Not Boaty: Moving a 250kg bandsaw

MagicalArmchair

MagicalArmchair

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My late father was a shipwright and had some awesome finger choppers. One of which is a bandsaw that I now have space in the bat cave for.

I took a look at the beast, and its very like the following: http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-trade-series-sbw4300b-bandsaw-501200 , and I need to move it from my mothers garage into mine?? Any ideas?

It weighs in at a staggering 250kg! A normal saloon car (so the family Mazda 6) will be able to take the weight supposedly (maximum load circa 1,500 lbs) , but how do we move it over to the car (big sack barrow I guess) and more so, how do we get it INTO the car?
 
Are there major components that can be removed? Heavy bits, obviously. Rope tackle and skids/pipe rollers + trailer. Two bits of ply with small round bar rollers between. Multiple people is always best though.
 
My bandsaw (also an Axminster but not as epic) has removable stand (makes it a lot smaller), and the motor and the cast iron table also come off which are easily the heaviest bits. With these off it fits in an estate car and is easy for two people to handle. Removing and refitting the parts takes about 30-40 minutes allowing for some swearing and a brew...

Safety tip: Remove the blade first.
 
Stick it on to a dinghy trailer- assuming you have a tow bar- & a tie it on well, possibly with a couple of bearers, sheet of ply or a pallet underneath.Might help to make a couple of clamps out of some studding & some 4 X 2
 
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If you are moving anything heavy, then it is 'Brain before Brawn'. There is always an easy way to do it if you think it through properly. It may take a bit longer to do, but most things can be done with little effort, no matter how heavy.
 
I moved one in a car ( 14" ) not as big as that though. Bear in mind the table will come off easy ( heavy cast ) - doors etc. You may find the motor and wheels will come off - but make sure of any allignment issues ?
Even when lightened - they are very awkward things to move ( top heavy )
The motor, table and wheels are the large part of the weight.
Nice machine - worth the effort !
 
Strong neighbours lift it on to pallet. Ship pallet to yourself. Strong neighbours lift it off pallet.

I do not know about the prices of shipping a pallet in the UK but here in Holland It is only slightly more than renting a trailer.
 
Hi MagicalArmchair,

Like a good friend once told me, "that thing wasn't born like that", I'd pick up some tools and would get to work unscrewing everything I could and breaking it down to quite a few "manageable" bits.

That way you can probably fit it inside your car even without anyone's help.

The trailer is probably the fastest way, but if your Mazda doesn't have a tow hitch, then the costs start building up.
 
If taking it to bits I recommend taking photos of each stage and the bolts/screws removed in sequence. The wiring is the important bit.
Then you know what goes where when putting it back together. Just delete them when you are sure it works.
 
How far does it have to go? It might be worth asking for a quote on Shiply. I had a Rayburn weighing half a ton moved across Scotland for a hundred and fifty quid.
 
fisherman said:
How much is a van with tail lift hire for a (half) day? See on line booking.
Click to expand...

That sir, is a very fine recommendation! As for taking it apart, the heavy bit is all one bigggg cast unit. I was hoping I could take it into its constituent parts. The best I could do it take the table off it (done) and the motor. Even then it'll weight 200kgs plus.

The dinghy trailer idea is a good one, if I had a dinghy trailer! I had a quote from a removal company - £280 plus the VAT - ee gads! The van hire it is then!

edit: I'll get a shiply quote too!
 
When I retired from the Classic Motorcycle business I carried on messing about at home, including servicing Speedway engines.

These have built up crankshafts with 38mm parallel press fit crankpins. On a new engine these pins require up to 40 tons pressure to push out of the flywheels.

I had a big Churchill hydraulic press with " two speed " capability. 7 feet tall, almost a ton in weight.

My mate Dennis was partner in a skip company. He bought a skip round, dropped it on the drive. We moved the press using steel bar rollers and a crowbar so the skip lorry could pick the press up with one of its arms, lifted it into the skip, put the skip on the lorry, drove it round to my new workshop where we did the same operation in reverse.

I first met Dennis at Mildenhall Speedway. He turned up with a Foden skip lorry with a skip on the back.

He dropped the skip, tilted it with the arms and two chains and unloaded two Speedway bikes and a 205 litre drum of Methanol from the skip.

Handy guy to know..................................
 
Providing you've got a couple of bodies to help you, we used to move top heavy and heavy stuff around the smithy and yard using upside down angle iron - along the edge of the triangle apex. It slides along very easily. Got the idea from a chap in the Hebrides who delivered Rayburns by himself and several lengths of 40mm angle iron.
Mike
 
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