Hints on Moving a TS into the Basement....1 man job?

[George Farra]

Morning everyone,

I've got my sights set on a hybrid tablesaw. Either the Jet ProShop or the Craftsman zipcode saw.

My shop is in the basement of my house. Access is via staircase from the kitchen with a 90 degree turn...there is a landing at the turn point.

Can someone tell me what the width of these saws are without the extension wings? I'm hopeful that without the wings the saw will fit through the doorway.

Any thoughts on a 1 man job of getting it down the stairs? I was thinking of using a heavy duty handtruck. I weigh about 170lbs.....I'm a little concerned.

Tips and comments are most welcomed from your own experiences

Thanks

George

[Bob Slater]

if it measures up, you might want to try an appliance dolly, as they have a set of rollers (A belt) that you can roll down the stairs. You can rent them at most tool rental places.

[John Keeton]

George, I would not attempt a one man move. The risk of injury or damage to your saw or home is simply not worth it. That saw is going to be top heavy, unwieldy, and maneuvering it will be difficult.

It should be a relatively quick move - get a buddy to help! Your back will appreciate it, and you won't have one of those "man, I knew that wasn't going to work" moments. The problem will be once you determine you have a "situation", it will be too late. You will be mid way down the stairs, with the saw on a dolly, and no way to turn loose, rest, go forward/backward, etc. DAMHIKT!!!!

As Norm says - safety first!

[Mitchell Andrus]

Take the top off, the motor out and you're good to go. You're going to tighten bolts and true-up the top anyway so this is very little extra work.

[Tyler Howell]

Stay Safe, Get a buddy.
That thing starts to move you could be stair lubricant.

Great way to show off your new toyl.

[Scott Loven]

A buddy or a teenager should make it an easy job. I would not remove the top, many are shimmed and I have heard of people having problems getting the top flat again. I used to help an old guy move appliances up and down stairs when I was 16, just take it "one step at a time" as they say. An appliance dolly makes it much easier, I move my jointer to our basement the same way. Cost $5 for a two hour rental.
Scott

[peter de tappan]

Going down a flight of stairs with a table saw. By yourself.
Or, doing it with a friend's help, cementing a bond of friendship, sharing a laugh, a story, an expletive or two.
Listen to your common sense.

[Joe Scharle]

Can't answer for others, but the 22124 is more cabinet than hybrid. Miter slot/blade is 4 under table bolts. So don't be afraid to take the cabinet, then the motor, then a wing.....well you get the idea.

[glen box]

Assuming you are pucassing new. Every TS I have purchassed new there was "some assebly required". So if it is boxed leave it in the box and "with help just slide it down the stairs. Or of help is not avaliableopen the box and take it down a few pieces at a time. If it commes pre assembled then ask if you can get one still boxed and unassebled.

[Chris Kennedy]

I have a zipcode saw (the biggest one), and as I recall, it weighs about 400-450# when it is delivered. If you are looking at one of the smaller zipcodes, since they are all Orions, I imagine that the crating is all the same.

The size of the crate was basically the area of the center table of saw plus some additional height. If I were at home (instead of being lazy in my office), I'd run out and measure it for you.

It is by no means a 1-person job. On the other hand, when Sears delivers, they don't just dump large unwieldy objects on your doorstep and walk away. They will have it on a big dolly, with a two person team. They may very well help you get it into the basement. (I can't say for certain -- while I had a basement shop, there was a walkout from it so it was easy to deliver, but they have moved in appliances for us as well, and those they took up and down stairs . . . ).

Also, I don't know if 450# is a problem, but a friend of my brother's had some big piece of equipment moved into his basement. He had to shore up the stairs because weren't designed for the load. You may want to check -- I have this vision of your new saw crashing through the treads.

If I remember tonight, I'll measure my saw to give you a better idea of the size to expect if you go with the zipcode.

Hope that helps,

Chris

[Gary Muto]

It's totally worth taking the top off. Just be aware that there amy be washers/shims under 1 or more bolt locations and take note of it. I had a friend help me so I left the motor in place. If I took the motor out, I might have been able to handle it but I preferred an easy 2 man 5 minute job to a cumbersome, 30 minute 1 man job.
OTOH, I did move my 6" jointer by myself since it was in 2 boxes that could be slid down the steps by myself.

[Prashun Patel]

HA!

I JUST did this. I got the Proshop and had to move it downstairs. It is narrow enough to fit thru the door and down the stairs of a standard basement.

But it's very heavy to do one-man. I wouldn't do a handtruck; it's just too unwieldy. Get 2 helpers (two at the top, and one at the bottom since the top carriers will have to stoop a little).

I tried to disconnect the blade assembly and motor from the cabinet so I might carry it by myself, but that was a fool's errand. Just get 2 people to help.

Also, have them wear OLD shirts; the CI top is greasy and will ruin whatever yr wearing. Use slipproof gloves.

[scott spencer]

Minus wings the main saw tops are 20"w x 27" deep...the bodies are narrower. I'd guess the 22124 weighs ~ 225-250# without wings and fence. The motor and top of the 22124 are removal if necessary.

[George Farra]

Thanks everyone,

I agree with you all....I'm skeptical that I'll be able to pull this off by my self unless I break the machine down into smaller peices.

