This winter sucks, and it's keeping me from my tools

[Keith Hankins]

Well, the plan was perfect(almost), sell my unused tools, and sell my table-saw, and get the new sawstop in, and keep on keeping on. Well first part went well. Sold my unused machinery quick and for what I was hoping to get. Sold my old TS quick for what I was hoping to get. Ordered my ICS, and took the day off to have it delivered and put in the shop. That's when my plan took a crash. It has not stopped freak'n snowing. So untill all this melts and is not a swamp, I can't take delivery.

282910

Whats worse, I've got orders coming from several directions unexpectedly from referrals, and I'm dead in the water at the moment. Now it's not my main way of making dough, but heck the last project paid for most of the new sawstop.

I've just about ran out of honey do repair jobs, and a few antique repairs. I need my TS. What's worse, I've got the mobile base, overarm dust attachment, and spare brake in the garage and I walk by them twice a day. I'm thinking it will be April at this point!

282911

Sorry for the rant. Winter U SUCK! (apologies for the language)

[Craig Behnke]

whoa, whoa,....why the need to wait? there are ways to remove snow and move vehicles over swampy ground (it's an art here in Vermont). shovel the snow? lay some crappy plywood over the wet ground? i'd be brain-storming like crazy to make it happen. if there was a figurative brick wall blocking my path to get that baby running, i'd climb over it, dig under it, walk around it, drill thru it, dynamite it, take it apart brick by brick, pole vault it, baloon over it, etc, etc, etc. get that tablesaw working right now!!!

i fully expect to see pics of the saw running within 72 hours.

[Doug Richardson]

What you need is this woman to give you a hand with that saw.....
282919

[Peter Quinn]

The other day I was reading some alarmist green bean NYT report about how there will be no snow for skiing by some future date and such....diminishing snow falls....blah blah. Global warming.....and I'm looking out my back window at 3' of snow and more coming, 10 degrees or less every morning......and what exactly is wrong with a little global warming? At least I can look forward to the floods this spring in my basement shop when the ice pack melts!

life goes on....clear the snow. Get some plywood, build a bridge, get your saw! You. An make this happen... Either way I feel your pain!

[Jim Andrew]

Don't know how deep the snow is, but you could probably rent a forklift with big drive wheels, or hire someone who has one to meet the truck and put the saw in your shop. I'm spoiled, as I have a skidsteer, and would just push the snow up into a pile, and use the forks to take delivery. Come to think of it, there is probably a skidsteer service who could fix you up near by.

[scott vroom]

The other day I was reading some alarmist green bean NYT report about how there will be no snow for skiing by some future date and such....diminishing snow falls....blah blah.

What I've read is that the current trend in climate change will cause wetter winters and dryer summers for North America. I believe we're already seeing that with major drought conditions, particularly in the west and southwest, where the Colorado River drainage is drying up, and in the northeast where increased precip in the form of snow is wrecking havoc. I'm not an alarmist "green beanie", just someone who is paying attention to what is going on weather wise. In my home state, California, some ski areas were unable to open until a week ago due to the worst drought since in the 163 year record keeping history. One Bay Area scientist claims that based on tree ring analysis, we're in the midst of the dryest rain season since ~1580. Sorry for hijacking the thread, I just couldn't let the "alarmist green bean" comment go.

Get a snow shovel, carve out a path, lay down plywood and move your saw.

[Matt Day]

You must have a very difficult path to your shop, because otherwise as the others have said you need to do some brainstorming and get that TS into your shop and fire it up! Shoot, make a snow sled for it!

[ray hampton]

Keith, forgive me for this comment but everybody else complain about Potholes and you live in a Potttown, warm weather will be in your town soon , we are expected temperatures in the 60 this week and it maybe there soon

[Craig Behnke]

Shoot, make a snow sled for it!

ding, ding, ding....we have a winner. get that man a beer. perfect....ma nature throws 2 feet of snow at you to destroy your dreams and you build a simple sled to defeat that wretched hag. excellent.

[John TenEyck]

Pack down the snow a little, put the SS on a two or three plastic sleds tied together with three or four 2 x 4 pieces, attach large pulley in shop, thread rope or cable through pulley, one end attached to the sleds the other to your car or truck, and pull the sled right into your shop.

Global warming is a myth? Good grief.

