Moving tooling

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SteveM
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Moving tooling

Post by SteveM »

So, besides moving things like machines, there's all the stuff that goes with it.

Some of that stuff is HEAVY.

What do you use to pack up some of that heavy stuff?

Think things like lathe chucks, rotary tables, milling vises.

The plastic boxes from the big box stores are no good for small, heavy items.

You can't use a very large box anyway - how are you going to list a box with six chucks in it?

I'd like them in some kind of box so that I can stack them.

Steve
pete
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Re: Moving tooling

Post by pete »

Unless your building custom sized plywood boxes or buying something special that's commercially made and very expen$ive, your not going to be stacking anything in cardboard boxes much more than two high anyway. The boxes just can't take unsupported weight. I also use strapping or sometimes duct tape around the box bottoms and up the sides, and at least once around the box sides about half way up the boxes depth. That vastly improves the cardboard's burst strength and weight carrying. I've moved my whole shop a couple of times over the years, a cheap off shore $50 2 wheel dolly will pay for itself 10X over with just one move.
Russ Hanscom
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Re: Moving tooling

Post by Russ Hanscom »

I made up a set of boxes using 1/2" plywood and chamfer strips in the corners, assembled with drywall screws. Pick a convenient size to minimize wood wastage and to hold what you need. If you anticipate moving more than once, boxes can be knocked down and stored for later reuse. Cardboard is pretty much useless for heavy stuff. A few boxes are also permanent storage, close the door, put a safety strap around it, and ready to move.
Rich_Carlstedt
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Re: Moving tooling

Post by Rich_Carlstedt »

Moved my shop 5 times . Shop weight was 28,000 pounds of tooling and machine tools
First time was with a mover and cardboard boxes..total disaster.
Mixed tools and took a few years to get reorganized and tooling was stolen. Never again
Solution. Basically I used two sized wooden boxes using Plywood and 2x2 and 1x 2's
Used only 2 standard Sizes -OD's were 24 inches long x 12 inches wide by either 8 or 12 " high
Take one 8 inch tall box for example- Cut the plywood 7 inches high x 11 inches (2) for the ends.
Cut the 2 x 2's (4) 11 inches long & Glue/nail the 2x2 's to the end pieces top and bottom same side
Cut the sides at 7 x 24 (2) and nail them to the ends, with the ends having the 2x2 outside so the inside of the box
is 20 inches. Now cut the top and bottom pcs at 12 x 24 and nail/ glue the bottom to the sides and ends.
last is glue /nail two 1 x 2 runners at 12" long to the bottom side of the bottom at the outside where the 2x2 's are
What you have a box that is 7 inches high inside x 20 inches long and 7 inches high and that can be easily moved with a handtruck because it sits on 1 x 2 runners. The 2 x2 on the end pieces mean that you can grab and pick up the box quite easily and the 2 x2 allow great nailing surfaces for the top and bottom .
Fabrication is easy because there is very little waste in the plywood sawing and you create a super strong box for chucks and tooling
The boxes are strong and can be stacked without worry. On one move, the mover actually laid them all out on the floor of the trailer like tiles on a floor to spread the weight and then used the boxes as a floor to move my furniture on in the trailer

Added technique. a moving code !
I had about 10 cans of spay paint in various colors ( you can use any) -- you can also use two colors for huge listings !
after loading each box, I sprayed the opposite corners ( 3 sides- kidde-corner?) with the color representing the contents - that means no matter where the box was at, I cound tell what it was
Lathe tooling was yellow,-Raw material ( like Starritt stock ) was primer , instrumentation (mikes) were red....ect and the box weighed on a bathroom scale and the weight written on the box with black magic marker ( and recorded on a shop list).
So if I want a mike, not unpacked yet, "my" list said RED BOX 42 and was easy to find - NO writting on the out side ! use a excel spread sheet , and Movers do not steal because they do not know what it is , and when you get to the new location, you say 'red, green, Yellow boxes go into the shop.. Color makes it easy and the box sizes can pretty well handle most needs and are sturdy.
Rich
Rich_Carlstedt
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Re: Moving tooling

Post by Rich_Carlstedt »

Inline with Russ's comment , I used my 12 inch boxes as temporary shelving units
Without the tops and stacked on each other side ways , you get a wall of shelves at the new shop to use
Rich
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Bill Shields
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Re: Moving tooling

Post by Bill Shields »

Mirroring what has been previously described:

My sister and her husband recently moved his pipe organ from NYC to Scranton..

He built 100's of wood boxes to carry things (1000 pipes - some big some small). Not as heavy as machinery, but all very delicate (if you know anything about organ pipes). Standard box sizes did not necessarily apply since pipes are all different sizes -> but you get the idea.

Table saw, sheets of plywood,1x2 and 2x3 furring strips, lots of screws and a battery powered screw driver....and almost a month of work.

everything planned, boxed and sealed for the movers to pickup and schlep into / out of the truck.

My sister took picture / kept a log of each box going into the truck and accounted for all coming out.

Gave them ZERO OPTION regarding what to put in what box. All accounted for. (suggested RFID chips in each box...)

Still - one pipe was lost (fortunately a small, easy to replace on). go figure....
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
Russ Hanscom
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Re: Moving tooling

Post by Russ Hanscom »

One more option; I have a number of cabinet bases with sturdy castors, emphasize sturdy. At moving time, put a sturdy strap around the unit to keep the doors closed, and it is ready to go. I have lost count of the number of moves my shop has made, but it is greater than 8 and some of the units have gone all of the way.

I like Rich's idea of color coding. I marked boxes with magic markers, but a color scheme is much easier for at a glance searching.
SteveM
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Re: Moving tooling

Post by SteveM »

I like the color coding idea too.

No sense in listing the contents - you might as well just write "all the REALLY valuable stuff is in here".

I'm limited in what I can do right now in woodworking as my table saw is gone and the bandsaw is on the truck, but I still have the circular saw.

Steve
Mr Ron
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Re: Moving tooling

Post by Mr Ron »

Go to a surplus store and look for military ammunition boxes. They come in various sizes.
Mr.Ron from South Mississippi
SteveM
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Re: Moving tooling

Post by SteveM »

Mr Ron wrote: Sun Jul 04, 2021 12:15 pm Go to a surplus store and look for military ammunition boxes. They come in various sizes.
Have about 10-12 of them. Indispensable little buggers.

Steve
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Bill Shields
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Re: Moving tooling

Post by Bill Shields »

You can cut a lot of plywood with a circular saw and 2x4 as a guide.

Just shipping boxes...not furniture..
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
SteveM
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Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2005 6:18 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: Moving tooling

Post by SteveM »

Depending on what you are packing, 5-gallon pails can make good moving containers.

Put your stuff in and hammer the lid on.

I sold a lathe and had almost all of the parts and accessories in four or five of them.

Helps is the parts are round (this might work for some of the chucks).

Steve
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