easiest way to move a large bandsaw?

[tim vadas]

I'm considering purchasing a larger 18+" bandsaw, used or new. I have a one car garage finished workshop with a garage door, but a finished level floor behind it (so the floor is about 4" above the driveway). I don't know the safest way to get it into the garage, particularly if i buy a used saw. I figured with a new saw, it would come in pieces and with the help of a friend we could muscle it into the garage. With a used saw (one in particular i'm considering is a laguna 24, around 750 lbs), i'm not sure what i could do, except maybe dismantle it to get it in place. Perhaps it's worth dismantling just to clean and lubricate it all up. Any suggestions?

[Dan Hintz]

New saws pretty much come put together, too. The easy-to-remove items, such as the table, may come separately. When I first moved my 18"er into the basement, I removed the table, the motor, and the wheels. Save a couple of hundred pounds there, but it was still a challenge. Sometimes you just have to grab a few friends.

[Kevin Nathanson]

I own a 24" Agazzani, which I moved by myself into my shop. Of course, I also used a forklift and a 1 ton electric hoist hung from my ceiling joists.

There really is no useful disassembly; the frame is a single welded piece, so your vertical dimension is fixed. A 24" saw will have a hard point with an eyelet in it at the top, which will allow you to pick it up from laying on its back/spine (the only safe way to move it when shipped) to vertical with a chain hoist. Dollies under the spine will work to move it around when it is laying down.

Be very sure of your vertical clearances; those saws can get pretty close to a typical domestic ceiling. (Mine is in an industrial park with 16' clearance so I'm not sure exactly how tall it is, but I can't touch the top of it without a ladder!)

K

[Bradley Gray]

If your shop has a garage door, a large band saw on a small trailer like a motorcycle trailer could be backed in on a ramp.

[Randy Red Bemont]

A good appliance hand truck will do the trick. You will still need the help of some friends. Just make sure you have the headroom to stand it up.

Red

[Jim Matthews]

Move it in, laying on it's back.

With a few PVC pipes and a sheet or two of plywood, you can get close.
The difficulty is in raising it to standing upright.

Don't pull on the table, better yet - remove whatever cast iron above the centerline you can.

That way, you can tip it with a little less muscle.
FWIW - I recommend Piano movers to handle something like this.
They're good with cast iron.

[John McClanahan]

I would remove the table for sure. The top wheel should come off easily, further lowering the center of gravity.


John

[Bill Adamsen]

This was moving my Centauro 800 (~28 inches) into the shop. It weighs about 630 Kg (1400 lbs). I used a low trailer, but bolted the saw to a large heavily built pallet to move. With the small base on the bandsaw, I didn't feel comfortable driving down the highway with the saw vertical without the pallet. This created a problem because the pallet was high enough that I now couldn't back the trailer into the shop with the saw to pull it off with the chain hoist. So I built a plywood slide/ramp, and pulled the saw into the shop skidding the pallet down the plywood (you can see the come-along in the photo). This way it cleared the door, but by just inches. Not sure what I would have done if it hadn't cleared. Probably not purchased it ... that was a key criteria .. and I had done careful calculations before buying. Once inside I moved it with a pallet jack and chain hoist. I didn't remove anything during the move process. I did this one by myself ... but don't necessarily recommend that approach.

[Erich Larson]

One thing to check is whether the saw ships lying on it's back, or upright, and whether the garage door opening is tall enough to accommodate the saw plus pallet if it is shipped upright.

[Jim German]

I got a 20" Northfield used, which weighs 1100lbs or so into my basement shop without significant difficulty. The place I bought it from plopped it into the truck upright, and although I would have perferred to have it on its spine for the drive, I didn't have the stuff with me to tip it over. I used a ton of straps to tie it down and didn't have any issues getting it home. At home I used my floor jack to help tip it over, which worked quite well. Then I just made a ramp out of some 2x6s and slid it down on its spine out of the truck and onto a dolly. I used that to move it around, and used the floor jack again to get it up over the sill into the house. Slid it down the stairs on a ramp again, and finally used a chain hoist to tip it back upright.

As long as you use things that are rated to take that sort of load, like chain hoists, dollies, and hydraliuc jacks, its not a big deal to do. You just have to be careful, take it slow and think about each step.
http://gallery.voidsmith.com/House/Bandsaw/i-9sd7mrb/0/X3/IMG_8823-X3.jpg


http://gallery.voidsmith.com/House/Bandsaw/i-BbtXGfB/0/X3/IMG_8827-X3.jpg

[Randy Red Bemont]

Where there's a will there is a way. Nicely done. ^^^^^^

Red

[roger wiegand]

The easiest way by far is to hire a rigger with the experience, equipment, and manpower to do it quickly and safely. Might be a well-spent couple of hundred bucks.

