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Phillip Mitchell
06-07-2020, 8:46 PM
I (along with the help of my patient and awesome wife) moved this ~1300 # (?) Tannewitz Model U table saw this afternoon from the back of the trailer about 16” off the ground into my basement shop with a wide walkout door. Just thought I’d share my process for anyone else out there who may find themselves in a similar situation. I’ve moved some heavy machines before, but usually try and arrange some type of hydraulic assistant (forklift/skid steer/etc) for stuff this big, but I thought I’d try a more low tech approach and not bother my neighbor for his equipment.

It’s a pretty flat and straight shot, but I could only get so close to the house and had about 30-40 feet of yard to cover. I thought I’d have a pallet jack for this task, but that didn’t pan out so I had to go old school with a couple of large pry bars and (3) 40” long 3/4 black pipe. It took a little while to build the temporary ramps and I actually had to make a U turn with the machine in the yard prior to entering the shop because I loaded it backwards from what I should have. I had this machine stored at a large professional woodshop where I worked for several years and have access to a forklift there, but no such luxury once I get it on to my property.

Leapfrogging the last pipe up to the front works pretty well if you have a second set of hands and take it slow. I did basically the same thing with full sheets of 5/8 ply laid in the yard. The ramps were cobbled together with whatever I had around and are shored up from underneath with thick timber drops so it’s actually pretty solid without much sag.

Of course it was the mid afternoon and quite sunny so I was sweating like a pig the entire time, but whatever it takes right?

I acquired this machine about 6-7 months ago and have been working towards purchasing and wiring a rotary phase converter, which just materialized in the last week or two. I used to have my PM66 with a large side table and outfeed table that took up a footprint of about 80” wide x 72” deep and while it was really nice to have all the flat horizontal surface, it pretty much took over my tiny basement shop. I realized that I ever wanted to work this Tannewitz and a larger planer into the mix in this shop, I would have to give that arrangement up and reconfigure. I built up a plywood floor on sleepers on top of the concrete for both table saws that is perfectly level and allows me to have them 90* to each other and rip full length sheets of plywood on the 66 and rip up to 12’ long material on the Tannewitz.

The shop is currently a wreck and it took some Tetris and several long nights over the past few weeks, but I now have the 66 moved, the 10 HP rotary phase converter wired and running, and the Tannewitz in the shop in position. Next up is a new old planer. I’ve got a couple 20-24” options that will run off the new phase converter.

It’s amazing / crazy how much iron you can squeeze into a walkout basement that is 650 sq ft (essentially just under 400 sq ft of shop space.) There is obviously overhead ductwork, lower ceiling, washer/dryer, HVAC, water heater and stairs to contend with but it’s the (free) shop I’ve got for now and am trying to make the best of it.

Do you guys think I’m crazy or what? Who has more stuff shoved into less space? :D

Don’t know why it’s uploading my photos out of order and rotated...I wish I knew how to fix that.

Matt Day
06-07-2020, 9:11 PM
I’ve moved a couple 1200+ pound machines into my basement shop. Simply physics, and take your time. Nice work!

Bruce Wrenn
06-07-2020, 9:18 PM
Reminds me of when teaching shop. Shop had an ten foot roll up door. As a live project, we built a storage shed for my son. Of course with roof on, it wouldn't fit through door. We framed floor, and walls inside shop. Next morning when students arrived, to their amazement, building was outside.. Even went to the trouble of raking up some of the gravel in front of skids, to make it look like it was drug out of shop. Told them I had pushed it out of the shop by myself, which I had. Took them a couple days to figure out what those 2" pipes standing in the corner were for.

Bill Dufour
06-07-2020, 11:08 PM
I like the idea of a plywood platform that is level. My shop floor concrete has dips and swales in it.
Bil lD

Phillip Mitchell
06-07-2020, 11:41 PM
I like the idea of a plywood platform that is level. My shop floor concrete has dips and swales in it.
Bil lD

Yeah, same here. Part of my reasoning for the platform was to have the outfeed level slightly above the bandsaw table and it’s infeed area that is across the room when cutting longer stock on the 66. Making infeed and outfeed heights work in small spaces like this really requires some planning and coordination to be flexible for the most used sizes.

The level platform floor also will enable me to shim both table saws much easier so they’re coplaner with each other and I can use part of the Tannewitz for outfeed support when cutting wide sheet goods on the 66.

