moving a slider

[Terry Therneau]

I'm seriously thinking of an upgrade to a sliding table saw, and there is a possible machine in driving distance.
My question is, does the table get removed when transporting one of these?
What things should one worry about when undertaking the task?

Terry T.

[Darcy Warner]

Like take the accessory stuff off. The sliding part really isn't easily removable on the majority. they are usually a big box. No need for blocking on the pair of martin t70s I have been moving around in my shop, forks go right under it.
I always pick up from slider side if possible.

[Greg Parrish]

I drove my KF500 from Atlanta to Florida without removing the slider. Just locked it in place and strapped it all down. No issues what so ever.

[David Kumm]

I prefer to take the table off but if you can't, wedge it, not too tight. You really don't want bumps jostling the bearings or retainer. I know sometimes you get away with it but I've also seen the plastic carriers on the Felder X roll bearings blow apart. The table lock is often just a spring loaded dowel pin and it isn't strong enough to handle severe shock. Dave

[Terry Therneau]

I prefer to take the table off but if you can't, wedge it, not too tight. You really don't want bumps jostling the bearings or retainer. I know sometimes you get away with it but I've also seen the plastic carriers on the Felder X roll bearings blow apart. The table lock is often just a spring loaded dowel pin and it isn't strong enough to handle severe shock. Dave

What is the process for removing it? What tools should I have along?
Disclaimer: I've put new bearings in multiple saws and motors, pulled and replaced heads, clutch, and transmission in cars. If it's moderately straightforward I should be okay. But some pre planning is always good, and the Euro folks (or at least this manufacturer) don't put their manuals in an online spot that I can find.

[David Kumm]

You first need to look at the machine and whether it has ball bearings or rollers. If bearings, are they in a cage of some sort. If the slider is short, you don't have the same risk as with a 10' one. There are usually stops under the table that need to be removed and you need a second person. If you don't have help, wedge the table and put padding under the motor so it doesn't depend on the machine to hold it up. Dave

[Richard Coers]

If we knew the brand of slider and/or bearing style, we could give you better advice. Older machines had some phenolic inserts in the rails that would not do well bouncing along on the highway. If the machine is still manufactured, you could call a dealer and ask about transport locks or shipping shims. Type of hauling vehicle makes a huge difference. Haul it on a car trailer and it will bounce the hell out of it. Haul it in a light duty cube van and the ride will be much better.

[Darcy Warner]

I'll be the one that says don't take it off. What makes a difference if I take it off and put it in a crate separate from the saw? It still bounces around.

Lock the slider, couple straps over the machine, not on the ends of the beam and haul away.

Probably moved/shipped 20 like that.

[Jim Becker]

I personally would not remove the wagon off a modern slider to move it. They are assembled in such a way to maintain precision. They are on the machine when it ships from the manufacturer in most cases for that reason. Tie it down well. There may also be a "shipping bolt" location that locks the wagon in place...my SCM/Minimax slider had that when it was shipped and removing the bolt was part of the setup process. Check with the manufacturer of your slider to see what provisions there are to lock things down for shipping. Best way to load on a low, flat trailer would be with a forklift from the side so extra long forks are not needed. Forklifts can easily be rented, sometimes for a "half day". But if you need to go on length-wise, either partially load with the lift from the side and use a come-along to slide the unit onto the trailer or get the extra long forks. Be sure that the lift has appropriate weight capacity, particularly when using longer forks because of the weight being farther out from the core machine. Unloading is the reverse. A pallet jack can be used to move the machine on flat surfaces...that's how I moved mine around once I slid it off my trailer through the door into my shop.

[Terry Therneau]

Thanks to all for the good advice. A few more details -- I've been reluctant to say too much lest the machine be poached while making up my mind.
My shop is not too big: 22 x 28 feet exterior + upstairs, gambrel roof; lose some downstairs space for the staircase. And it has a support post dead center (with 1100bf of walnut on floor 2, pretty much centered over the top of it, so no I won't take it out.) I think I can fit a slider/shaper in if I get rid of the Unisaw, Delta HD planer, 14" TOPS radial arm. My 1947 Unisaw is a great saw: all the power I need, smooth operating, solid, but a silly mistake the other day has put me on edge wrt safety. Absolutely no harm done, but there could have been.

In fact, playing with graph paper I am sure I could fit in a 80" B3 or K500P, and Felder is currently having a sale. But can I fit in a used KF700 with 2500mm table that has popped up? A straight unisaw to sawstop trade would of course the easy route. If I go for the 700 it sounds like a very solid job of strapping will suffice. Unloading is no problem BTW: I can back my 5x8' trailer just inside, where I have a lifting hook attached to a triple joist in the ceiling; my 26" Moak bandsaw (1100 lb) was a piece of cake. (When I built this 20 yrs ago I wanted to be able to pull a car engine if needed, and had no inkling that I'd turn towards wood.)

A last unrelated note is that as I vacillate over the choices, the Felder rep for my area (Elizabeth Rogers) has been very patient and helpful with my long list of questions.

[Jim Becker]

You should be able to fit the saw in there with some re-arrangement/tool selling as you describe. The 2600mm wagon will need approximately 19' end to end travel...at least that's what my SCM/Minimax S315WS requires with a similar throw. I'd surely go with the pre-owned KF700 over a new short stroke if I had the space. But that's just me...

[Chris Fournier]

There is very little to gain by removing the sliding portion of a slider, it's aluminum and relatively light, it will require careful re-installation to get it moving square and at a usable height above the TS table etc. The manufacturers ship them with two shipping stops at each end. Remove the stops, replace with correct fasteners and off your go. Your shop will easily suit a slider if you plan for it.

[Erik Loza]

As other pointed out, don't remove the slider unless absolutely necessary and yes, the sliding table will beat itself to death if you don't secure it properly for transport. I've seen it happen and NOT CHEAP to fix. With X-Roll tables, the factory ships them with a pair of plastic "slugs" wedged into each end of the slider. You actually have to work kind of hard to pop these out. My old Italian company would use steel mending-type plates that screwed into the endcaps of the slider's base rail. So, the next question for someone looking at a used machine is, "How do I order these?". In both cases, I don't know if there is actually a part number. Kind of like the various cleats and such they pack the machines with at the factory: It's probably viewed as a consumable and never meant for sale. So, I don't believe these are available as a spare part. Point being, if a person is looking at a used slider and the seller has misplaced these items, be prepared to come up with your own plan to secure the slider. Hope this helps,

Erik

[Kevin Jenness]

When I was planning to truck a used Martin T71 from CT to VT Edward Papa of Simantech recommended securing a pair of folding wooden wedges at each end of the sliding table between the beam and table. Easy and cheap insurance.

To the OP, I have a 24' x 30' machine room with 2 posts down the middle. On one side I have an 8.5' slider, a cutoff saw and a plywood rack, on the other a 16" jointer and planer, 8' stroke sander, 20" lathe, shaper and 36" bandsaw. My guess is with some careful planning you can make a full size slider work in your situation, although you may have to cut down the rip capacity and the crosscut fence to clear your center post.431575

[Jim Becker]

To Kevin's point, plan on placing the slider where it needs to be to enjoy the capacity while coexisting with the stairway and pole (I have the former in play in my shop) and plan the rest of your shop around it space-wise.