750 lbs can be managed with ramps, a hand truck, and lots of straps, but a bandsaw will be a top-heavy load that will want to twist and fall sideways. I wouldn't want to try it solo, ideally I'd have a person on each side to steady the load. Don't try to catch it if it gets loose!

[Mike Cutler]

Tim

The saw won't come in pieces, it will come with the table removed, but the rest will be intact. A used saw can be transported upright, or on it's spine, but you need to make sure it is well supported during transport.
You'll need to rent a large engine hoist to get it out of the transport vehicle. ( 1 ton at max boom extension) You will also need slings. Once out of the vehicle you can roll it into place.
I moved an 1800 lb. jointer a year or so ago, so it's doable. Heaviest piece on that was probably about 1/2 ton by itself.

Bring lots of friends!!! Pizza and beer is the usual payment. ;) Of course, with my friends it was Sushi.:rolleyes:

PS
Where are you at in Eastern Ct. ? I'm in Griswold, and if you need some help, just PM me. Oh yeah, I'm also a qualified rigger. ;) ( I work at Millstone)

[Prashun Patel]

If you are planning to put in on a mobile base, I would attach that while it's still on the driveway. I was able to tip mine onto its side and expose the base so I could do that. My base is 4 pieces of 2x3 rectangular iron tube, bolted together with Great Lakes casters on the bottom ($100 total). You can then have a friend help you tip it upright and roll it into your garage.

[Erik Loza]

Move it in, laying on it's back.

With a few PVC pipes and a sheet or two of plywood, you can get close.
The difficulty is in raising it to standing upright.

Don't pull on the table, better yet - remove whatever cast iron above the centerline you can.

That way, you can tip it with a little less muscle.
FWIW - I recommend Piano movers to handle something like this.
They're good with cast iron.

+1 to all the above ^^^^. I personally use a set of little Harbor Freight dollies to move bandsaws around on their backs. Very stable and easy to transfer around. Or make a set of quick dollies from 2x4's and inflatable. knobby tires if you have to go across grass or dirt. Good luck.

Erik

[Mike Schuch]

I moved my Jet 18" band saw multiple times by myself. I have a low deck 5x8 little trailer that has a deck height of about 1'. I was able to walk the saw into and out of the trailer by myself. A pickup truck bed is much too high to do it by walking the saw unless you have a loading ramp. I usually find it easier and safer to do such moves myself as helpers often want to over help and throw off the balance of the saw while I am moving it. A well trained helper that will not touch the saw until I give them explicit instructions to do so is nice to have. After explaining to my GF that I move stuff by balancing it and if she touches it while I have it balanced she is endangering both me and her she has become a suitable helper. A good helper is generally someone that has a very distinct to the point leader that explains the plan in detail before executing the process.

[tim vadas]

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I'm expecting to have it shipped freight to my house, so it'll be on a pallet. Not sure yet if it will be shipped vertical or on its spline. I think i could get it onto the shop floor with a pallet jack. Is it really manageable for 2 guys (or 3) to tip a 750 lb bandsaw up?

[Jim German]

Is it really manageable for 2 guys (or 3) to tip a 750 lb bandsaw up?
Sure, tipping up the saw you won't be lifting the majority of the weight even with a top-heavy bandsaw. Three decent size guys could probably deadlift a 750lb bandsaw, although I wouldn't want to try to move it that way.

[Prashun Patel]

I did it with 2 people to tip and one to block the bottom.

[Matt Day]

You could tip it up yourself with a come along attached to a joist or something on the ceiling, and a block of wood to block the base from sliding.
And you can get into your shop many different ways as well. Build a ramp. Or Think Egyptian style to get over the 4" height change. Tip the saw a little, add a small block, top it the other way, add a small block, and keep going until you're at 4". 4" is nothing by the way.

[Curt Harms]

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I'm expecting to have it shipped freight to my house, so it'll be on a pallet. Not sure yet if it will be shipped vertical or on its spline. I think i could get it onto the shop floor with a pallet jack. Is it really manageable for 2 guys (or 3) to tip a 750 lb bandsaw up?

If you have the ceiling height, one guy - and an engine hoist - should be able to do it. A couple people to help steady it probably wouldn't hurt. Hydraulics, even hand pumped, are wonderful things.