How do I get a new assmbled bandsaw home safely?

[Joshua Dinerstein]

I bought a Rikon 14" Deluxe bandsaw a few months ago. Well the store I bought it from would really like me to take it home. I would really like to take it home.

I am curious now as to what to do and how to get it home safely. It comes out of the box and pre-assembled as it was the floor model at Woodcraft. I don't want to destroy it on the way home. I have read horror stories about tool flopping out of trucks at the first real corner and smashing into pieces often taking the truck side panel with them.

So do I move it standing up? Do I move it laying down? How do I keep my new saw looking and operating new post the 2-3 mile drive home?

As background information I don't own a truck and I never have. So I am rarely called upon to move such things...

Thanks,
Joshua

[Jerome Hanby]

I leave it up to someone else to post how to pack it onto the truck. I'm more of an expert on flopping one out of the truck. But, you can rent a truck pretty cheap from Home Depot. I think the rental time is like 75 minutes. I'm sure they intend you to carry stuff home from their store, but what they don't know...

[Tony Bilello]

I would try to disassemble as much as reasonably possible. At least see if you can separate the saw from the stand. Then lay the saw down so it cant roll. Having not really taken a good look at it, I am only guessing. Can you get an asembly manual online or do you already have one?

[Jamie Buxton]

There's lots of ways to move machines. The question is what equipment you have. You don't have a truck, but what do you have, or what can you get hold of? Do you have a car? An SUV? A hatchback? Is your move really only two miles? Is it flat enough that a hand truck is possible?

[Wes Grass]

2-3 miles? Sheesh, put it on a furniture dolly and walk home with it ;-)

But seriously, pull the table and motor, and lay it down on a piece of cardboard. Drive slow. Assemble in reverse order. Worked for me with a Laguna HD16. Still not sure how I managed to stand it back up by myself ...

[Myk Rian]

I brought a 14" Delta home in a trailer, laying on its back.
Don't leave it standing as the result of doing that can be attested to by at least one member here.

[Carroll Courtney]

Several oppositions,rent a small trailor w/a gate that will lay down for loading,like the ones that mowing crews use.At the local HD,you can rent a truck w/lift gate for 20.00 I think,purchase some wood and get it home then run down to WC and pick it up.While your at the local HD purchase some of those ratchet type tie down straps,that way the straps won't scratch the new paint like a rope will and you can tighten the heck out of the straps.Or ask a friend to give you a hand and to use his truck,than lay the saw down.Like the other posters said,remove the table.Now this saw here was a beast to get home,all 2000lbs of it.I remove the table,motor,bracket,doors first.
There better be pics of your new saw when you get it home,SMC is watching---Carroll

[Conrad Fiore]

As was mentioned, remove the table, very easy. Then if you unbolt the saw from the base, you will have three very easily manageable pieces to move around and lay down on some cardboard or padding in the bed of a truck.

[Stephen Edwards]

If you have some old sofa or chair cushions laying around put them in the truck bed/trailer to lay the saw on.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Short of taking the upper part of of the base, I've always thought that the best way is to lay it on it's back, and strap it in good from 6 different points.

[Michael Flores]

I bought my agazzani from the wood working show pre-assembled.it was the 18 inch model. its not that big of deal to move it. It took two guys and ford ranger. The only thing that had to be removed was the doors. We laid it down on its back spine since it was completely flat, that way there was no pressure on the table or the switch. Just use those ratcheting tie down straps the truckers use and your golden. we drove home 40 miles on the freeway like this with the tail gate down cause it would not close due to the length of the bandsaw. Not one scratch.

[John Coloccia]

Why ya'll making it so hard? Rent a truck with a liftgate. Strap into truck. Drive home. I believe Penske or Budget still rent trucks with lift gates.

Is it still on a pallet, BTW? Even better! Ask Woodcraft if they'll let you borrow their pallet truck for 20 minutes or buy one on Craigslist for $50 (that's what I did).

[John Coloccia]

Several oppositions,rent a small trailor w/a gate that will lay down for loading,like the ones that mowing crews use.At the local HD,you can rent a truck w/lift gate for 20.00 I think,purchase some wood and get it home then run down to WC and pick it up.While your at the local HD purchase some of those ratchet type tie down straps,that way the straps won't scratch the new paint like a rope will and you can tighten the heck out of the straps.Or ask a friend to give you a hand and to use his truck,than lay the saw down.Like the other posters said,remove the table.Now this saw here was a beast to get home,all 2000lbs of it.I remove the table,motor,bracket,doors first.
There better be pics of your new saw when you get it home,SMC is watching---Carroll

Great idea. I rent the trucks and vans from Home Depot and Lowes all the time. I don't think you even have to buy anything there. I never do, and they never seem to care.

re: ratcheting tie downs
Harbor Freight usually has those cheap cheap cheap. Every now and then they go on sale for $1.99 a pair, or something ridiculous like that, and I snatch up a bunch. They're my favorites, too. The WAY more expensive ones I buy elsewhere for $20, $30 and more always seem to jam up and not release properly. The HF ones just always seem to work, and I have enough of them at such a good price that I frequently give them away to friends that need to borrow a few... "Just keep 'em".

[glenn bradley]

I did it like this. I built the wooden fixture to support the motor. I made sure no straps or braces put pressure on anything other than the frame. Avoid the table and trunnions ;-) The rental was way cheaper than a bent saw.

[Russ Kay]

I picked up a Rikon bandsaw from a Rikon scratch-and-dent sale two years ago. We manhandled it into the bed of a friend's pickup truck (don't rightly recall if we laid it down on its side or not; I think so) and drove it 50 miles with no problems.