you, only they never saw any money to replace their stuff even after buying the insurance. Anyway, thanks for the sage advice. We'll try and be as careful as we can with who we choose.

Jason

[Jim Becker]

Congratulations on your new charge, Jason!

Best advice I can give is to pre-pack ALL the small stuff yourself long before the movers arrive, CODE the boxes as to content, rather than writing anything on them that references "tools" or "shop" and stack them intermingled with non-shop boxes. This is all for security...there is less chance that things will disappear if it's not known what is in the boxes. Codes (including colored stickers) help with that. I used that method for our entire household, frankly, for the piece of mind.

The big stuff should have the smaller parts removed (fences, extension tables, etc) and boxed to reduce the chance of damage. A coat of oil will not hurt to reduce corrosion during shipping.

"When" is the move?

[Steve Jenkins]

I've always moved myself the good old Ryder or U-Haul way. My last move I checked into being profesinally moved and it was way too expensive. Even if I loaded and unloaded the trailer they still wanted about 2 grand to drive it. Cost me around 900 using a Ryder and was the same amount of work.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Jim: Great advice - as always! We're looking to move just as soon as we can sell our house. The market in our area is kind of hot right now, but the weather is very cold, so I don't know how that works. But we trust in the Lord's timing.

Steve: We have a household of 7 that we're moving, so I don't know if we'll be able to fit all our junk into a Ryder. Having said that, we're planning on doing a major purge so maybe we can squeeze things in. But, and there is a but, even if we could swing this, my lovely wife is under the impression that she's flying to CA while me and the boys take the van cross country. We do have an 11 month that will need care and attention, so I don't know if the Ryder thing will work for us. But I wish it could. Needless to say, we have some wrinkles to iron out :p

[Eric Murphy]

Let me preface my comments by saying that every time I've ever moved, my company has moved me so I've never had to hire the movers myself. I've moved my shop twice and have never had a problem with how my tools were handled or with anything being damaged or broken. Oddly enough, they always seem to break my televisions.:( Since the company pays for the move (yes I know they show it as income and I pay taxes on it), I'm always concerned that there will be some fine print and the movers will tell me that the company doesn't pay for moving heavy machinery so I always make it a point to tell them in as much detail as possible what I have, how much it weighs, etc. and double check to make sure that the insurance covers the tools as well. Both times, the movers waited to load my tools until everything else had been loaded so I didn't have to worry about what was stacked on top of anything. I've also assisted them with loading the heavy items such as table saw and jointer both times and that seems to go a long way with the moving crew.

One other cautionary comment. I think it was Jim who recommended pre-packing your smaller items yourself. Again my only experience has been with the company paying for my move so my experience may not apply to your situation. My experience has always been to not pack anything myself unless I am taking it with me in my vehicle. Why? Every time, it has been explained that if I pack something myself (including brand new items that are unopened in their original packing) and it gets damaged, the movers insurance does not cover that damage. In my case, I have packed some small, relatively insignificant household things myself and the movers always mark those boxes to indicate that I packed them myself. Again, your situation may be different, but before you pack anything yourself that you want to movers to take with them, I would at least clarify the insurance coverage with the moving company. Just my $0.02 worth.

[Dan Gill]

I can't help you with the moving advice (or, rather, I could scare you with some of my sister's tales of moves with the Navy), but I do know a minister in a nearby community, Visalia. He's my son's father-in-law. Send me a PM and I'd be happy to give you his e-mail address.

[Steve Roxberg]

I used a lot of the packing wrap. It looks like plastic wrap in the kitchen, but is specifically for packing.

I used it to wrap multiple boards together to make bundles that made them easier to carry.

I used Plastic zip lock bags for all the nuts, bolts and small parts from breaking down mahines. As an example on the table saw, the fence rails were removed, they and the plastic bag with the bolts and washers were plastic wrapped together. Made finding bolts and all the parts very easy.

All the small tools were wrapped and packed in boxes.

I didn't put any protective stuff on my table saw or cast iron and did get some rust. Sweatly hand prints and such, but it was on the truck for a week. I would try and do something to protect the surface in the future.

