Q for Unisaw owners...

[Eric DeSilva]

First time poster here...

I just moved and finally get a space for a shop. Good news is that it is really large. Bad news is that it is a basement and access is realistically limited to a standard exterior door down a flight of exterior stairs. So, now I'm shopping for tools.

I found a 2yo Unisaw Platinum Edition, with the 50" biesenmeier fence and 3HP 230V 1PH motor. I'd love to say yes, but my particular worry is getting the beast into the shop. I figure the top, fence and guides will come off fairly easily, but have no idea what kind of cabinet weight that leaves me to wrestle with. Any Unisaw owners want to take a swag at weight and how many folks it will take to get the cabinet down the stairs? Anything else I should be (or definitely should not be) considering removing to lighten the load?

[Hunter Wallace]

Hey there Eric,

I've got that saw and it's been up and down basement stairs
4 times now...
With everything off of it (including cast table wings)
I bet it weighs in under 350#. It's pretty easy to dolly
when it's just the cabinet, just make sure you strap it
to the dolly....and don't try it alone!!!:rolleyes:

[Eric DeSilva]

Thanks, gives me a bit of confidence. Think its manageable with two folks? I'm thinking about getting a couple 2x6s and sliding it down the stairs--rope it up and lower it down gradually... Think there might be a well located tree I could secure the rope too. Or, is that overkill?

[Josiah Bartlett]

A decent hand truck and a friend is all you will need if you are going to take the fence and top off. You may be able to get away with just taking off the fence and extension tables.

Strap the cabinet to the hand truck and you will be fine.

You probably already know this, but never lift a unisaw by the top or the fence. Use the cabinet.

[Cary Falk]

Strapping it to an hand truck should be fine with out the top and fence. If there is any chance it might topple over during the move I would remove the motor to avoid breaking the motor mount The motor is about 80 pounds. It is a bit tricky to get the motor back in. It was all I could do to hold the motor in one hand and slip the pin in with another.

[Christof Grohs]

A decent hand truck and a friend is all you will need......

Don't forget a cold one for your friend:)

[Robert Waddell]

An appliance dolly with strap will make it almost a breeze. The extra friend will just be around to guide it in tight places.
Rob

[John Shuk]

Very easy to move. Don't take the top off. There is no need to do this and you could open a can of worms getting it back on properly.
Like others have said, a handtruck is the tool for the job. the machine is well shaped to be moved this way.

[Dan Forman]

An appliance dolly with strap will make it almost a breeze. The extra friend will just be around to guide it in tight places.
Rob

We moved mine into the basement on an appliance dolly, which is what I would recommend. The difference between that and a handtruck are the friction "breaks" which help slow the descent down each stair. It will also have a very robust strap system to hold the thing in place on the dolly. I had two helpers, could have done it with one, but not alone. I left the top on and motor in, but took the extension tables down serperately. It's really not a problem taking the top off; you will have to re-allign it, but you might have to do that anyway.

After you move the table saw, you will be better prepared for the jointer, bandsaw, and.... :D Good luck.

Dan

[Robert Conner]

When I bought my Unisaw the prior owner had it in the basement. It was still in the original crate and pallet. He used an appliance hand truck with a strap and the stair device. By the time I arrived he had it up the stairs and he didn't look the worse for wear (nor did the machine). The straps that ride the steps make the difference. I'm sure you can rent one at those tool rental places. It was more bulky with the crate and pallet yours will go easier.
Robert

[Rod Sheridan]

My wife and I easilly moved my General 650 downstairs with an appliance dolly. (And a planer, jointer, shaper etc).

regards, Rod.

P.S. Don't take the top off the saw unless you want to re-align it.

[Brad Townsend]

Very easy to move. Don't take the top off. There is no need to do this and you could open a can of worms getting it back on properly.
Like others have said, a handtruck is the tool for the job. the machine is well shaped to be moved this way.
Have to take issue with this. Leaving the top on is going to make it not only a lot heavier, but top-heavy as well. Would not want to take it down stairs this way just for the safety concerns. I took the top off mine to move it and getting it off and on and aligned properly was no big deal. It's only four bolts (you WILL need to get a hold of a rather large Allen wrench) and when you put it back on, just follow the instructions in the manual for getting everything aligned. (If it doesn't come with a manual with it, it can be easily downloaded)

[Gary Muto]

When I moved mine I took the top off and noticed one washer shim. I noted the location and made sure it went back. It was well worth the effort and aligning the top was easy. I left the motor in the cabinet. One friend and I easily moved it down stairs using a small dolly.

[Eric DeSilva]

Thanks for all the wisdom. Think I'll swing by Sears or something and pick up a hand truck. Moved a 14" powermatic bandsaw around the corner and down the stairs last night, and I think an appliance handtruck is probably a useful addition to the garage.

I've cut the deal on the Unisaw, so we'll see how that goes... The part about having a basement shop that is killing me is that I had to pass on the $750 nearly new powermatic 8" parallelogram jointer and the $750 nearly new powermatic 20" planer I also saw on craigslist. A 350# cabinet saw is one thing, a 7' long 760# jointer and a 850# planer is another. I keep telling myself there is no way they would have made it down the stairs without killing someone. Dammit.

[Rod Sheridan]

Eric, one of the simplest solutions is to contract out the moving of the machinery.

A millwrighting or piano moving company will be able to move your machinery downstairs.

Regards, Rod.

[JayStPeter]

Pretty reasonable to dolly down the stairs. Take the top off if you need to, just mark where everything goes. It's not as big a deal as everyone makes it out to be.

[Roland Chung]

Double check the condition of the stairs. The combination of the skinny, hard wheels on the dolly and the g-forces generated from any bouncing that might happen can add up to a lot of pounds per square inch. Be sure the treads can take it. Just wanted to bring this up incase the previous owner replaced a couple of treads with some knotty pine boards.