Moving a sawstop to the basement (Cabinet or contractor)

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I am contemplating replacing my Ridgid TS3650 with a sawstop (36" rails). My opinion is that the contractor saw would be much easier to move to the basement for assembly than the cabinet saw, but, I would really prefer to NOT have the motor hanging off the back of the saw (like I have now). Off hand, it looks like cabinet saw is listed as weighing about 140 pounds more than the cabinet saw. Is this weight difference in the tops (that are not attached on delivery) or is a bunch of this weight the cabinet itself?

If the answer is to rent a furniture dolly and then the cabinet will go nicely down the stairs before assembly, well, I guess that I can do that... At the end of the day, I may simply punt and buy the festool table and use their fancy guide system along with that fancy new Kapex that I just acquired.

My primary concern with the contractor saw is the motor off the back.
My primary concern with the cabinet saw is the extra weight.
I assume that there is no other particular reason to purchase the cabinet over the contractor (like much better dust collection or repeat-ability, etc).

I am hoping that I can move the router table top that I built and installed into my Ridgid over to the Sawstop, I have not measured that yet.

[Greg Portland]

I am contemplating replacing my Ridgid TS3650 with a sawstop (36" rails). My opinion is that the contractor saw would be much easier to move to the basement for assembly than the cabinet saw, but, I would really prefer to NOT have the motor hanging off the back of the saw (like I have now). Get the saw you want... the move is temporary but you'll be using the saw for a long time. I would recommend removing the cast iron top and then sliding the cabinet+motor down the stairs (with appropriate material & blankets to prevent damage).

[Bob Lloyd]

I agree with Greg, make all your decisions without regard to where it is going. It will take a short time more to get the heavier item into a basement but you will be using it for years.

[Roger Feeley]

I agree with Greg. Get the saw you want. That's what I did when I bought a Sawstop Industrial and had it delivered to my basement. I had professionals do it and the delivery charge to my basement wasn't much more than to my garage. I beefed up my basement stairs with posts at about the midway point years ago for the 18" bandsaw. For this move, I added posts under the top of the stair stringers just to be sure.

I had thought about doing the move with friends until I found out how reasonable it was to have the pros go ahead and take the thing downstairs. Here's what I was going to do:

1. Beef up the stair structure which I did anyway.
2. Remove the motor.
3. Remove the top.
4. Since the top adds a lot of structure to the cabinet, I was going to make a temporary piece of plywood to bolt on to the cabinet in place of the top.

All that brought the weight down quite a bit. And that's the Industrial. You are considering the PCS. My doctor bought a PCS recently and he told me that one guy horsed that thing down his stairs. I wouldn't worry too much about moving the PCS.

Enjoy the Sawstop. I don't regret getting mine.

[Michael Peet]

I moved a SS PCS into my basement with help from my dad and brother. We used an appliance dolly, with the cabinet strapped upside-down on it (most of the weight is near the table). I would hesitate to recommend removing the top to move the saw, because mine was very well aligned out of the box.

225479

Mike

[Neil Brooks]

Michael Peet: What's a dotSmaS ?

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I moved a SS PCS into my basement with help from my dad and brother. We used an appliance dolly, with the cabinet strapped upside-down on it (most of the weight is near the table). I would hesitate to recommend removing the top to move the saw, because mine was very well aligned out of the box.


I did the same thing. Well, I didn't use Mike's Dad and brother, but you know what I mean :)

A friend and I managed to get my PCS down the stairs to my basement. I left the wings off, flipped it upside down on a small square of ply to protect the top, and secured it to a hand truck. We just took it slowly, one step at a time. I wanted to leave the top on and the motor installed, so I didn't have to reinstall them. My stairs were pretty sturdy (made out of 2x10's) but you should look to see how sturdy yours are.

[mreza Salav]

I have moved an ICS SS (the heaviest of all) down the stairs of our basement by myself by dis-assembling it and putting it back together (have done this with all the heavy equipments).
This is a one time only, can be easily done on a weekend. As others said, it's one time only. Get the better saw if you can.

[Michael Peet]

Michael Peet: What's a dotSmaS ?

