Okay, so I bought this planer yesterday, an amazing find at only $300.00, but here's the catch. I have to reassemble it. It used to look like this:
but the guy I bought it from had to disassemble it when he bought it because the thing is so darn heavy, and that is the crux of my problem. I know how the parts go back together, but how to lift them? My shop does not have a beam that I believe could safely support the weight of the head, about 250 lbs, on a pully system, I don't have any friends nearby that could help me, so I'm on my own. The motor is at least 100 - 150 lbs by itself.
You could try this…
Screw a scrap of plywood to a pair of 2×4 studs to make a plank. Strap the heavy part to the plank, and lift one end of the plank onto a cinder block or milk carton. Work stepwise to lift each end higher and higher until you can get the plank on sawhorses. Then you should be able to slide the part in place.
If all else fails, I have had good luck hiring help moving furniture etc off Portland CL. You can list a gig and you will have more help than you know what to do with.
You could try this…
Screw a scrap of plywood to a pair of 2×4 studs to make a plank. Strap the heavy part to the plank, and lift one end of the plank onto a cinder block or milk carton. Work stepwise to lift each end higher and higher until you can get the plank on sawhorses. Then you should be able to slide the part in place.
If all else fails, I have had good luck hiring help moving furniture etc off Portland CL. You can list a gig and you will have more help than you know what to do with.
You should be able to get the motor up there
once the head casting is on the posts. Getting
it over the posts my be tricky.
If you have some milk crates you may be able
to get some straps under it and lift it in stages
without stooping. Lift it up on one crate, then
stack 2 next to it and lift it up onto those and
so forth.
Jerry, I bought a shop crane for un/loading and moving heavy machines. It might be cheaper than hiring anyone and you will have it whenever you need it. Also, it folds up so it doesn't take up much space. HTH
Jerry, I bought a shop crane for un/loading and moving heavy machines. It might be cheaper than hiring anyone and you will have it whenever you need it. Also, it folds up so it doesn t take up much space. HTH
It's a little out of my price range after dropping the 300 for the planer, but now I"m wondering if I could jury rig my hydraulic jack to do the job somehow…
I think you could make one with a jack and 2×4s and/or 2×6s if you bolt them together, but if you do, test it before picking up any parts of your planer. That looks to be a phenomenal deal on a great planer.
RE: the great deal - Yeah, once I saw that craigslist ad and looked up the planer and saw what they were charging for new ones, I was floored. I contacted the guy and told him in no uncertain terms that I was coming to pick it up the next day.
RE: the tripod - That's also a really good idea. My wife suggested that this AM.
I have, however, just now come up with an idea that I'm going to try on Monday. I remembered just a few minutes ago that a few years back my wife bought me a Hi-Lift jack for my Land Cruiser. It's one of the 60" models
and I have the bumper lift attachment that hangs off the lifting jaw
So my plan at this point is to run a heavy polypropylene rope through the top hole of the jack and tie it off to a roof beam in my garage to stabilize it against lateral movement, then run some nylon webbing under the parts to be lifted, IE the jointer head and then later on, the motor, and hang the webbing from the underside of the lifting jaw using the bumper lift, and lift it that way.
I think this is an interesting problem and solution, so I will be posting my results later on so every one can see if it worked and how well.
A-frame - Right!! I misread it the first time. Yes, I'm a little nervous about stability, so I'm going to lift a tiny bit at a time and make sure everything is well balanced. The base is on a rolling stand, so I will be able to just roll it underneath once the head is at proper height.
Another great idea. I don't want to have to buy a hoist, because then my great deal becomes a not great deal, but renting one, now that is a stroke of brilliance.
So, I ultimately went with Roger's suggestion. I thought it was the safest. The local tool rental company rented me this hoist for $15.00 for 4 hours, I did the job in 3, so that was pretty reasonable.
I'll need a day or two for that.. I got the jointer head on, for sure, but I was so tired after all that I didn't have the energy to bolt the motor on. I also don't have 220 in my garage / shop, at least not hooked up, so I'm going to have to use the patch cord I use for my compressor to do the first test run. I will keep you all posted.
I am so impressed that you got it all back together and running! I would have managed to wind up with extra parts after assembly. However, that was NOT a test run as I didn't see any wood get planed!
I am so impressed that you got it all back together and running! I would have managed to wind up with extra parts after assembly. However, that was NOT a test run as I didn t see any wood get planed!
Well, okay, I had just installed a plug that I could use in my existing 220, and the guy I bought it from had never assembled or ran it, so this is the first time I turned the motor on, so we will call this a test run of the motor. Tomorrow I will double check my height alignment and do a real test run. The blades felt very sharp to the touch, so I'm hoping for a good first result.
Thanks Roger, you really saved the day with that suggestion. I was about to try lifting it with my HiLift jack, and I now know that would have turned out badly. The jointer head is 400 lbs by itself, not 250 as I had originally thought.
Jerry, You know I was just jerkin yer chain. But I really am looking forward to seeing that beast make some shavings!
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