Moving stationary tools alone

[woodturner]

I'm wondering if anyone has any clever solutions for moving tools into basement shops, etc.

I've had good success moving lathes and similar tools by disassembing them and just sliding them down the basement stairs.

I'm considering a granite-top table saw that weighs 480 lbs - more than I feel comfortable handling by myself without some kind of mechanical aid. I would need to get it from the pickup truck to the ground in the garage, then up 2 steps to the breezeway, up another step into the kitchen. Then I would need to move it across the kitchen to the basement stairs, then down the stairs. The basement stairs have a landing and then reverse direction halfway down. The landing is a good staging area, but is not huge, so maneuvering about a table saw sitting on the landing could be tough. However, the landing is accessible from the side. If I just had a fork truck down there, I could just lift it off the landing :-)

I would appreciate any thoughts, suggestions, or ideas. Thanks!!

[dbhost]

Out of the truck to the ground is problem #1. Is it short enough that you can lift it far enough with a cherry picker (automotive type engine crane)? Those can be rented from Auto Zone pretty cheap...

[natausch]

Furniture Movers, not the mechanical ones, rather the guys who show up with enough experience and manpower to get it off the truck and into the basement.

[cabinetman]

I'm wondering if anyone has any clever solutions for moving tools into basement shops, etc.

Try this first.

I've had good success moving lathes and similar tools by disassembing them and just sliding them down the basement stairs.

Disassembly is the most efficient and safest method IMO to minimize physical injury and any possible damage to the machine or interior of your home. In all actuality, having help just makes good sense. I've moved similar machines and I'm no pee wee, but once something that massive gets away, it's too late.

I'm considering a granite-top table saw that weighs 480 lbs - more than I feel comfortable handling by myself without some kind of mechanical aid. I would need to get it from the pickup truck to the ground in the garage...

This is fairly easy because you have gravity helping out. Use lumber as skids from the back of the truck to the ground. Lay machine on a flat side and frictionally it will deploy at a controllable speed. You could also use a length of some fairly stout lumber as a lever/brace to push against the machine to gradually lower it to the ground. Have a suitable dolly ready to stand the machine up on once it reaches the ground (to the dolly).

...then up 2 steps to the breezeway, up another step into the kitchen. Then I would need to move it across the kitchen to the basement stairs...

Up to this point you're movement is up, so propping up the front of the dolly to the next level and then forging the rear up and forward will get it going. Or, use an appliance hand truck with the stairs option. You could rent one of those. It would be a matter of taking it off the flat dolly and getting it on the appliance hand truck.

...then down the stairs. The basement stairs have a landing and then reverse direction halfway down. The landing is a good staging area, but is not huge, so maneuvering about a table saw sitting on the landing could be tough. However, the landing is accessible from the side. If I just had a fork truck down there, I could just lift it off the landing :-)

I would appreciate any thoughts, suggestions, or ideas. Thanks!!

Going down the stairs is the same as getting it off the truck. Use boards as a skid plate and lay machine on a flat side and let it slide to the landing. Once there, set it up on the flat dolly and maneuver the transition to the next set of stairs down the same way.

My initial thoughts are to take it apart, and or, get help. And, by all means...eat your spinach.
.

[luteman]

Having a muscular wife would help.

[catta12]

I would get help. Even if you have to pay for help it is cheaper than hurting yourself or crashing your stairs.

You might post your location and see if any bt3 members are close.

[JSUPreston]

When I bought my Delta Contractor's saw a couple/three years ago, I had to get it off the truck by myself. Granted, I didn't have to deal with stairs, but I still had to figure out a few things.

1. Anything that can be taken out of the box a moved easily should. Cast iron wings were very heavy, but could still be lifted out of the box and put on a cart with casters. Small items, like nuts/bolts and blades can be moved easily. When working by yourself, every pound eliminated makes it a little easier. I got things down to the point where all I had was the main body of the saw.

2. Use dollies, furniture movers, creepers, anything with wheels if possible. You're probably less likely to hurt yourself pushing things around on wheels than trying to carry them. If you can get it to slide off the truck onto something with wheels, that's even better.

