Within the next month or two I will be losing my shop space. More than likely it will be atleast a year before I will be able to set it up again. I want to find out what preperation I should do to the machines that I have? I am talking about the large machines, table saw, band saw, drill press, etc..
Also what would be the best way to store wood? More than likely the items will be stored in an unheated garage, but I might have to resort to a storage building. Any ideas?
We are the people our parents warned us about. J. Buffett
Replies
To Parrothead,
I recently had to move and store all of the contents of my woodworking shop also. I had the fortune to be able to store most of my large machines in a family members heated basement, low heat but hopeful dry. For the preparation of the move out of a basement shop and into a moving trailer and again into another basement, I found it necessary to have to disassemble all of the large tools to some degree. For this it is a good idea to clean every tool, especially the saw dust and oily surfaces to help in moving. When I removed parts of the tools I found it important to label pieces and place parts into boxes with good labels on them as well. It is also important to place nuts and bolts in the places that they are removed and give them a good hand titening or more so as to both not loose them and to know where they go when reassembling. It may be more than a year before I will be able to have a shop space again, and finding parts and where they go may not remain in memory for as long as the machinery is apart, and the instructions may not be around either. For me, I kept several of the hand tools and smaller tools in cases and tool boxes so that I will have access to them if I need them. As for wood storage, remember to keep the lumber off of the ground and floor surfaces. Moister can be wicked into wood through concrete so stack the lumber on some scrap 2 by materials and support the lumber evenly. If your machinery has the chance to get wet, by either water directly or condensation, it may be a good idea to spray some light oil on the moving parts of gears like on the underside of a table saw and apply some rust preventive or heavy wax to the surfaces to keep them clean. Good luck, and remember to have some refreshments on hands for your friends that you will have to solicit to help in the moving.
Make sure to get as much saw-dust out of them as you can. Saw dust will retain moisture longer, like a sponge, and increase the risk of corrosion significantly.
we had to store woodshop outside for several months in summer . coated every surface with lots of wd 40[not the motors] and covered with blue plastic tarps. it worked out very well. flbuckeye
re: wd40, the story I heard was that it was invented at an aerospace company to protect missile parts in a coastal area so it has the property of penetrating underneath a surface water film. Take that for what it's worth - I've no idea if its accurate. Incidentally, it also penetrates underneath heavier oils, causing them to dislodge so it ends up ruining bike chains if you use it.
Where are you located?
In southern IndianaWe are the people our parents warned us about. J. Buffett
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