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Thread: Storing Machinery

  1. #1

    Storing Machinery

    Due to some unfortunate circumstances, I will likely be loosing my current shop space. I may be able to store my machinery in an unheated garage while I get set up with a new place. Will the seasonal hot cold cycle (in Central PA) cause any damage or deterioration to the machinery, belts, motors, electronics? I anticipate they will need to be stored for roughly 2 years. Selling and repurchasing the machines will likely result in some major losses that I would prefer to avoid if possible. I appreciate any suggestions. Thank you.

  2. #2
    Do you have the option where you live of a self-storage business offering enclosed, climate-controlled spaces? We have some here in Central Oregon where we have wide seasonal swings; perhaps that could work?

  3. #3
    Dave, thank you for the suggestion. This thought has crossed my mind. However with the machines being of larger size, ie 12" jointer, Sawstop ICS, etc, I am not sure how it would be to move them into a storage unit compared to the garage I have access to.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Eastern Iowa
    Posts
    751
    The mass of your cast iron tables will mean a lag in temperature changes wrt ambient temps. That will affect condensation rate wrt dew points. When I close up shop in my unheated workshop I put a lamp with a 100 watt bulb inside my uni saw, cover it with a tarp and plug it into a mechanical timer outlet to run about 12 hours at night.
    I also relieve tension on the belts. My belts are newer, but I remember the belts on the saw when I bought it used had "memory" spots where they had been tensioned against the pulleys. Newer belts are supposed to be better made and not suffer from that as much, but I figured what can it hurt? They also sell belt dressing. I haven't used it before, so can't speak to it, but two years is a lot longer than I have stored my equipment.
    Comments made here are my own and, according to my children, do not reflect the opinions of any other person... anywhere, anytime.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Lancaster, Ohio
    Posts
    1,346
    CLEAN, CLEAN esp. inside cabinets, no sawdust
    touch paint up
    oil/lightly grease any exposed metal
    wax top with a heavy coat and don't buff it out
    Good luck
    Ron

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
    Posts
    65,677
    With some preparation and care, your gear will be fine and any cleanup will be minor and surface related.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  7. #7
    Tim,
    Sorry to hear of your unplanned hiatus from woodworking. I put most of my tools into storage for 5 years when I went overseas. In addition to all the good advice above, I laid wax paper over my unpainted cast iron surfaces. It stuck nicely to the protectant I used underneath (maybe WD-40, but I'm sure there are better options). I had no issues with rust. Good luck, Pete

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Location
    Cambridge Vermont
    Posts
    2,280
    Any storage facility will have a way to load and unload trucks as well as ways to move equipment (like a pallet jack or fork lift). It's their business to be convenient. But you'll pay. The problem with a garage isn't just moisture but rodents and such. Mice love to make nests in the weirdest places. They will urinate all around their nest and actually eat grease and vinyl coatings on wires. Assuming this is not your garage is there a chance that someone may see your tools and think that they are a great place to store boxes (and maybe that frosty cold one they set down and forget)? If you cover the exposed surfaces with grease make sure it's a good choice for this application. Had a friend who stored a set of cast iron racing heads for a car and covered them with spray on white lithium grease then placed in a garbage bag. This was in a basement so not extreme temp changes or moisture. They rusted bad enough in a year so they had to be remachined.

    I think if I was going to go the uncontrolled garage route I would try to get cosmoline and then cover that with magnetic sign material on the flat surfaces.

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