Packing the shop for storage and a move

[Steve Schoene]

Packing up the shop, preparing to move to a new house, but since it is yet to be build, will have to store most all of it for the interim until the new shop is ready. Will be using professional movers. Any tips, good ideas, bad ideas, or anything to pass along about the ordeal will be appreciated.

[dale rex]

have fun......LOL

I moved two years ago, and had to do the same thing. It was alot of work. I started taking apart each machine and labeling and boxing all the parts. Stripped each machine down to bare bones to make the move easier. Had pro's move the heavy stuff and I moved all the boxes. Alot of boxes.:( Make sure you have all the instruction manuals handy when you reassemble each machine. All the machines you take apart will have to be readjusted and set up again. Otherwise, just take your time packing, and label everything, boxes and all. When I moved I had just had hernia and gall bladder surgery two weeks earlier........that was fun trying to pack boxes three days after surgery! I could pack them but couldnt lift more than 10 lbs. So I had to get help every night to carry the boxes that I packed that day. Just have fun and stay patient.;) and be sure to protect your cast iron tops from moisture during storage. I made sure I had a fresh coat of wax on all the cast iron tops before the move

[Jim Becker]

Maybe you could consider renting a container or PODs type thingie to keep on the property until the new shop/house is ready...

Oh, on the labeling...rather than write on the box what is actually in the box...number the boxes, code them for location and keep a journal (and a copy of it in a second safe place) of the actual contents of each container. This is a bit more secure when others will be handling and potentially storing your stuff. And take pictures of EVERYTHING to document that you actually owned it. Keep them with the serial numbers in the journals.

[JayStPeter]

I did the same thing a few years ago. 7 months in storage until the new house was built.
I disassembled all my major machines myself. I liberally spread paste wax on all my cast iron and didn't wipe it down. Instead of removing the motor from my Unisaw, I blocked the motor in place inside the cabinet. Same with the jointer. I packed all the small stuff myself, even though the movers packed out the rest of my house. They just might not know that carbide blade tips shouldn't touch etc.
It all went well (although not perfectly :rolleyes: ) for me. I hope your move is at least as good.

[Steve Kohn]

I'll second what Jim said about the boxes. I moved to Europe for 2 years. My company had professionals box and store my shop. When I came back and pulled everything out of bonded storage there were at least 3 boxes of tools that were missing. Unfortunately I could remember only some of the missing tools since I didn't personally pack the boxes.

[Robert Boyd]

The pods are nice for household items but not for the machinery. I forget the max weight it could hold but it was not enough for my equipment. Also the prices are too high I believe.
I moved everything by truck from IL to PA in July and the sad thing is my stuff is still in storage until I find a house.
The best results I had for labeling was to let my girlfriend label and pack everything as I was in PA. As far as loading the truck I gave away my walnut to my neighbors as they loaded the truck for me.

No complaints yet.

[Steven DeMars]

Suggestion . . . Buy or rent used SeaLand Cargo Container. They are not expensive to rent. They are secure & water proof. Weight is not a problem for them. Your tools probably were shipped to the states via one of these.
Full, top to bottom & front to back . . . .

We use them on all the construction sites in the plants to secure tools and test equipment.

They come in 10', 20' & 40' lengths . . . . by 8' wide . . . .

Steve

[Steve Schoene]

Thanks, some good ideas here.

[Travis Porter]

I packed my own boxes for my last move, and I regret it compared to the way they packed them previously. The movers do a much better job of that and making sure the boxes are packed properly. I would be careful of my router bits, drill bits, shaper cutters etc, and pack them special as the movers will just throw a bunch together in paper and wrap them possibly nicking the cutters. They do label the boxes pretty good.

Lets see, they also have a tendency to bend long clamps (bent 1 of my 8 ft pipe clamps), and they definitively hate having to move wood.

[Dennis Peacock]

Man....I hate moving and moving a shop full of tools and stuff makes it even more of a chore. Pack things well as heavy tools will move in transport. Best of luck to ya and may it all go smoothly.

[JayStPeter]

When I moved, I couldn't be there for half the day when the movers were packing the house. I had packed the things I thought were important myself, including most of the significant stuff in the shop. When I got to the house, things were winding down. The shop was fully packed. They had even bundled all the wood and wrapped my ladders. I didn't really think about much as the garage (formerly shop) had all the machines pushed into the corner where I'd left them and was full of boxes otherwise. When it finally came time to unpack, there were a ton more boxes and wrapped packages in the shop area. It turns out that they packed a large pile of scrap I'd been planning on throwing out :eek: :cool: . Must've been about 6 boxes and 10-12 bundles of scrap ... talk about starting the new shop already messy.