Mothballing a shop

[john jesseph]

Anyone here have experience with packing up and storing a shop for an indeterminate time? I’m not doing any woodworking currently, and have all my tools boxed for the most part. We’ve accepted an offer on our house, and had an offer accepted for a purchase. I’m not sure I’ll have a shop space any time soon. I have some big tools, like an old Unisaw, a decent Laguna bandsaw, 20” grizzly planer, etc etc. and a stupid amount of lumber. Thoughts, ideas, suggestions, stories welcome. Thanks!

[Patrick Kane]

Hey John, if by "indeterminate" you mean years, then i would strongly consider liquidating the entire lot. Used tools are commanding a premium at the moment, not to mention the cost to store them for years. If this is more likely a 6-12 month process, then others have suggested storage units, PODs, or friend's garages. If you do put things into storage, i dont know where you are, but i would go through the hassle of coating surfaces in cosmoline or similar antirust prevention. Not just waxing things.

[Robert Engel]

If you're sure you're going to get back into ww'ing, I would not sell them. The replacement cost will be multiples of what you paid, and if they are older models in good shape they just as good as a new one. It depends on what brands/kinds of machines.

But to your question, it depends on the climate, but if rust is an issue, and you can get them moved into a climate controlled storage, that would be ideal.

[Bert McMahan]

I'd sell anything I could. Keep the stuff you know will be hard to replace, sell the rest.

I was in a similar spot, moved out thinking I'd have a shop in about 6 months. Two years later I've paid the storage unit company something like $3500-$4000 to keep all of my tools sitting for me. The entire process has been "Looks like just another couple months till the shop's ready" for the entire time. At this point I could've sold all of my old stuff and rebought most of it brand new and been out ahead. I'll never store tools like this again unless it's something truly difficult to replace. Most of what you've listed comes up pretty frequently for sale used, and if you're looking at 2+ years of storage you'll pay more to store it than the tools are worth!

[Patrick Kane]

I'd sell anything I could. Keep the stuff you know will be hard to replace, sell the rest.

I was in a similar spot, moved out thinking I'd have a shop in about 6 months. Two years later I've paid the storage unit company something like $3500-$4000 to keep all of my tools sitting for me. The entire process has been "Looks like just another couple months till the shop's ready" for the entire time. At this point I could've sold all of my old stuff and rebought most of it brand new and been out ahead. I'll never store tools like this again unless it's something truly difficult to replace. Most of what you've listed comes up pretty frequently for sale used, and if you're looking at 2+ years of storage you'll pay more to store it than the tools are worth!

This is exactly what i had in mind. Time slips by and what you thought was going to be X amount ends up being 2X amount. The OP sounds like he has a fantastic hobby setup, but to replace all those tools new at retail would be $10-12,000. Chances are he can sell all of his tools for $5,000 maybe--speculating, because i dont know models, age, etc. Factor in Bert's experience of paying $4,000 in storage costs, and the OP could almost replace everything with brand new tools under warranty. Or, search out used replacements for $5,000-6,000 and be ahead of the storage costs.

I think about this for my own short term future, and its not worthwhile to move and store 'ubiquitous' tools like a unisaw, four post planer, 14" bandsaw. This stuff regularly comes up for sale on the used market just about everywhere, and its replacement cost isnt high enough to justify moving and storing. Now, if your 10" table saw was your father's, then its priceless and worth keeping. For me, i would sell my Oliver 232, 20" powermatic planer, 20" laguna bandsaw, and probably the Felder KF700. I would keep my 20" jointer and Martin T17. These last two items would take me a year or two to find again, and likely be expensive. For example, a similar but better version of my jointer, a 1998 Martin T54, just sold for like $18,000 at auction last week. Im into my slightly inferior machine for a fraction of that price, so its not something i can expect to ditch and easily pick up again in another locale.

[john jesseph]

I appreciate the insights! Maybe I should have posted in the general forum. The most difficult thing to deal with is what to do with 4-5000 bf of lumber. I don’t have anything that fantastic machine wise, so you’ve helped me decide. I’ll probably keep my 14” delta bandsaw with cast iron base and sell the rest.

[Kris Cook]

Your location isn't shown but possibly you could unload some of that lumber to fellow Creekers...

[Scott Winners]

I was going to ask about the lumber. Among my power tools I have a pretty nice 12 inch RAS that I have gotten dialed in. The rest are just CL finds that could be easily replaced. I don’t have ‘a lot’ of 8/4 hardwood that has been seasoning inside my climate controlled house for two years, but what I do have would take two years to replace regardless of price.

I also wonder if renting shop space to set up in might be an option. That would possibly be a bit more expensive than mere storage, but it might also allow the hobby to carry on in the interim.

When I look at my machines I see not just purchase price but also setup time. Were I to move to the lower 48 I would be looking for a pretty good price on my RAS and my planer as I have a fair bit of time wrapped up in getting both dialed in. My jointer not so much and my dust collector would be pretty much free to a good home. I am not involved in his hobby to do machine setup. I can do it, but kinda like sharpening I like using sharp tools but I don’t especially enjoy sharpening.

same when buying used tools. I always take some kind of stock and a square with me. If the machine is dialed in it is worth a bit more to me than something that needs tuning. Hand planes and handsaws too really.