John

[Earl McLain]

Keith, forgive me for this comment but everybody else complain about Potholes and you live in a Potttown, warm weather will be in your town soon , we are expected temperatures in the 60 this week and it maybe there soon

I can't speak to Keith's situation, but we've had nearly 100" of snow, with no melt until the last few days. My 300' gravel driveway has a few inches of slush on top 2" of thawed mud on top of permafrost. Standing water anywhere there isn't snow. UPS lady that delivers to us said she got stuck on 2" of mud last night--first time all winter she got her truck hung up!!

I'm ready for the thaw--but it's an ugly time every year!!

earl

[ray hampton]

I can't speak to Keith's situation, but we've had nearly 100" of snow, with no melt until the last few days. My 300' gravel driveway has a few inches of slush on top 2" of thawed mud on top of permafrost. Standing water anywhere there isn't snow. UPS lady that delivers to us said she got stuck on 2" of mud last night--first time all winter she got her truck hung up!!

I'm ready for the thaw--but it's an ugly time every year!!

earl

2" of mud , WAIT UNTIL she get stuck in 1/4 " of mud or snow, YES I said 1/4 ",
sometime LESS is more
if your snow fall total about 100" I think that the cities down stream will be facing a flood , maybe not facing the flood, they will turn their back it it and head uphill

[ray hampton]

Pack down the snow a little, put the SS on a two or three plastic sleds tied together with three or four 2 x 4 pieces, attach large pulley in shop, thread rope or cable through pulley, one end attached to the sleds the other to your car or truck, and pull the sled right into your shop.

Global warming is a myth? Good grief.

John

I believe in global warming ,
the north warm up from March until November
the South warms up from November until March {equator ]

[Larry Fox]

Keith - I am not far down rt 100 from you and agree with others that where there is a will / need there has to be a way. If you clear a path to your shop and it is still more than a one-man job due to the ice / mud let me know and I can run up and give you a hand.

BTW: For the record I am sick of the snow / cold as well. My shop is pretty much unheated and I just have not had the motivation to be out there.

[Duane Meadows]

One Bay Area scientist claims that based on tree ring analysis, we're in the midst of the dryest rain season since ~1580. Sorry for hijacking the thread, I just couldn't let the "alarmist green bean" comment go.

.

Uhh, what exactly caused that dry spell in 1580?:D I can't resist!

[Peter Quinn]

What I've read is that the current trend in climate change will cause wetter winters and dryer summers for North America. I believe we're already seeing that with major drought conditions, particularly in the west and southwest, where the Colorado River drainage is drying up, and in the northeast where increased precip in the form of snow is wrecking havoc. I'm not an alarmist "green beanie", just someone who is paying attention to what is going on weather wise. In my home state, California, some ski areas were unable to open until a week ago due to the worst drought since in the 163 year record keeping history. One Bay Area scientist claims that based on tree ring analysis, we're in the midst of the dryest rain season since ~1580. Sorry for hijacking the thread, I just couldn't let the "alarmist green bean" comment go.

Get a snow shovel, carve out a path, lay down plywood and move your saw.

The article was specifically concerning the lack of snow....written in december......presently more of the country is covered in snow than has been seen in....almost since they have been keeping written records. Ski resorts here are doing well this year. Sorry so dry in CA and Southwest, its my personal feeling too many people have moved there and taxed the ecology to its limits, if the climate changes, people had better adjust, not panic. There used to be more dinosaurs and less people in the distant past, mans hubris places him often at the center of the universe, but honestly global climate change happens, and people seem to have little will or self control to make any substantive changes in there behavior on almost any issue least of all this one. I for one am planting mangos here in CT. Could be an opportunity for me.

[scott vroom]

Uhh, what exactly caused that dry spell in 1580?:D I can't resist!


mmmm...not sure. Why do you ask?

[Duane Meadows]

It's just interesting! Most of the things which global warming are attributed to, didn't exist back then. Yet there were dry spell and hot spells.. just saying.

Back to the op's topic, though, I too would find a way to get that saw in my shop. If you are depending on a tool, there is probably some wisdom in having the replacement before you sell the old one. I fully realize space and monetary reasons prevent that sometimes!

[Jay Radke]

What I've read is that the current trend in climate change will cause wetter winters and dryer summers for North America. I believe we're already seeing that with major drought conditions, particularly in the west and southwest, where the Colorado River drainage is drying up, and in the northeast where increased precip in the form of snow is wrecking havoc. I'm not an alarmist "green beanie", just someone who is paying attention to what is going on weather wise. In my home state, California, some ski areas were unable to open until a week ago due to the worst drought since in the 163 year record keeping history. One Bay Area scientist claims that based on tree ring analysis, we're in the midst of the dryest rain season since ~1580. Sorry for hijacking the thread, I just couldn't let the "alarmist green bean" comment go.