It's a new flesh-seeking saw technology. Nasty thing, really. ;)

Mike

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I had professionals do it and the delivery charge to my basement wasn't much more than to my garage. I beefed up my basement stairs with posts at about the midway point

I think that my basement stairs are probably pretty beefy already :-)

From where did you order that they offered a "take it to the basement" service? My intention was to purchase from the local Woodcraft because they are always so incredibly helpful. The store owner would deliver it to my house. Would need to see if I could hire one of his employees to help me get it down.... Or just rent the appliance dolly and call all of my friends :-)

Now that I think about it, I could probably even call a moving company, one of those local places like two men and a truck...

[Matt Meiser]

A cabinet saw with the wings removed isn't actually terribly heavy. The top makes it that much lighter. And if the motor comes out as easy as a Unisaw you could pull that too.

[Joe Leigh]

I got my PM200 down to my basement shop with just one other person and it is substantially heavier than the Sawstop due to its cast iron base and casters. Don't be afraid to remove the cast top and motor assembly. You'd be surprised how much weight they add. All that's left at that pint is the cabinet and trunnion assembly. Don't forget to wrap it in a moving blanket if the stairs aren't carpeted.

[Philip Rodriquez]

I would call a "safe" moving company and have them take it down the stairs. They have specialized equipment that can take a 2,000 lb. safe down the stairs.... plus, they are cheap!

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi, if Diann and I can move a General 650 into the basement, you can move your cabinet saw as well.

Put it on a dolly, put a strap on it, one person above, one below and it goes down the stairs so easilly you'll be amazed.

Do not remove the top, you'll waste a lot of time and have to align the saw for no good reason.

Remeber that the extension tables, guard, fenc etc won't be on the saw, that will drop about 150 pounds off the saw weight.

Buy the cabinet saw, the move is easy...............Rod.

[Roger Feeley]

I think that my basement stairs are probably pretty beefy already :-)

From where did you order that they offered a "take it to the basement" service? My intention was to purchase from the local Woodcraft because they are always so incredibly helpful. The store owner would deliver it to my house. Would need to see if I could hire one of his employees to help me get it down.... Or just rent the appliance dolly and call all of my friends :-)

Now that I think about it, I could probably even call a moving company, one of those local places like two men and a truck...

Taking it to the basement wasn't free. But it wasn't that much more than dropping at the end of my driveway. I ordered the saw from ITSI in Kansas City. They move a lot of really big stuff so they had all the right skills and equipment. Nice bunch of folks too.

Roger

[Tim Janssen]

I moved my PCS SawStop down to the basement with the help of one of my boys and a son in law, with most of the gruntwork done by the "young" lads.
NO Problem. It's not all that heavy. Of course you do it before assembling everything. We used a long heavy strap to control the descend. Don't remove the top.
Good luck!

Tim

[Will Winder]

I moved one of the craftsman zip-code 3/4 cabinet saws down my bulkhead stairs without too much trouble with the help of three people. We tied a rope to it and wrapped the rope around a tree that two people held onto, put the saw on a couple 2x12's then slowly slid it down with two of us underneath to guide it. That was with the top and motor in. Next time I'll take the motor out.

[Paul Johnstone]

I think that my basement stairs are probably pretty beefy already :-)

From where did you order that they offered a "take it to the basement" service? My intention was to purchase from the local Woodcraft because they are always so incredibly helpful. The store owner would deliver it to my house. Would need to see if I could hire one of his employees to help me get it down.... Or just rent the appliance dolly and call all of my friends :-)

Now that I think about it, I could probably even call a moving company, one of those local places like two men and a truck...

Check Craigslist.. At least in our area, there's professional movers advertising for "Side work".
I had a guy bring down an 800 lb planer. I think it only cost like $60. Worth it to me. Very fast money for him.

[Steven Wahlert]

I got my PM200 down to my basement shop with just one other person and it is substantially heavier than the Sawstop due to its cast iron base and casters. Don't be afraid to remove the cast top and motor assembly. You'd be surprised how much weight they add. All that's left at that pint is the cabinet and trunnion assembly. Don't forget to wrap it in a moving blanket if the stairs aren't carpeted.