[Bob Hovde]

Jason,

If you have enough to fill a moving truck, you can easily arrange for a door-to-door move. Otherwise, your stuff could move on and off trucks several times and could be in local storage at both ends. (Where it sits in a warehouse protected by paint lines on the floor.) Even with only a partial load, you should try to arrange for the door-to-door move. It's much easier on your furniture - and much safer for high-value equipment.

Bob
(Over 30 moves - both on my own and with moving companies.)

[Jeff Sudmeier]

Don't forget when checking out the ryder truck method that you can pull a very large trialer even with their large vans. We moved my uncle and his family from texas back to Wisconsin with the biggest uhaul made and the biggest trailer they offer. The thing was a DOG in the hills, but he saved a ton of money and had the piece of mind of doing it himself.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Eric: A lot of good advice. Thanks.

Dan: I sent you a response.

Steve: Yes, I'm sure we're going to burn through some plastic and bubble warp in the process. I'm glad to hear what you said about putting some oil on the equipmet. We'll be moving in the winter months and the moisture could be a problem. Thanks.

Bob: 30 moves? Wow!!! Right now we're pretty keen on ABF u-pak. We've read a number of good reviews and it looks like the best option for our family. Plus, if we rent the whole trailer, we put our lock on it and if there's anything broken, we know who to blame. Thanks for the advice and confirmation that this is the way to go.

[Chris Padilla]

Jason,

What is the projected date of the move? It is winter in case you didn't notice and you'll need to get through two major mountain ranges: Rockies and Sierras!

The Rockies through Wyoming are easier (lower elevation) than through Colorado but can be nasty in their own way. The Sierras can be bad, too.

I got lucky when I moved my wife from Colorado to San Jose in January, 1999. We hit light snow in Vail and totally dry roads through the Sierra-Nevadas. Lucky, lucky, lucky. However, you have a good Co-pilot I think.... :)

[Ted Shrader]

Jason -

In the military we are subject to frequent moves. Some things I have learned - Pictures of everything with your own inventory; Accurate company inventory on and off; Check every one of the little stickers; Pack the little stuff yourself. The movers will put it all in the same box with no segregation. They will even pack trash out of a trash can.

Is there a possibility that your household goods could be moved via commercial carrier and you rent a truck to carry your tools and whatever other delicates/valuables you have? That plan costs a little more $$$ but worked the best for us during the last three moves. I'm sure you could scare up some help on both ends to help load/unload.

Congratulations on the new church!

Ted

[Michael Gabbay]

Jason -

I would be inclined to move the shop equipment on myself. Dealing with all of the potential hassles of the moving company may in the long run outweigh the hassle of moving it yourself. As far as the drive, you can take I40 across to the south and avoid all of the mountains with the heavy snows.

If you are planning on driving anyway, maybe recruiting a second driver to rotate with you and your wife might be a fun adventure.

I've only done local moves and generally relied on local movers. From my experience they are willing to give more individual attention. The one time (our last move) we hired a national company, they damaged a few items. The items were old and not worth filing a claim but there crew was not very careful even though I watch them pack and unpack each item.

My 2 cents....

Mike

[Jason Tuinstra]

Paydirt: My wife visited me at my office and was as giddy as can be. She went to one of the furniture stores in the area and the manager said we could have as much bubble wrap, cardboard, and foam as we could take out of their garbage - Dutch ingenuity! Also, they have crating material that we can take and rebuild for some of the more fragile stuff. Score!

Chris: We could move real quick if you wanted to buy a summer home near Chicago :D Seriously, I don't know when we're going to move yet. The house is up for sale and we'll see how quick it will move. All in the Lord's timing and under his care. But if we could avoid a snow storm, that would be great.

Ted: Great idea about separating the load. That could be a real winner. I'll check into that a bit more. Thanks a lot!

[Corvin Alstot]

Good luck with the move. I was wondering were you had been. I have not seen any new creations in a while, and now I know.
Guess it will take you awhile to get started again. Best of luck in your relocation.

[Norman Hitt]

Eric: A lot of good advice. Thanks.

