Movers and hand tools question

I’ve moved my tools from Scotland

to Africa and back, I took photos of

everything prior to oiling and packing.

Tape all your blades to protect and also

to prevent injury.

jamie

-- Who is the happiest of men? He who values the merits of others, and in their pleasure takes joy, even as though 'twere his own. --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I’ve moved 5 times in 20 years. If a “budget” move, I’d find a friend to pack your stuff (bubble wrap and a lot of newspaper). This may be politically incorrect to say but…most movers anymore come from places where they may not have grown up with indoor plumbing.

The Army is moving me so they ‘should’ be professional packers. That said, last time they put my balsa plane models at the bottom of a box with books on top.

-- Wood is not velveeta

yes ,yes and yes
you can think the best but have to be prepared for the worst when it comes to movers
most highly they don´t know what a tool is and just throw them down in a box without
packing them in sepratly protection
if you have bigger electric powertools then take of side wings/tables and fences , etc.
lower the ts blade and the router below the table the same goes for the jointerblades and fences
protect the maschine tabletops with cardboard taped on you can bett the will put other things on
the top of them
remember to take pictures of the maschinery before the move so you can proofe they where
100 % in order before the move
that goes for the rest of your furnitures as well …... a scratsch can so easely appear
and its you that have to proof it wasn´t damaged before the moove
write down every tool and smaller items you have including taking pictures
it so easy to loose one ore three boxes with things under a moove
one easy way to control them on the day is to count the boxes that got into the truck
and count them again when they arive with them

if possible then move the handtools yourself all the way in a car
its your jewlry´s

good luck with the move , best wishes with your health

Dennis

I have moved over a dozen times at my employer’s expense and those professional movers generally do a great job.

BUT they do not know anything about tools or how to handle them. If possible, it would be best to do the bubble wrap routine on fragile things – or even original boxes if you have them.

I have quite an investment in my art stuff and my tools, so I have put the especially risky items in part of one room. When the movers get there, I ask if I can pack those things. Then I use layers and layers of their wrapping paper and lots of extra crushed paper in the boxes. They get paid by the box filled, so they generally will not have a problem with that as long as they see what you have to put in the boxes (no toxic chemicals or areosol cans) and can see that you are packing with lots of stuffing. They may want to you leave the tops open so they can check the contents.

They usually pack my crystal and china in so much paper and padding, so I know that is what they are instructed. You could tell them to pack your tools as well as crystal glasses would be packed. I have always found movers to be agreeable if I tell them what I want. Remember the drivers are liable through the moving company for your damage claims, so they do not want anything broken either.

Good luck!

-- Kay - Just a girl who loves wood.

Mark each box with where it is going (“bed 1”, “bed 2”, “upstairs bath”, etc) so you can quickly direct them to where to put the box when they deliver. My experience is that they are in a hurry when unloading and if not directed will leave everything in the first room them come to. You have paid them to unload so it is better, for you, if they lug everything into the room where it will end up.

Document, Document, Document. You will need it if something is missing. It will also come in handy if you have a latter insurance claim.

I have a lot of small bins with screws in them. I would photograph groups and then wrap each with one of those long roles of plastic wrap.

Real delicate stuff I either move myself or make sure they understand it is delicate and that they have sufficient insurance to cover damage or loss. Right now if I were to move I have 12 computers plus a rack of networking hardware. I would make sure that they had sufficient insurance to cover it and that it would cover that much. Seems like I saw a clause in the moving agreement with something about max coverage for electronics.

-- Jesse, Saint Louis, Missouri

Last week I moved my entire workshop. Hand tools , power tools and wood working equipment. (Table saw, jointer, planer, three scroll saws, 6” belt sander,”V” drum sander, air compressor,14” band saw, drill press and a miter saw.) I rented a “PODS” container and loaded all of this myself using a hand truck and wood ramps. Tied it in place in the container and they picked it up and moved it four miles and I off loaded all this and put it in my new workshop. I am now up and ready to start making sawdust again. I was down for less than a week. I plan to install a dust collection system in the near future.

-- In God We Trust

Heres some advice for hand tools… Make sure they don’t chuck your chisels/planes in a box, I had that done once with a Bahco chisel of mine… I had a huge chip in the bevel… It took me 45 minutes using extra corse lapping compound on a piece of glass to remove it.

-- My terrible signature...

Sorry about your health and thank you so much for your sevice. As for the tools, pack them by themselves with lots of packing. If they are wooden planes make sure to remove the wedge and iron so if there is a large moisture fluctuation it doesn’t damage the body of the plane. I have never had to move my tools but have learned this by mail-ordering old tools.

Texchappy, when I PCS’d from Germany to the States, I informed the movers of the value and fragility of my hand tools and explained to them how I wanted them packed. They did a good job with that. Your transportation office is going to set up your move with a professional moving company. The movers should be doing a recon of your place prior to the move. That is the best time to explain all your special needs and how you want things moved. You should do the little tips as mentioned by posters above to ensure safety and protection of your tools as the movers are not responsible for some of that (removing plane blades and such). If you have any other specific questions, give me a shout, be glad to help as I have PCS’d multiple times.

-- Mike