Oof, This Good Stuff is Heavy

Well, I convinced myself that people that love their router table are for the most part people without shapers. That and the fact that the cost of a router table , 3HP router plus a router lift mechanism and the fact that I would always have to assemble/disassemble the router from the table whenever, I captured a used 3HP Woodtec shaper with sliding table. The seller had all the docs and accessory tools and spindles. It looks great, nice and clean, no bearing chatter and if it was good enough for a guy that made cabinets for 12 years, (it just 3 years old) it has to be good enough for my home shop. I don’t know if the newer ones are a tad lighter but this thing is a honking pig!

After figuring out removing a table extension would allow me remove the sliding table, I was ready to take it off my truck, by myself. Strapped it 3 ways to Sunday to the two wheeler, laid it down in the bed and slid it off an down onto the drive off the tailgate. Man this thing sure is a honking beast. We’ve had 12” of rain this month so I had to leap frog plywood across the yard so I don’t saddlebag the two wheeler. After doing a 360 with the shaper and attached two wheeler (I got to fix that stupid wheel one of these days) when the downhill wheel spun off the axle, I made it to the door. This is going to be easy (yeah, just keep thinking that). I laid it down and heaved-ho only to be stopped short. ( &_)$$, #&$#, (&^%% stupid switch box was an inch to far out. Okay, pop the hinges, take the door off. Door off, lay down, heave-ho and was one again hauled up short. Stupid @@!$$, #&$#, (&^%% freaking knob on the cast iron handle is extending and inch to far out on the other side. Not a problem until I could not find the 9/16 or 14mm open end wrenches. I must have a dozen of those but they are probably off herded up with the dozen or more MIA tape measures having a party. Nope, crescent won’t work, plastic is thicker then the nut. Screw it, where are those itty bitty vice grips. Of course the wrong tool is ALWAYS right where it should be. Okay lay it down one more time. Back is starting to feel a bit tired now. Okay heave ho and it is in the shop and I’m on the shop floor. That thing squirted through the door like snot on a ducks back. Struggling, sweating and grunting, I finally get that sucker back on its feet. Haul the fence, table, table extension in. Look at it and think, ‘Man it is getting close to supper and I KNOW this sucker is not going anywhere fast.

-- My greatest fear is that when I die, my wife will sell all my stuff for what I told her I bought it for.