Modular woodshop?

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I'm looking for ideas. I'm gaining on the last parts of a major move. We all hate moving, but as I'm moving the woodshop cabinets of all sorts of various sizes and awkward shapes, the appeal of having a modular woodshop started to emerge. I'm moving into a rental, I'm sure I'll move again at some point. I have a mini skidsteer with forks that will handle around 750# comfortably and a pallet jack. Right now I am palletizing everything pretty much and forklifting it onto the trailer. Those pallets will be unpacked, and scattered shortly.

The thought then is why not use modular, forklift friendly cabinets for daily use, and to facilitate the next move??? Anyone done this, ideas?

[Brian W Smith]

Steve,we've been here for 30+ years so.......

But the reason for post was,I know they aren't the end-all,be-all but.....Metal auto service "style",cabinets are hard to beat.They'll roll as far as they will,then you pick them up with fork lift?Run a little shrink wrap around them and load'm up,just sayin.Good luck with your move,BW

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Thanks Brian, did I mention moving sucks ;) I moved a metal tool cabinet that way, it was actually one of the drivers of the idea. I'm thinking expanding the concept to include the lumber rack, and all the tool storage. Getting rid of or modifying the current crazy assortment to facilitate forks is the first step I think. For example, lifting a 500# cabinet full of shaper tooling, onto a pallet is a silly extra step in this train of thought. Keep the ideas coming!

[Mike Heidrick]

I have pallet capable mobile bases on a few tools. Started out as a way to use a pallet jack and not spend so much on mobile bases. My loader will make short work of these getting them in the new shed when I am ready.

[Rod Sheridan]

I'm looking for ideas. I'm gaining on the last parts of a major move. We all hate moving, but as I'm moving the woodshop cabinets of all sorts of various sizes and awkward shapes, the appeal of having a modular woodshop started to emerge. I'm moving into a rental, I'm sure I'll move again at some point. I have a mini skidsteer with forks that will handle around 750# comfortably and a pallet jack. Right now I am palletizing everything pretty much and forklifting it onto the trailer. Those pallets will be unpacked, and scattered shortly.

The thought then is why not use modular, forklift friendly cabinets for daily use, and to facilitate the next move??? Anyone done this, ideas?

You're a smart guy Steve, thinking of the future.

Here's my take, all my floor cabinets are standard sizes that fit through a pedestrian doorway, and they are simple 4 sided boxes with a back.

The floor cabinets rest on ladder type frames about 4" high with 3/8" bolts on the bottom threaded into T-nuts.

I drop the ladder base on the floor, level it, drop the cabinet down. This would lend itself to forklifting if you put fork pockets in the base.

All my wall cabinets are a standard size with a French cleat hanging system.

Pick one up, move it to the other spot, hang it on the cleat, a couple of 1/4" bolts in T-nuts on the back spaces the cabinet bottom away from the wall for a vertical install.

Stick with it Steve, by the time you get it all perfected you'll never move again........LOL...........Regards, Rod.

[David Ragan]

Love cleats. Simple. Cheap. Easy to make. Able to move them

[Larry Edgerton]

Steve, I have three benches/carts built like this. Heavy 1/4" 2x2" wall frame with industrial casters. The one pictured has a 1/4" plate stiffback between the drawers so it stays perfectly flat for building doors.They are built at the same height that I have my shapers/saws set at so they can be rolled loaded from tool to tool. So, they are heavy, but I can slip forks under them and loading is easy.

http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t468/crookedtreejoinery/P1010080_zpsd8904484.jpg (http://s1061.photobucket.com/user/crookedtreejoinery/media/P1010080_zpsd8904484.jpg.html)

When I moved I wrapped them with shrink wrap and loaded them on the semi with everything still in the drawers with this.

http://i1061.photobucket.com/albums/t468/crookedtreejoinery/P1010722_zpsfe2028c1.jpg (http://s1061.photobucket.com/user/crookedtreejoinery/media/P1010722_zpsfe2028c1.jpg.html)

Not only was it easier to move these, but it lets me reconfigure my shop for different jobs. Sometimes I build large stuff like post and beam trusses so I can push them all together to have a larger work surface.

Life settling in for you?

Larry

Moving still sucks though, just not this part........

[Malcolm Schweizer]

That is the same thought behind this modular workbench. I am building two of them to get me by until I buy the house next to me for a workshop. 305636

[Steve Rozmiarek]

Thanks for the ideas guys. Cleats are a great idea. I could sure use them more than I do now. Could use the forks to lift the cabinets off and on too if I have a provision on the bottom to allow the forks to slide out from under, or just set them on a spacers.

Rod, I sure hope that making this all easily movable will ensure I don't have to use it. I think I'd spend a lot to not move again. Excellent idea on the bases.

Larry, it took me a bit to figure out what the conestoga wagon was doing on top of your cabinets, I bet thats a cool staircase! Looks like you are training your tractor drivers a little young there too ;) It'd sure be easy to fork under those cabinets.

Malcolm, that is an interesting cabinet. I'm going to look that over a bit, it deserves some thought for sure.

Mike, you mentioned pallet jack ready bases under the tools, did you just raise the tools the height of a pallet? I'm not against higher tools in general for sure. I strapped the big drill press to a pallet to move it. There is a hump to crawl over in the doorway of the new shop. It weighs too much for the skid to easily carry, and as its a track machine, the teatering 1000# drill press at the crown of the hill caused some anxiety. My dear wife thought I was going to drop it apparently, she provided a loud shriek anyhow. Need to consider an integral fork base for that and the big bandsaw at least.