Replies

1. 
   Cheatah | Nov 26, 2005 04:27pm | #1

   GR:

   Two years ago i moved my small shop from PA to Indiana. I was relocating due to a change of employers. I was silly in thinking that the professional movers could pack up my shop. The move did go well but I would pack all the items in your shop yourself. Hand tools need TLC when being packed and moved. I suggest that you pack the small stuff yourself. Your mover will most likely say that the items you pack will not warranteed by the moving co. That's OK. As for the big machines....

   Keep the machines that mean the most to you. Work WITH the movers to transport the these items.

   MAchines that you would like to upgrade....well now is the time. Sale these machines and buy new ones in Arizona.

   Good luck to you....I feel your pain....moving is always a pain in the neck.

   On the plus side, you now get to redo a shop...that can be fun.

   Take care.....

    

   Thank you,

   Cheatah

2. 
   UnclePaul | Nov 26, 2005 04:51pm | #2

   I moved from New England to Florida several years ago. I had a shop full of equipment to contend with. I ended up selling all of my stationary equipment before I moved. I wasn't particularly attached to any of it so the decision was easy. Plus it gave me the opportunity to purchase new once I was settled. My hand tools were another matter. I wasn't about to part with most of the collection, but I was nervous about the movers. Some of the stuff lives in tool boxes already so that stuff went on the moving truck as is.  My planes and chisels and other precision tools I wrapped in bubble wrap and built plywood and 2x6 crates to pack that stuff into. These were screwed together and packed snugly so stuff wouldn't roll around. I took before and after pictures of everything I packed . Just don't forget to leave a screw gun where you can get to it when you go to unpack!

   When I think back I know I made the right choice. I actually may have sold more stuff-i.e. hand held power tools. Bottom line I would move only what was most important to me.

   -Paul

1. 
   GRWalters | Dec 04, 2005 07:55pm | #10

   Thanks for the info. How large were your crates? 2x6 seems like over kill. Was there a specific reason or was did you just have a surplus handy? I would have thought that furring strips or 2x4 would be sufficient. What thickness of plywood would you recommend? Did you attach handles of some sort? I have been concerned that there are a lot of small (or oddly shaped) heavy items that might not work well with conventional boxes (ex pipe clamps, jointer fence, ...).

1. 
   UnclePaul | Dec 06, 2005 01:26am | #13

   I made crates using 2x6's, somewhere in the 2'x3' range skinned with 1/2" CDX. I used a lot of bubble wrap around my hand tools and packed them snugly into the crates. I thought of smaller stock, but when I was done wrapping the tools I'm glad I had the extra thickness. I chose not to put handles because the crates were a little too heavy to carry that way. They were easily moved using a hand truck. The crates when loaded probably weighed in the 75-100lb range. I had four crates all roughly the same size for all my hand tools-a lot of stuff!!

   -Paul

3. 
   HowardAcheson | Nov 26, 2005 06:56pm | #3

   I moved my shop from outside NYC to coastal Carolina a couple of years ago.  It included all the normal big stuff like, tablesaw, bandsaw, jointer, planer, dust collector, maple workbench, smaller workbench, sanding/set up table, etc.  In addition there was all the smaller portable power tools and hand tools.

   I second, wrapping and boxing your hand tools.  Lots of newpaper works well.  I even boxed much of my finishing material.  Portable power tools were boxed.  I disassembled my workbench, removed the railings and fence assembly from my tablesaw, removed the blade and table from my BS, removed the fence from my jointer, etc.  In other words anything that looked like it might get knocked around.  Oh, all my major tools are on mobile bases.

   When I talked to the moving company, they said they had no problem moving the tools--and they didn't.  They rolled them right up onto the truck, secured them, stowed the boxes and even moved a couple of hundred pounds of wood.  Took them about an hour to an hour and a half.  Movers know how to move and stow things in their truck.

   I made sure I was there when they moved things and had coffee and donuts.  Also, I made sure that the truck they picked up with was going to be the truck that delivered. I met them when they delivered and everything went smoothly.  I did not find one thing that was damaged. 

   Howie.........
4. 
   WillGeorge | Nov 27, 2005 07:25pm | #4

   I'd take the hand tools.. Take the wife out for the Nicest dinner she ever had in her life.. Dancing and Hugging and whatever SHE really likes..

   On the way home.. Tell her 'By the way' I have to buy me some new tools.. To expensive to SHIP!

   EDIT:: I tried that once on my wife.. She was my friend,, She told me ya think I'm stupid? I said NO.. She said I sort of like you out in the SHOP not bothering me!

   
   

   ---

   Edited 11/27/2005 11:31 am by WillGeorge

5. 
   migraine | Nov 28, 2005 06:05am | #5

   This may be alittle off topic/question, But...

   I moved from SoCal to Washington state a few years ago and we hired a moving company.  This was a nightmare. 

   When were getting quotes, one said we had 25,000lbs, another said      30,000 lbs and a another said 35,000 lbs (household and shop).  We went with the 25,000 lb quote because it was with Mayflower, a "reputable" company(yeah, right).  They dropped my 48" record lathe and beat up my powermatic66.  Plus the load was split and it took 30 days to get the balance of our stuff.  I put all of my small power tools in a lock box and locked it closed.  Nobody could rip me off this was. The moving company said the final weight was 37,000lbs.