Get a snow shovel, carve out a path, lay down plywood and move your saw.

really sine 1580. only problem is that there was no man-made global warming then. as i scientist as my day job i don't believe in much "settled" science. in real testable science there is no "settled" science but rather proven theories. the problem with climate science is that its not really testable. they make no effort to account that their models have been quite inaccurate over the last 15 years. to top it off the climate scientists predicted a warmer/drier winter. while the farmers almanac has nearly been dead on with its prediction for the great lakes and east coast...they went so far as to say there would be a big snow event around the super bowl. well all those fans that got stuck an extra day would agree they were pretty close. so unless the climate scientists were only predicting CA weather they need to refine their models. maybe learning a few things from the way the farmers almanac relies on sun spots and such might help the climatologists a bit.

[scott vroom]

really sine 1580. only problem is that there was no man-made global warming then. as i scientist as my day job i don't believe in much "settled" science. in real testable science there is no "settled" science but rather proven theories. the problem with climate science is that its not really testable. they make no effort to account that their models have been quite inaccurate over the last 15 years. to top it off the climate scientists predicted a warmer/drier winter. while the farmers almanac has nearly been dead on with its prediction for the great lakes and east coast...they went so far as to say there would be a big snow event around the super bowl. well all those fans that got stuck an extra day would agree they were pretty close. so unless the climate scientists were only predicting CA weather they need to refine their models. maybe learning a few things from the way the farmers almanac relies on sun spots and such might help the climatologists a bit.

What I find most interesting about your response, and the other poster's response, is that nowhere am I suggesting that the climate change we're experiencing is man made, yet your replies would seem to suggest otherwise.

I don't think scientists have made the case either for or against man-caused climate change. All I know is that empirical data clearly establishes that we are experiencing a period of significant global warming, and are experiencing changes in climate associated with global warming.

I guess we can argue all day about whether co2 emissions are the culprit. My guess is that governments will opt to not take extraordinary measures to reduce co2 in the atmosphere due to the economic hardships such actions would cause. So we roll the dice and let our grandchildren decide whether we are making the right choices. Really, it's no different than the debate about mounting government debt: taking any substantive action would undermine the economy in the present, so just keep borrowing and kick the can down the road. Life is too short to worry about economic calamity and receding shorelines. By the way, I've got some (future) beach front property in Nevada that I'll sell ya real cheap.

[Jim Andrew]

I've already posted as to my recommendations to the OP, but would like to respond to the other subject. As a farmer, I have noticed that my and my neighbors crop yields have increased since all this talk about increased co2 in the atmosphere. And the inputs have not been increased at the rate one would expect when yields are nearly doubled. I am aware that at ethanol plants, they build greenhouses to take advantage of the co2 the ethanol plants produce, so appears that the crops are adapting to the increased availability of co2. Amazing adaptive creation.

[Kevin Womer]

So where is this post going? Solar panels for Sawstops? Sorry, couldn't help myself.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Well Kevin, If the political comments continue and/or get any stronger the thread will disappear into the Moderator's Forum never to be seen again. Remember the terms of service which are accessible from thee bottom right hand corner of every page.

[Keith Hankins]

Keith - I am not far down rt 100 from you and agree with others that where there is a will / need there has to be a way. If you clear a path to your shop and it is still more than a one-man job due to the ice / mud let me know and I can run up and give you a hand.

BTW: For the record I am sick of the snow / cold as well. My shop is pretty much unheated and I just have not had the motivation to be out there.

I should have been a bit more detailed. This thing is very heavy, and I cannot muscle it by myself. If I could I'd get it in Del and avoid the taxes. I footed the bill 250 for delivery and set up in the basement from woodcraft. They will arrive with a 16' panel truck and need to get to the back entrance to the shop. I'm sure i could get them back there but the coming back out might be a problem. I priced renting a 4 wheel extendable f-lift, but at 500$ a day costs add up quick. So will all that $$ I don't have at the moment, decided to defer to patience. It sucks but I'll wait. I moved my other ST boxes so the pain is not so great. I've started design phase in sketchup of another project so I'll be occupied for a while. I spoke to the folks with the opportunities and they all understand and are willing to wait. Nice problem to have I guess. Sorry the weather thing went in a direction I never intended. It's weather, and yea this winter is bad but had a lot of mild ones too. I remember as a kid it snowing for the month of Jan and we missed the whole month. Thought that was so cool, till we made it up on Saturdays and did not get out till almost July that summer. Anyway, I was feeling sorry for myself but put my big boy pants on and decided to suck it up and realize it will get here. All have a great day.