It was kind of tedious to accurately shim the sleepers level and tapcon them in the slab, but worth the time and effort for me in this situation. I did a similar thing years ago with the other half of the shop where my work bench and all my handwork / hand tools are. If the ceiling wasn’t already so low, I would have done it on the whole floor.

Rick Potter
06-08-2020, 5:50 AM
She's a keeper.

So is the saw.

My wife and I have moved lots of stuff the same way, including a couple 6X8 metal garden sheds across 70' of grass.

roger wiegand
06-08-2020, 7:06 AM
Hmmm.... My wife's idea of helping when it comes to moving large heavy objects that might kill me if something goes wrong is to repeatedly suggest "call the riggers!"; she's often right about that. Love the guys from Deathwish Piano Moving. They're great and can figure out how to get almost anything anywhere.

Alex Zeller
06-08-2020, 7:19 AM
I move machines with an engine lift. It's one of those cheap 2 ton Harbor Freight ones. I modified the fold down legs so they are parallel to each other (vs the V shape they were) and are just narrow enough to fit between a 36" door. When I need to move something I lift it up above the fold down legs and place 2x4s on top of the legs and set the machine on them. I replaced the casters on the legs to much larger ones so it rolls much easier. Even if I can't get the lift to the machine as long as it's close once I start to carefully lift it the machine will slide to the lift. I've even made a 4 point adjustable beam to help pick up machines.

Alan Lightstone
06-08-2020, 8:20 AM
"Deathwish Piano Moving" - :)

I used riggers. The forklifts and enormous pry bars made it look simple, though I have no doubt that it really wasn't for 1200# machines. My back is crying just thinking about moving that.

Nice job.

Jim Becker
06-08-2020, 9:18 AM
I'm really impressed how you got it up-side down in that one photo. :) :D

Seriously, nice work...for your next task, you and your better half can build some pyramids out of big blocks of stone. Same method to move stuff, so why not?

Erik Loza
06-08-2020, 9:47 AM
That's awesome. I remember helping deliver a Minimax combo "Egyptian-style", too. We rolled the whole pallet on metal pipes with a come-along winch. Took forever to get into the customer's garage but worked fine. Charlie Plesums (not sure if he still comes on here) was another one of my first combo deliveries. Huge CU410 Elite with 8' slider to a residence with a steep driveway. We used a flatbed wrecker to get the machine there but I ended up using a chunk of firewood and a 2X4 to lever the machine off its pallet. Where there's a will, there's a way!

Erik

Phillip Mitchell
06-08-2020, 12:23 PM
Yes Jim...pyramids are next. Stay tuned. I was definitely thinking about that while moving the table saw.

Tom M King
06-08-2020, 2:52 PM
You (both) did good!

Rod Sheridan
06-08-2020, 3:44 PM
Looks like it went well Phillip.

When I was winching my saw/shaper up the front steps of the house, my shop cat Ellington stuck his head through the ramp and gas got trapped by the advancing machine. Fortunately he wasn’t hurt, just stuck until I could lower it a few inches, after that I put him on top of the machine so he could ride up the stairs in style....Regards, Rod

Bill Dufour
06-08-2020, 8:56 PM
Go to about 30 seconds in to see a boat launch on pneumatic rollers. I have one Cherne pipe plug that maybe could do something like this. It is interesting to see them lift the ship with air bags.
Bill D.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPeGj_wguI4

Eric Arnsdorff
06-08-2020, 9:32 PM
Go to about 30 seconds in to see a boat launch on pneumatic rollers. I have one Cherne pipe plug that maybe could do something like this. It is interesting to see them lift the ship with air bags.
Bill D.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPeGj_wguI4

I'm not sure if I should be amazed or scared of that launch!
I'm not sure how accessible air bags like that are (I know they aren't cheap) but they sure would be useful for moving equipment in the shop.

Bill Dufour
06-08-2020, 11:21 PM
I'm not sure if I should be amazed or scared of that launch!
I'm not sure how accessible air bags like that are (I know they aren't cheap) but they sure would be useful for moving equipment in the shop.

Reminds me of watching them move wrestling mats. Takes the whole team to roll them up then stagger over with them to the truck or the other corner of the gym. When they have a tournament the other schools bring some mats with them.
Bil lD

Mike Wilkins
06-09-2020, 10:14 PM
Leap-frogging plywood sheets is how I moved my Hammer A3-41 16" jointer/planer from the driveway to the shop, on a rented pallet jack, in the heat, by myself. It's amazing how the brain can move heavy stuff around with some round objects and determination.