   My best advice would be to use a company with a binding quote.  If it weighs less, you pay less.  But, if is weighs more, you are locked into the binding price.

   Try looking into moving yourself, it might pay off. Depending on the time of year 

   So now that I'm moving back to Central/Northern Calif, I doing it myself, The first Budget truck cost $700 plus fuel($300), The second truck was a Budget. It was $235,plus fuel, and the last one leaving this Wed is a Uhaul and it is costing $112 plus fuel.  The last two loads are way cheaper because they need to get their trucks out of Washington, and back to Calif.  The total weight of the first load was 10,500lbs, the second was 13,880 (1,880lbs over weight...oops!).  And the final load will be around 6,000lbs, I hope.   To rent the same truck(s) going the opposite way would be $1,800 each 

   I have to give a lot of thanks to the men from our church, we/they loaded the first two trucks in about 2-2 1/2 hours each. Almost every one of them were over the age of 60.

   By the way, the largest Budget truck can hold 12,000lbs of contents, where a Uhaul can only hold 6,500lbs of contents (same size truck)

   Hope some of this info helps.  Good luck

    

1. 
   chipo | Dec 05, 2005 11:57pm | #11

   Be very careful, if doing the move yourself, to check the weight limit on the truck's registration. A friend of mine found himself stuck at a weigh station on I-95 in CT while moving a truckload of A/V and theater equipment to Boston. The rental company had saved a few miserable bucks by registering the truck for a weight limit of less than 1000# over the weight of the truck itself, and he had something like 6000# in there (still over the truck's rating of something like 5000#). Had to call in some friends to rent another truck, drive it down and transfer part of the load, and got stuck with a multi-thousand-dollar fine (some of which I believe he was able to get the rental companny to pay).

1. 
   John_D | Dec 06, 2005 01:05am | #12

   Holy smokes, who'd think of checking that?  Good caution.

6. 
   Ricks503 | Nov 28, 2005 05:58pm | #6

   There are a lot of variables here.  How old are the big power tools? If just bought - take it with you. If older, it might be time to sell and buy new when you get there - both large stationary and smaller power tools like a circular saw. For those hand tools that have sentimental value or are especially valuable, I might consider packing a small box to travel with me if I were driving.

   Like suggested earlier,  Take photos, make lists...

   ALSO: mark boxes as they are packed.  If you have a floor plan of the new abode, come up with a naming scheme B for basement, 1 for first floor, 2 for 2nd, for attic

   then a dash and number corresponding to a room.   Make copies of the floor plan, with the rooms numbered on it, give one to the movers, have enlarged copies on each floor and a sheet on the door to each room with its number.

   Put the id of the room a box will go to on the box in BIG writing that way as they are unloaded they can be put in the room they will live in. - Makes sorting out after a move a lot easier.

   1 - measure the board twice, 2 - cut it once, 3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go        4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
7. 
   muleboy | Nov 30, 2005 08:44am | #7

   My fiance' and I purchased a house last year.   I moved my shop from one garage to another.  

   the Best thing I did was rent a truck with a lift gate.  I mean this was big!  It made getting the tools in and out of the truck a breeze.   I also purchased long 3/4" black pipe in long pieces and use some clamps to attach the pipe to the table saw, jointer, planner and a few other tools.   Made it easy for 2-4 guys to move a big machine without any need to disassemble it.

    

   Two words...   LIFT GATE!

    

   Muleboy.

1. 
   Wolfman | Nov 30, 2005 10:27pm | #9

   Great advice by Muleboy. When I bought my tablesaw I rented a truck with a lift gate and it was a godsend. I am moving into a new shop and house in a couple of weeks. I am hiring movers for the home, I think I might move my own shop. Me and a bunch of friends anyway. If I do this move myself, I am definitely getting another truck with a lift gate. I had movers deliver my 20 inch planer to my shop. One of the gentleman almost got run over by it as he was trying to slow it down coming off the moving truck ramp.

   Wolfman

8. 
   BOBABEUI | Nov 30, 2005 08:36pm | #8

   GR,

   Moved from central NJ to Charlotte NC about 18 months ago, a relocation from the wife's job. Large tools you want to take, break down into smaller componets (ie. remove extention wings on tablesaw, etc) you really don't want the moving company  disassembling your tools, if they even want to handle the job.

   I also packed all of my hand tools myself, the moving company would have done it, but I felt better doing it myself. I let my stock of lumber dwindle down, but they still had to move 200 bf of lumber, was a little worried that they would not move the stuff. One item that the moving company will not touch is any volatile finishing supply (aren’t they all!), you will either have to dispose of properly or move in your car.

   All and all the moving company did a great job. But even in it's most convient form, the whole moving experience sucks, really no other way of saying it.

    

9. 
   user-64217 | Dec 06, 2005 01:40am | #14

   If it is somethign that is delicate or can be easily damaged you will definelty want to crate it.  you can do this yourself or the moving company can. 

    

   Things easily break whenerv you move and also don't trust small parts that are part of the equipment to be neatly packed by the movers.  Disassemble those small pasrts and tape them to the underneath of the equipment.

    

   good luck