[John TenEyck]

Well Kevin, If the political comments continue and/or get any stronger the thread will disappear into the Moderator's Forum never to be seen again. Remember the terms of service which are accessible from thee bottom right hand corner of every page.

How do you conclude these are political comments? I see them as differences of opinions on whether or not the world is warming, nothing more.

John

[Matt Meiser]

Don't complain. This winter gave me unplanned time in my shop yesterday...cleaning up a 1/2" of water on about 1/4 the floor from water that entered through the man door due to a combination of an ice-filled downspout extension, ice dams from snow piles, melting snow and somewhere around 1-1/2" of rain. Great fun. Luckily I went out to grab some tools to deal with a toilet issue and found it early because it was headed for getting much worse. I have a real mess on the lawn and gravel drive to clean up in the spring as I did had to do to with the tractor get the water to drain away. In the shop it shouldn't take more than another 20 minutes to restore it to its original condition as the humidity in there was really low and cranking up the heat and setting some fans dried out what was left after using a squeegy to get most of the water out. Don't think I have even minor damage to the bottom edges of a couple cabinets. that got a little wet. From now on there will be a change in how snow gets shovel from around the door and I think I'm going to rework that downspout.

Regarding moving the SS--its really not THAT heavy. A couple guys can lift even the biggest component. If you pull the motor which should be pretty easy to do without affecting alignment that gets a good chunk of the weight out to make it even easier. You could remove the top too, but that of course would mean it would need alignment (which you should check anyway.)

[Dave Anderson NH]

To answer your question John, almost every thread that has brought up and discussed the topic of global warning has degenerated into political argument. It is a divisive issue that has become heavily politicized over the years and really offers nothing useful to the topic of the thread. The other moderators and myself have over the years developed a "sense" for what hot button topics tend to ruin threads and cause them to be either heavily edited or removed. Admittedly it is a judgment call, but we have a history to work from. That is not to say that the occasional tongue in cheek comment made in an obviously humorous tone would necessarily be edited as long as people don't run with it and turn it into something violating the TOS. And now back to our regularly scheduled program.

[John Schweikert]

I'm not here to change opinions, that hurdle unto itself would require changing human psychology which isn't going to happen.

But this is worth having a look: http://www.popsci.com/article/science/infographic-scientists-who-doubt-human-caused-climate-change

Outside of the science on the matter, the rest is generally politics. Altruism in scientists far exceeds altruism in politicians by a large magnitude.

The biggest mistake we make as individual humans is comparing globally to our very own microcosms which can easily step outside the global norm.



How do you conclude these are political comments? I see them as differences of opinions on whether or not the world is warming, nothing more.

John

Now w.r.t. to the OP's dilemma, over my 15 years as a professional photographer, I have learned that when upgrading any piece of equipment, I hold onto the old one until the transition with the new one is completed and up and running and bugs worked out. That's not intended to be a smart comment, but when income is at stake, the smoothest transition is a must when every hurdle in life can and will get thrown at us. I hope you find a good resolution in getting the new saw in.

I think a simple wood sled and an automatic winch could get it over the distance barring any physical elevation jumps. Less costly too.

Several years ago, I needed to move my garden shed to build onto it and more than double its size. I used car jacks to lift it up onto some 4x4 sleds on wood rollers on 2x4's on the ground. I installed some bolted on eyes and used cables hooked to my truck and just using 4-Lo and no gas pedal, the shed rolled right along. Just be creative and you can find a economical solution.

[John TenEyck]

I just read in today's paper that January was the 4th WARMEST in recorded history. Pretty much everywhere except the eastern half of the US had above normal temps. Your comment about drawing global conclusions based on what's happening out our own door is spot on.

John

[David Hostetler]

I don't get it, you live in Pennsylvania, it's not like you have deliveries coming to coastal Texas with 3' of snow on the ground where nobody owns a snow shovel or anything like that... Hire some neighbor kids to shovel the snow, and haul that thing in with a 4x4. Done deal.

For what it's worth, I bought my first ice scraper since I moved to Texas last month...