I've also wondered about the amount weight the staircase can handle....I had the same vision of my & my saw plunging through a tread :eek:

If I can get a buddy to help I certainly will....otherwise I'll need to break the machine down and re-assemble it. I'm also going to look into an appliance dolly

Safety first is a must. If I have to, I'll gladly pay a helper

Thanks again,

George

[Leo Zick]

im a fairly strong guy, and wouldnt recommend.
I just bought a grizzly hybrid, and had 2 guys on one end, and me on the other. FYI i didnt remove the tops because it gave us something to hold onto. we still took it one step at a time and rested on each tread.

[Lee Schierer]

There are two ways to do this:

1. Place the saw at the top of the stairs and push hard. The saw will reach the bottom.

2. Get a couple of friends with strong backs and weak minds to help you haul the beast down the stairs

[Wade Lippman]

Take everything removable off. The table, the motor, covers; everything. Yeah, you will have to spend an hour or two adjusting the table, but you will have to do that anyhow. Taking everything off and finding you didn't have to beats the hell out of taking less off then you should have.

Even then I wouldn't want to do it myself. I got my Grizzly down with my two sons and needed their help.

[Chris Kennedy]

Two things:

A lot of people have mentioned taking the top off as a possibility (taking careful note of shims). Can't speak for the JET, but if this can be avoided on the zip code, I would. Mine was dead on on arrival. It has been moved twice since then and is still dead on.

The other thing -- I read an article on tuning up table saws, either in Fine Woodworking or Popular Woodworking (can't remember which) probably about three years back, and the author made a big deal about having to mark something as a reference before you start tinkering with the top. I cannot remember what it was and I cannot find the article. Maybe it's a false memory, but I'll swear that there was something about this.

Hope this helps,

Chris

[Joe Scharle]

Don't be afraid of the zipcode. I helped a friend set his up (I've had mine over 3 years) and to prove a point; he was replacing a contractor saw. I removed the installed table (4 bolts) and re-installed and aligned it in 20 minutes. And I'm no expert! Mine didn't ship with shims; his had one in the RH rear (IIRC). After you get it setup you can do this with the rails installed. Yeah, I backed my pickup into the rail.

big deal about having to mark something as a reference

There's a yellow disc in front of the blade. Carry a pencil line or 2, from the blade.

[Les Derusha]

It can be done, I managed to get my Delta Unisaw down the basement via the kitchen very much like you. Three strong friends and an appliance hand truck will do the trick. My plan was a one way trip, any removals will be the responsibility of my heirs. Most packaging will fit through a 30 inch doorway.

[Brian Peters]

I wouldn't do it, not without help. I brought my delta hybrid down (400 pounds) with someone and we had trouble down the staircase. Going straight into something is fine, you can dolly it but getting it down the staircase was killer. And that was going down, one step at a time. I will have to hire movers if I ever do move to get it and all of my other tools out. Not sure about the weight of the other saws but I would figure 150 pounds - 200 is about max for the average person, especially on a staircase like that. ;)


Morning everyone,

I've got my sights set on a hybrid tablesaw. Either the Jet ProShop or the Craftsman zipcode saw.

My shop is in the basement of my house. Access is via staircase from the kitchen with a 90 degree turn...there is a landing at the turn point.

Can someone tell me what the width of these saws are without the extension wings? I'm hopeful that without the wings the saw will fit through the doorway.

Any thoughts on a 1 man job of getting it down the stairs? I was thinking of using a heavy duty handtruck. I weigh about 170lbs.....I'm a little concerned.

Tips and comments are most welcomed from your own experiences

Thanks

George

[Chris Kennedy]

big deal about having to mark something as a reference
Found the article (FWW, October 2005) -- and it has NOTHING to do with this. As I said, it's about tuning up a tablesaw, and it has no bearing in this case. They stressed measuring the distance from one of the mitre slots to the saw so that any jigs/sleds and like already made would fit once the table top was restored. Since it is a new saw, I am assuming you don't have a bunch of jigs ready to go.

Not quite a false memory, but I think it is a sign that the 'ol grey matter is starting to go.:confused:

Cheers,

Chris

[Terry Sparks]

George,

Take the bolted on table top off the saw and then walk them down seperatly, it's not likely that your miter gage slot on table is going to be perfectly aligned to the blade anyway, right?

The cabinet base is 18"X20" and without the cast iron top, that should be an easy move with a dolly and a friend. You can then walk the table top down and then the wings afterwards.

I have the same saw and I ended up loosening all 4 bolts under the cast iron table to get the damn thing alinged anyway....

P.S. Look up the Woodwhisperer.com for a video on setting up a table saw if this is your first TS.

[Eddie Darby]

If you decide to take it apart, then keep track of what washers/shims went where, when it comes to the top, since they shim the top to keep the blade aligned with the top when the blade is tilted.

[Vernon Taylor]

I would call a local moving company and have them send out a two man crew,we have utilized this service in the past and the charge was a minumum $100. Why?? The moving company becomes responsible for the machine but more importantly assumes the liability as regards the possibility of someone getting hurt through their workers comp.i would hate to have a friend get hurt doing this and having that on my concience.just my 2cents.

[Curt Harms]

As others have said, to do a solo act requires breaking down. The Griz shipped with 2 cast wings packed separately and I took the top off. Check for shims and keep track of which ones go where. I took the motor off as well so all that was left was the trunnion assembly and cabinet. I suspect you could do something similar with the Craftsman saw. I don't know anything about the Jet saw. Good luck with the move and enjoy your new Toyl!:D

Curt

[Jerry Olexa]

2 men would be a piece of cake plus a lot safer IMHO