Right now we're pretty keen on ABF u-pak. We've read a number of good reviews and it looks like the best option for our family. Plus, if we rent the whole trailer, we put our lock on it and if there's anything broken, we know who to blame. Thanks for the advice and confirmation that this is the way to go.


Jason, I think renting the whole trailer is definitely your best option, because;

1. you can Buy the Locks that can't be cut with a bolt cutter to put on the trailer, (Just don't lose the key, give one to your wife) then have the driver inspect the load and install "Load Locks" inside if necessary, (load locks are metal tubes with a ratchet type jack on the end that fit tight between the trailer walls to prevent load shifting front to back). Then close the trailer, lock it, and put a numbered Seal on the latch, record the number on the shipping documents and have the driver sign it right under the number before he he departs with the trailer. When the load arrives at the destination, check that the seal is unbroken, and that the number on the seal is the same (to be sure it hasn't been changed), and the driver will probably ask you to sign that which is correct. You should then open the trailer so both you and the driver can check the load, although unless something was miracuously missing, I doubt their damage insurance would apply to your self packed load..

2. The reason I would NOT recomend you doing the U-haul/Ryder Truck thing, for this particular move, is due to two things, the weather at this time of year, but mostly, the route you would have to take through the mountains. This trip could be VERY HAZARDOUS, Especially if you have to pull a trailer as well, because of the Mountains, even if you drop all the way down to I-10. The problem is not getting up the mountains, but going DOWN the mountains. Unless you have a lot of experience driving one of these with a load and managing the downhill gear speeds and braking, it can be VERY dangerous.

Good Luck with your move and your new endeavor.

Norm

[Jim Becker]

Maybe PODs might be an option to look into based on Norm's excellent advise. Ground level loading!

[Jason Tuinstra]

Corvin: Thanks. I can't wait to actually use my shop again. The list still lives and it seems to grow the less I'm in the shop.

Norm: Great advice and good assumption that I have no idea how to man-handle big equipment going down a mountain. The only incline I'm used to in NW Indiana is the slight hill on my driveway :D Thanks for the rest of the advice as well. Good stuff.

[Norman Hitt]

Corvin: Thanks. I can't wait to actually use my shop again. The list still lives and it seems to grow the less I'm in the shop.

Norm: Great advice and good assumption that I have no idea how to man-handle big equipment going down a mountain. The only incline I'm used to in NW Indiana is the slight hill on my driveway :D Thanks for the rest of the advice as well. Good stuff.

Jason,
one other thing you might want to check on, is the possibility of renting a "Shipping Container", (maybe what Jim called a POD, I'm not familiar with that term). Shipping Containers come in 20' and 40' lengths, (and maybe more sizes now), but you would only want to rent one if you can have it pulled by a trucking firm that does this, because if you had it shipped by train, who knows when it would get there. With these Shipping Containers, they will deliver it to you and when you are loaded, they will pick it up and send it. Another advantage is that there is only ONE pair of doors to Lock on these, vs a moving van with SEVERAL door pairs. At the destination, they will drop it and you will normally have a few days to unload it without extra charges, then they will pick it up.

The viability of this method of shipping would depend on whether there is one of these co's in your area at both the shipping and destination end, due to the cost of driving miles to drop and then pick up the container.

You can also ask the freight company if they can set it on the ground, (easier to load/unload), or if it will be left attached on the trailer for the load/unload, as not all co's. have the same equipment.

[Jim DeLaney]

...I’m simply wondering if any of you guys have had to move your shops any serious distance, and if so, how do you prepare your equipment for the move? I’m wondering if I need to lube up the surfaces to prevent rust. If I do that, should I crate some of the equipment to prevent everything else from being “lubed?”

I guess I’m just looking for some general advice from those who’ve done this before, or, those that are simply smarter than me :D .

Regards!

Jason

I just recently completed a 2000+ mile move of my shop, and my wife's fairly elaborate sewing studio (along with everything else, of course). We used Allied Van Lines, and had a good, professional (no 'street-corner pick up' workers) crew on both ends. Our stuff went onto the actual van that was carrying it cross-country - no transfer from one van to another - so the driver/owner was with the load all the way. We had absolutely no damage, and did not lose anything, either.