[Jim Becker]

Indefinite time period and no recent activity would make me consider keeping the small stuff...hand tools, small electrics, measuring, etc., and maybe some "really special" pieces of wood and offloading the rest. It's going to cost money and/or space to store things and with being up in the air about for how long you might be away, it would be hard for me to justify that cost and space. Keeping the bandsaw makes sense as it's a very versatile tool when combined with the hand-held stuff for doing things for your new home. And you can probably generate some very nice cash for the larger tools and material. Those are my thoughts. Others may and do feel differently.

[Leigh Betsch]

It might depend on your age and how close you are to retirement.
I had the exact issue that you are facing. My thinking was:
while I was working I bought really nice high end equipment.
Then I took several job transfers and stored all my stuff for 5 years in unheated storage at $100/month.
I knew that once I retired I would never feel like spending the money to get back to where I was. It’s a mental thing with many retirees, you have the money but don’t want to spend it. So for me keeping the equipment was the best way to assure I would still have a wood shop.
But during those 5 years off of woodworking I bought some nice metal working equipment and put it into our lake home. And to be honest I likely could be just as happy continuing down the metal path, building motorcycle sidecars.
I guess what I’m saying is, maybe your interests will change.

[Ron Selzer]

. And to be honest I likely could be just as happy continuing down the metal path, building motorcycle sidecars.


interested in seeing pictures of any motorcycle sidecars you have built
Quit riding a few years back as the old body said I could work or I could ride not both. Can't/won't retire so sidecars and bikes went away
Ron

[john jesseph]

Thanks again! I’ve got about ten weeks before we are out of this house. I’m going to sell the big machines. Maybe I’ll be able to upgrade if and when I have a shop again.

I’m really dreading getting rid of lumber. I’ve got lots of premium domestic lumber. Lots of it has sentimental value to me. I hate to stick it in a random storage unit, but I might have to. Ugh.

I’m in Indiana, fwiw. I used LPS 3 on my table saw top 15 years ago when I stored it. That worked well. Other than my Laguna, which I will sell, I’m not super attached to any tool.

I still think about woodworking a lot. I hope to at least do some small stuff soon. Shaker boxes, shrink pots. I’d carve spoons, but that’s too trendy.

[Jim Becker]

Yea, the lumber can make for hard choices...I found it painful when I had to cull my own inventory prior to moving this past year. While a good chunk of what I got rid of was a lot of ordinary shorts and odd-ball stuff, I always found uses for that kind of thing. The massive reduction I managed with my turning stock was eye opening. So yea...if you can keep the stuff that's "most special", do that. Make three "virtual" or physical piles...the must keep, the would like to keep and the I can live without. Most of your energy is then with the middle group moving it either to keep or to not keep.

[Scott Winners]

. So yea...if you can keep the stuff that's "most special", do that. Make three "virtual" or physical piles...the must keep, the would like to keep and the I can live without. Most of your energy is then with the middle group moving it either to keep or to not keep.

This is great advice that can be applied to many areas. I knew which were my "must keep" lumber as fast as I comprehended the words I read. Thanks.

[Erik Loza]

...The most difficult thing to deal with is what to do with 4-5000 bf of lumber...

Could you just stick it in a Conex container and have it stored somewhere for the time being? Then delivered to your new location later? On your machinery, I agree with others that unless you have anything really high-end, might be simpler to just sell now and re-buy when needed. Good luck with your project.

Erik

[John Lifer]

Buy a can of Boeshield for long term storage of bare metal. It works great.

[john jesseph]

I’m a big fan of Boeshield. Thx!

[Anthony Whitesell]

When thinking about the tools in my shop. I got most of them on sale new or used at a great deal (plus some sweat equity). I have few duplicates (I think the only dupes are a pair of quarter sheet sanders and a pair of ROS). The concept of including the storage price as part of the replacement cost is spot on. I will never find them again for that price, especially including rental fees to store them. At the same time there are probably a few that I could (would) part with now, to buy an upgrade in the future.

Using a storage unit as an example, there are multiple sizes. The larger the unit the more the cost. So it would be best to use the smallest unit possible and fill it to the brim. If it were me, I would start my placing the tools I would not sell in first. If that fills a 5x5, then move to a 5x10. At the same time working from the must-keep tools to the could-part-with tools. Once the tools are in, fill the remaining space with lumber, again starting with the must-keep probably-could-not-find-again (like a piece of table flat black walnut 16"x 50"x 6/4 with great figure) and work down the everyone-has-it-on-the-shelf lumber. Once it is full then the rest gets sold.

[john jesseph]

More good advice, thx! I’ve got til April 1 to figure it out. Now I’m leaning toward keeping my 2 bandsaws, selling all other big tools, and boxing everything else up. I can store it in the basement of the new house.

I’ll have trouble parting with 80 percent of the lumber. I have tons of wide cherry and walnut, all kinds of other stuff like butternut and apple slabs, figured maple, 20 inch wide silver maple, Kentucky coffee, on and on.

[Jim Becker]

I bought a StorageLogic 10x10 tent structure and built a 10x10 platform to put it on to store my lumber here at the new property until I can get a shop building up. It's worked out well. Yes, not "conditioned" but the stuff wasn't in conditioned space at the old shop, either. Only the actual shop had HVAC. So perhaps you can consider something like that at your new property to avoid having to unload a lot of your material. But if you do, there are likely 'Creekers who will gladly pay you decent money for really good stock.