MM FS 41 Elite Basement thought

[David Less]

Hi Everyone,
Wow, been a while since I've posted on here.
I've reconnected with my wood shop and am looking at new J/P, but I have a dilemma, and that's taking a brand new machine a part so I can get it down stairs into my basement shop.
I was wondering if any one has totally disassembled a MM FS 41 and re assembled?
I'm very mechanical and am o stranger to dial indicators and precision machinery set up.

Thanks for any help

David

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi David, you'll love that machine.

Why do you wish to take it apart?

I put mine in the basement with the help of my house cat and a winch...........Regards, Rod.

[David Less]

Hi David, you'll love that machine.

Why do you wish to take it apart?

I put mine in the basement with the help of my house cat and a winch...........Regards, Rod.

Hi Rod,
thanks for responding
I don't have a straight shot, have to make a 90 bend, plus it would be easier in the long run to remove as much weight as possible, but only if they diss assemble and assemble easy

One poster on here did it to a fs 35 with no problems

David

[mreza Salav]

David, I did that to my FS-350 as our basement access was from inside the house with a 90 degree turn. I took apart every piece but the base alone was still too heavy. Hired 3 guys to take it down and took the rest myself and put together. Had to do it again when we moved. I think FS41 is heavier but not sure how much. I think it is still doable but plan to get at least 3 people to move the base.

[David Less]

David, I did that to my FS-350 as our basement access was from inside the house with a 90 degree turn. I took apart every piece but the base alone was still too heavy. Hired 3 guys to take it down and took the rest myself and put together. Had to do it again when we moved. I think FS41 is heavier but not sure how much. I think it is still doable but plan to get at least 3 people to move the base.

Hi I read your post and that's where you gave me the idea
Did you remove the motor and drive unit as well?
Is it a straight forward process? Or tricky and a PITA?
I figured 2 guys in front and 2 in back, I got my MM16 down there with table and motor removed no problem, but this is bigger
What was the biggest head ach on the diss/re assemblty?
Wonder if it will void warrany

David

[John TenEyck]

I took apart my older FS-35 to get it down into my basement shop. It wasn't that hard EXCEPT for the bolts that hold tables to the base. They were potted with epoxy or something similar. Penetrating oil didn't help loosen them at all, and I was too afraid to heat them though that may be the best approach, so I said a prayer or three and carefully wrenched on them. They all came out w/o breaking, thankfully. After that it was no big deal. I took the planer table off and the cylinder underneath, the cutter head, and also the motor. It went back together exactly like it was, and the tables were perfectly coplaner again.

FWIW, even the base of my machine was very heavy. Two of us took it down the 13 steps to my basement, but Mreza's advise to have at least 3 people would be much safer, especially with a wider/heavier machine.

Be sure to check if there are shims under the table mounting bolts when you remove them. If there are, label and bag them so you put them back in the right place. Good luck.

John

[David Less]

I took apart my older FS-35 to get it down into my basement shop. It wasn't that hard EXCEPT for the bolts that hold tables to the base. They were potted with epoxy or something similar. Penetrating oil didn't help loosen them at all, and I was too afraid to heat them though that may be the best approach, so I said a prayer or three and carefully wrenched on them. They all came out w/o breaking, thankfully. After that it was no big deal. I took the planer table off and the cylinder underneath, the cutter head, and also the motor. It went back together exactly like it was, and the tables were perfectly coplaner again.

FWIW, even the base of my machine was very heavy. Two of us took it down the 13 steps to my basement, but Mreza's advise to have at least 3 people would be much safer, especially with a wider/heavier machine.

Be sure to check if there are shims under the table mounting bolts when you remove them. If there are, label and bag them so you put them back in the right place. Good luck.

John

Thanks John, great advice, I'm wondering if an impact wrench would have been better?