3. Gravity can work both for and against you. Use the advice of others about making ramps and using something to slow the slide down a ramp.

YMMV: on my saw, the instructions said that it required 2 people to flip it over once assembled (around 350 to 380 lbs.). IIRC, I didn't quite follow directions. I was able to flip the saw up on its stand by myself. Once I did that, I made use of a rolling shop cart to help put the cast iron wings on. The bear was getting the motor on by myself.

Like others have said, if in doubt, get someone to help you out. I'd hate to see you hurt yourself, or worse, hurt the saw.

[tkarlmann]

Solutions:
1. Get a BT saw instead and there is no weight problem
2. If I HAD to have the 480 lb thing, I would put two 2x12's long enough to cover the stairs, then get a block & tackle and tie one end to something fixed.
3. Nothing fixed handy? I've done this: Dig a post hole in the dirt ~ 2ft deep or more, put in a tall 4x4, guy the top with ropes and then 2x2 stakes. Now put a Large U bolt in the bottom. This gives you a fixed point. You can either use a come-along to move something laterally, or (if your stairs are near a door) as the fixed point (out your door) for your block&tackle.
4. Now invert the saw so the granite is on the bottom, then lower it down the stairs over the 2x12's.
5. You might need help getting it upright once down the stairs. Or: attach the come-along to basement rafters, concrete anchors on another short 4x4 so the legs don't slide, then upright it.
6. If saw is not on the legs, then you will need an A frame to lift saw onto base.

I have moved a 2" diameter tree plus roots plus large dirtball using this technique -- alone.

[twistsol]

Having a muscular wife would help.

but then she keeps asking "What did you buy now?"

[crokett]

1. Get help or pay some movers.

2. Take it down to its parts and move it piece by piece.

3. Rent one of the appliance hand trucks that has the belts on the backside for going down stairs. Once you get it down off your truck if it is strapped to one of those hand trucks you can get it down the stairs..

[tommyt654]

With all the people unemployed right now cheap help is readily available and most would love to have extra xmas money

[sparkeyjames]

Plus one for the heavy duty appliance hand truck with belts for stair crawling.
I have an older U-haul heavy duty one sitting in my garage right now. Disassembling something that heavy should also be a serious consideration.

[Rich P]

I vote for taking it apart. Figure out where the weight is and start there. Take it apart until you have parts you can manage by yourself with the appliance mover. I recently brought home a Powermatic 66 (500+ lb) and should have done that prior to loading it into my SUV. Wound up pulling the motor and the top while it was laying on it's back and it was still heavy but manageable (and I didn't have any stairs to deal with).

I would imagine a lot of the weight of your machine is in the top.

[Kristofor]

I needed to do almost the same thing (off a truck, up two steps, down to the basement) a few years ago when I went dark-side.

Getting it off the truck (all in one box, minus fence) was done by sliding down some ramps we have for a friend in a wheelchair but a couple 2x10's would do as well.

At that point I put just the saw body, table, and motor (not the wings, accessories, etc.) on a nice beefy dolly I have (with the bonus fold down wheels on the back to make it sit at a ~60 degree angle by itself). Going up the 2 steps was a three grunt effortand the closest point to needing help.

Going down the steps was actually pretty easy. The dolly had tracks and skids for the back. I used the skids. My basement steps are unfinshed wood so rubbing/dragging wasn't a problem for me. By adjusting the angle of the dolly I could have more or less friction between each step. There would be a small (1/2" maybe??) bump at each step as the wheels went over the edge then a friction slide until they contacted the next step. If it started to "get away" the natural result would be the dolly pivoting "backwards" and increasing the amount of friction up to the point where it would stop moving entirely. So long as I didn't either let go of the dolly, or tumble over the top it seemed like a fairly safe/easy process. I didn't have a landing in the middle however that would add some difficulty to the process...

[annunaki]

Cellar Doors

You're gonna need them anyway with all that nice stuff you're going to build in the basement.
Dig out around the foundation.
Rent a jack hammer to cut opening into foundation.
Install a set of extea wide Bilko Steel cellar Doors/stairs.