[Dave Anderson NH]

I thought a gentle posted warning about continuing on the topic of global warming would have apparently been enough, but apparently not. I try to avoid being heavy handed but....

Any further posts addressing the topic of global warming will be deleted and the poster will have their posting privileges suspended for a week.

[scott vroom]

I thought a gentle posted warning about continuing on the topic of global warming would have apparently been enough, but apparently not. I try to avoid being heavy handed but....

Any further posts addressing the topic of global warming will be deleted and the poster will have their posting privileges suspended for a week.


"All members shall abstain from engaging in religious or political debate."

Just to be clear, is a non-politicized discussion of global warming a violation of TOS? Are such (non-politicized) discussions allowed in an off-topic forum?

[Dave Anderson NH]

Scott, The subject of global warming is one which from past experience the moderators have prohibited. This is on any forum on SMC. Unfortunately every single time the topic has come up the thread had to be either deleted or severely edited because the discussion degenerated into politics and in a couple of cases into name calling and personal attacks. I wish this wasn't the case and that folks could discuss things rationally and without either rancor or injecting politics into the thread, but sadly experience shows otherwise. Similarly, and for pretty much the same reason we have prohibited threads about Sawstop which have become outrageously vicious. It is not the type of atmosphere SMC chooses to encourage or allow.

[Matt Day]

Could you just stop talking about global warming already? Start a thread in off topic if you want.

And OP, get that SS in the shop! :-)

[ray hampton]

Scott, The subject of global warming is one which from past experience the moderators have prohibited. This is on any forum on SMC. Unfortunately every single time the topic has come up the thread had to be either deleted or severely edited because the discussion degenerated into politics and in a couple of cases into name calling and personal attacks. I wish this wasn't the case and that folks could discuss things rationally and without either rancor or injecting politics into the thread, but sadly experience shows otherwise. Similarly, and for pretty much the same reason we have prohibited threads about Sawstop which have become outrageously vicious. It is not the type of atmosphere SMC chooses to encourage or allow.

WHY not advise all of the moderators to tell the posters to set up a E-MAIL contract with their favorite members so that the NON_BELIEVERS will not get offend when we mention the un-known gods

[Bill Orbine]

You must have a very difficult path to your shop, because otherwise as the others have said you need to do some brainstorming and get that TS into your shop and fire it up! Shoot, make a snow sled for it!

Yes.... a cheap piece of plywood would do it! Quichabitching about the weather and git'er done!

[Peter Quinn]

I guess the central issue is the white glove move in, which sounds like a fantastic way to take possession of a machine to me, but they might not be willing to be subjected to the sorts of madness you might ask of your self and friends or family. I could see myself blasting a hole through the snow with a snow blower and pick axe, ......if I could put gas in it....which I can't.....because some carb weenies.....every offense intended to those who fit that description.....have wreaked havoc on my gas can. Neighbor borrowed and lost the last old one that actually worked. Can we discuss gas cans here? I've never spilled so much as a bottle cap full of gas combined in my entire life...used to be a landscaper and help with a wood cutting business too....gassed up plenty of machines of all sorts....hate gas on my hands, the stink is nauseating, the environmental impact of spills devastating. Maybe I'm more careful with a can of gas than most? These new spill proof "CARB" approved DEP required cans? I've spilled more gas in the last two years than I care to think about. Its on my hands, its on my clothes....its on the floor of my garage. Who did they think they were solving a problem that didn't exist by attempting to engineer a perfect gas can through legislation? People should stick to what they know and stay out of what they don't. As an impatient guy with a tool addiction I'd consider coming down with my snow blower and pick axe and helping you build a plywood foot path over which to run a pallet jack that would pass muster with any movers, I'd even bring the plywood.....but I can't....because I can't gas up my blower in a clean sensible predictable manner any more, and that makes me madder than a saw stuck in the mud. A little OT I know, but in keeping with the "rant" nature of the original post. You can yell at mother nature but it won't help, she has her own agenda....seems to be contagious.

[Keith Hankins]

I don't believe it after a week of warm weather the snow finally melted. Fortunately It dropped form 63 on Thursday to 19 on Friday morning. It arrived ! Good thing too it snowed last night again. I'm functional again! It's more than I even imagined. What a beast of a saw. I'm going to post a review in a separate thread.

[Garth Almgren]

Well congrats on the new saw! Doesn't make a difference now, but as I was reading through the thread I was thinking rent a tracked skid-steer with forks on it for a day- should have no problem with either snow or mud. :)