I've got a call into MM service for their advice as well

David

[mreza Salav]

It's not difficult to take it apart. The only two parts that were a bit tricky were to remove the 5HP motor and put it back in place.
Also, to remove the big shaft of the planer table from underneath I had to raise the base to create space at the bottom. Not too difficult: I raised one side and put a couple of 2x4 under, then lift the other and back and forth until it was raised enough to pull the shaft from the bottom.
It goes back together in the reverse order, no problem.

[David Less]

It's not difficult to take it apart. The only two parts that were a bit tricky were to remove the 5HP motor and put it back in place.
Also, to remove the big shaft of the planer table from underneath I had to raise the bed to create space at the bottom. Not too difficult: I raised one side and put a couple of 2x4 under, then lift the other and back and forth until it was raised enough to pull the shaft from the bottom.
It goes back together in the reverse order, no problem.

Mreza Thanks again
seems very unlike the table removal from a Powermatic or delta which is not recommended

Now, just gotta get some cabinet dimensions to see if I can make the stairway turn

David

[Brian Holcombe]

Do you have a chain hoist or cherry picker in both spaces? I have an FS41ES, the tables have some weight to them, no doubt.

[mreza Salav]

I meant I had to raise "base" to remove the shaft (edited my previous post to correct it).

[Jim Becker]

Since the tables on a J/P combo are hinged, they are more amenable to removal for this kind of thing. At the same time, pay close attention to how things are setup before disassembly in case there is any shimming, etc. Try to take things down in the largest management chunks. The less disassembly you do, the less work there is to put things back together again. Extra help to move something is better than tearing it down to nuts and bolts, in other words. :) :D

[David Less]

Everyone, thanks for all the help :-)

I also talked to Sam B from MM and he also said its very doable, might not even need to remove much more than the tables or just the in feed table. Got gravity working with me on this one, lol

But living in NYS and looking at retirement in the next 5, I'm still debating if I'm going to stick around in a high taxed state, so what goes down must come up at some point, LOL

Is there much different in performance between the parallelogram in feed vs the typical dovetail arrangement o this unit? I'm told this machine has been around for quite some time with great reviews.

Just gotta talk myself into the purchase since the basement fit should work.

Gotta admit, this aircraft carrier would sure look sweet in my basement shop. I'd have to get a recliner to sit and admire it after making some chips, LOL

David

[Jim Becker]

David the FS41 is an outstanding machine and I believe you'll be pleased with it, including the Tersa knife system. And yes, it's been around for a very long time with very minor iteration changes like any product; sometimes only the color of the cabinet trim changing or the control panel looking a little different. I'm sure there have been some refinements, too.

[John TenEyck]

Everyone, thanks for all the help :-)

I also talked to Sam B from MM and he also said its very doable, might not even need to remove much more than the tables or just the in feed table. Got gravity working with me on this one, lol

But living in NYS and looking at retirement in the next 5, I'm still debating if I'm going to stick around in a high taxed state, so what goes down must come up at some point, LOL If you can get the machine down into your shop, you can get it back out. Worst case, pay someone else to do it.

Is there much different in performance between the parallelogram in feed vs the typical dovetail arrangement o this unit? No. As long as the tables are coplaner it will make no difference. You'll never wear out this machine, nor will your kids or whoever it goes to next. I'm told this machine has been around for quite some time with great reviews.

Just gotta talk myself into the purchase since the basement fit should work.

Gotta admit, this aircraft carrier would sure look sweet in my basement shop. I'd have to get a recliner to sit and admire it after making some chips, LOL No recliner in my shop, but I do enjoy looking at my older FS-35 and especially love how nice it is to use.

David

Apparently I have to add some characters. Let's see if it works now.

John

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Rod,
thanks for responding
I don't have a straight shot, have to make a 90 bend, plus it would be easier in the long run to remove as much weight as possible, but only if they diss assemble and assemble easy

One poster on here did it to a fs 35 with no problems

David

Have fun, you'll really enjoy your new machine..........Rod.