As to the shop and her studio - we pretty much packed everything ourselves, using standard moving boxes purchased directly from the box distributor/vendor (at way less than halfof what the moving companies charge). We kept a personal inventory list (Excel spreadsheet), but only marked the boxes with a letter/number code (G-01; SR-01; etc.) My shop took 77 boxes, plus the big stuff - TS, 2 Bandsaws, Jointer, planer, DP, wood lathe, metal lathe, two welders... The whole shipment weighed in at 20,100 pounds, and filled just over half of a 53' van. Cost, BTW, was just under $10K.

Hope you find this helpful.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Jim, thanks for all the info. I may be contacting you with some more questions as we anticipate the move. I'd be interested in finding out what local office you used. My research tells me that it's not so much the company as the local office that matters. Either way, thanks for all help.

[Arnie Grammon]

Jason

admittedly not knowing what type of equipment you have, I'll throw something else out:

Have you considered moving all of the hand tools, etc.to Calif., but selling the heavy equipment like the TS, BS, Jointer, Drill Press, etc. and after getting to Calif., purchase what you want? I know ministers aren't wealthy by any means, but it may be a way to upgrade to equipment you really need and use.

Generally most quality used equipment sells for 1/2 to 2/3 of new price.

God bless you in your new work!

Arnie

It's not our tools, anyway.

[Rob Littleton]

Jason, the Lord called us to move FROM California TO Arizona just recently. We used the ABF option and it worked out great. I packed up everything the way I wanted it packed and loaded it into the trailer the way I wanted it loaded. We also had the church family help us so that made life a little easier.

Now, having said that, the only thing I disliked about it was the trailor was never locked and it was exchanged 2 times before it got to Arizona.

I can tell you, everything was there and undamaged.

I will use that ABF service in a heartbeat IF ever we move again.

Blessings


Eric: A lot of good advice. Thanks.

Dan: I sent you a response.

Steve: Yes, I'm sure we're going to burn through some plastic and bubble warp in the process. I'm glad to hear what you said about putting some oil on the equipmet. We'll be moving in the winter months and the moisture could be a problem. Thanks.

Bob: 30 moves? Wow!!! Right now we're pretty keen on ABF u-pak. We've read a number of good reviews and it looks like the best option for our family. Plus, if we rent the whole trailer, we put our lock on it and if there's anything broken, we know who to blame. Thanks for the advice and confirmation that this is the way to go.

[Frank Pellow]

We moved from Toronto to Seattle in 1996 then back to Toronto in 2003. About 75% of my shop went with me. (aside: we retained out house in Toronto while away and I Stuffed the basement shop with all the things that we did not want to move then locked the door to keep our tenants out)

We had a movers for both moves, but I packed all the shop stuff myself. Most of my tools were packed in strong cardboard boxes but I did build two crates -one for my contractor table saw and one that held my more valuable hand tools. We also moved three work benches (unpacked).

I had a complete inventory and photos of everything.

Unlike a lot of horror stories I have heard, both of our moves went very well. :) Nothing was lost in either direction, there was no damage on the way to Seattle, and there was only slight (repairable at their expense) damage to two items of furniture (not shop furniture) on the return to Toronto. By the way, we have also had four "across-the Atlantic" moves with similar good stories to tell (but for those moves, I took very few tools).

[Dave Avery]

Jason,

No real advice on the move here, other than to say that you should be more worried about the beautiful furniture you've made surviving the trip than the tools that made them. The tools can easily be replaced. Good luck. Dave.

[Mark Valsi]

Jason,

Stay out of California !

it's too crowded here already . . . .



and that is only partly tounge in cheek !! :p

[John Shuk]

Jason,
I'd try to get some dessicant and put it in with the tools and you'll be fine as far as rust goes. If you aren't storing the stuff for a long time you'll be okay. Let the movers deal with the household stuff and you get the shop yourself. If they break a piece of storebought furniture it gives you a reason to do a project and us a chance to see more of your work. Good luck with the move.
John