A year ago I did the same with my new Grizzly 691.
Strapped the cabinet to an appliance dolly to go down the stairs. Appliance dolly rental was $7
I had a helper just to make sure it stayed under control going down the stairs.
Without the top and motor the weight was 160 pounds.

With the top removed I could also check the assembly and bolts.
You will need to periodically remove the top anyway to clean the trunion and gears.
I wouldn't be afraid of removing the top.

Steve

[Ron Natalie]

I put the mobile base on my Saw Stop when it arrived out on my driveway and then rolled it into the shop for the rest of the assembly. No problem moving it around without the fence rails and table wings on it (It's only like 24" wide at that point).
Should be pretty easy to move if you just take the fence/rails and the table wings off it.

[Ted Baca]

To address your concern about cabinet or contractor, get the cabinet. Having a tablesaw in the house dust collection is a concern. The cabinet saw will do a better job of this. I own a sawstop and even if you dissasemble it to move it they are a great saw to set up. Lots of adjustments to dial it in once you get it back together.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

To address your concern about cabinet or contractor, get the cabinet. Having a tablesaw in the house dust collection is a concern. The cabinet saw will do a better job of this. I own a sawstop and even if you dissasemble it to move it they are a great saw to set up. Lots of adjustments to dial it in once you get it back together.
Yes, the dust collection is a huge concern for me..... I work very hard to keep dust down and every little bit helps. I use a very good furnace filter that I keep clean, I have a special filter in the same room as my woodworking stuff that removes a bunch.... That was my excuse for purchasing the Kapex about a week ago, it has better dust collection :-)

[Mike Archambeau]

Yes, the dust collection is a huge concern for me..... I work very hard to keep dust down and every little bit helps. I use a very good furnace filter that I keep clean, I have a special filter in the same room as my woodworking stuff that removes a bunch.... That was my excuse for purchasing the Kapex about a week ago, it has better dust collection :-)

And you should seriously consider getting an Oneida Cyclone dust collector if you are working in your basement: http://www.oneida-air.com/

http://www.oneida-air.com/inventoryD.asp?item_no=XXV030139H&CatId={883C6AA7-4C85-49FD-9EEA-C51D09DC8B19}

[Andrew Pitonyak]

And you should seriously consider getting an Oneida Cyclone dust collector if you are working in your basement:
http://www.oneida-air.com/inventoryD.asp?item_no=XXV030139H&CatId={883C6AA7-4C85-49FD-9EEA-C51D09DC8B19} (http://www.oneida-air.com/inventoryD.asp?item_no=XXV030139H&CatId=%7B883C6AA7-4C85-49FD-9EEA-C51D09DC8B19)
I corrected the link (I hope) in the quoted version to contain the trailing "}" character.

I own a dust deputy that I use when connected to my shop vac, which also has a hepa filter. I have a hepa filter in my Festool vacuum. I also have a JET dust collector, it could do a better job. Considered adding one of those contraptions to make it similar to the vortex.

[John Coloccia]

I would call a "safe" moving company and have them take it down the stairs. They have specialized equipment that can take a 2,000 lb. safe down the stairs.... plus, they are cheap!

A friend of mine delivers safes. Whenever I have something heavy to move, I call them and they get it done....make it look easy, actually. You think your SS is hard to move down some steps? Try moving a 1200lb safe. These guys may as well have been moving a bag of rice cakes for all the effort they seemed to be expending.

Last thing I used them for is to get my Jet JJP-12 back on the palette and crated to ship back when they sent me a replacement.

[Ruel Smith]

Since cyclone dust collectors lose suction because of the fact that the vortex is on the suction side, wouldn't it be better to purchase something like the new Jet/Powermatic dust collectors with the Vortex Cone? They have the vortex cone on the positive pressure side, downstream of the motor/impeller, keeping suction at it's highest while still separating the chips and fine dust. It's not only cheaper, it's a smaller footprint, and it would seem to be a better technology since it could use less HP, and therefore less energy to provide the same amount of suction. More suction = more fine dust picked up and filtered. Besides, as Bill Pentz pointed out on his website, only the Powermatic and Jet machines had consistently reported numbers for suction that could be duplicated, had motors that "safeguard our systems from blowing circuit breakers, ruining shop wiring, and potentially burning up motors", and was the only vendor that didn't choke down the air after the inlet and therefore moved enough air so as not to cause a rise in the amperage dangerously close to the motors amperage rating. Just seems to me that this would be a better dust collection system than a cyclone system.

[Jeff Zingsheim]

I am contemplating replacing my Ridgid TS3650 with a sawstop (36" rails). My opinion is that the contractor saw would be much easier to move to the basement for assembly than the cabinet saw, but, I would really prefer to NOT have the motor hanging off the back of the saw (like I have now). Off hand, it looks like cabinet saw is listed as weighing about 140 pounds more than the cabinet saw. Is this weight difference in the tops (that are not attached on delivery) or is a bunch of this weight the cabinet itself?

If the answer is to rent a furniture dolly and then the cabinet will go nicely down the stairs before assembly, well, I guess that I can do that... At the end of the day, I may simply punt and buy the festool table and use their fancy guide system along with that fancy new Kapex that I just acquired.

My primary concern with the contractor saw is the motor off the back.
My primary concern with the cabinet saw is the extra weight.
I assume that there is no other particular reason to purchase the cabinet over the contractor (like much better dust collection or repeat-ability, etc).

I am hoping that I can move the router table top that I built and installed into my Ridgid over to the Sawstop, I have not measured that yet.

I just bought the 1.75 hp Sawstop PCS, and the hardest part of the move was getting it out of the back of my van. A coworker and I got it out by unboxing it in the van and removing just the saw. We then used an appliance dolly, and as mentioned in this thread, did it upside down with a board under the saw top. The steps were the easy part, even for just two people exerting little effort.

I am thrilled with this saw it is unbelievably better than the low budget special I had before.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I just bought the 1.75 hp Sawstop PCS, and the hardest part of the move was getting it out of the back of my van. A coworker and I got it out by unboxing it in the van and removing just the saw. We then used an appliance dolly, and as mentioned in this thread, did it upside down with a board under the saw top. The steps were the easy part, even for just two people exerting little effort.

I am thrilled with this saw it is unbelievably better than the low budget special I had before.

Yes, it would have been very difficult to get into a van. I was shocked at how easily it went down the stairs upside down on an appliance dolly. Frankly, I could have easily done it alone, but would have fretted over not having a second body. I even convinced a third person to come and help, but after seeing how easily things were going, one stepped aside.

That said, it was much easier to stand it up and lay it down with two people than with one. OK, I think that I stood it up alone, but I did not lay it down alone. It is a beast to just move without some sort of assistence because of the bulky size.

I too was very surprised as to how much nicer it was to use compared to the saw that I replaced.

[Mike Heidrick]

For folks contemplating moving an ICS down a flight of stairs - GET SOME HELP. It is over 600lbs. I did not like moving it off the pallet to a base much less down stairs. And to MrSalez who moved it downstairs himself - LOCO!

[Andrew Pitonyak]

For folks contemplating moving an ICS down a flight of stairs - GET SOME HELP. It is over 600lbs. I did not like moving it off the pallet to a base much less down stairs. And to MrSalez who moved it downstairs himself - LOCO!
600 lbs? Yeah, that sounds a bit nuts (he is clearly much stronger than I), but the professional version without the wings installed is under 300. Can't imagine moving even 400 pounds myself. Then again, I did not think that I could have handled the lowly pro version without three guys until we got it underway.

[BOB OLINGER]

Andrew,

FYI, I purchased my cabinet saw stop and hauled down the stairs with the appliance dolly. As others have said, get the saw you want, get some help, move it down.

[Bob Falk]

I moved my ICS to the basement on a appliance dolly...removed the fence/extension table/top and had to unscrew the on/off switch to clear the 32" door opening to my basement. Didn't bother to remove the motor. Basically got it down the stair with a friend spotting the dolly and taking some of the weight at each step.