Lifting a Delta Unisaw

[Ignoramus10071]

Can a Delta Unisaw be safely lifted with a sling under the table.

If not, how do you lift it safely.

thanks

i

[Doug Miller]

Cast iron doesn't have terribly high tensile strength. I sure wouldn't try it.

Depends partly on how high you need to lift it, and for how long -- and if you need to move it while it's off the ground. If you need to lift it half an inch to retrieve some valuable item that rolled underneath it, wedges under the edge of the cabinet should do just fine. If you need to hoist it out of a basement, that's a different story.

Either way, though, I wouldn't put any stress at all on the table.

[Chris Friesen]

For any amount of distance, I'd remove the table. The cabinet can then be moved any way you feel like.

Chris

[Ignoramus10071]

I want to forklift it into a pickup truck. It is at a factory now and I will be picking it up tomorrow. So I thought to put slings under the table and lift it with the forklift forks hooked up to the slings. Now it seems like it is a bad idea.

i

[Ignoramus10071]

Just to clarify myself and answer "why can't you put forks under the base".

These guys have a loading dock for semi trucks that is higher than my truck's bed. So they cannot lower it into my truck from the top of the loading dock. Their forklift is not at ground level.

I can, however, put slings under the base.

i

[Scott Lurndal]

Some forklifts will lower the forks below wheel level; put the wheels on the lip of the dock and lower away.

Other suggestions: - use a dockplate. - Floorjack and jackstands for your pickup to level the bed with the dock. - A sling lift under the base would work, if a bit unstable.

scott

[dpb]

Ignoramus10071 wrote: ...

Better choice if rig for tipover as the motor is mounted pretty high and is the bulk, of the weight w/ the top.

The table right at the mounting locations would be fine if you can get the straps there; what you definitely don't want to do is use the wings--they'll undoubtedly hold it for that long but may well warp them a little.

For more secure lifts where had farther to go (like a loft shop, for instance), I've removed the top and used lift-rated eyebolts in the mounting holes.

--

[Leon]

IIRC most loading docks have loading ramps so that a fork lift can actually drive onto multi height trailers. Could they not put the ramp down to your truck and "hand truck" it down the ramp?

[Larry C]

A few years ago I helped a friend do almost the same thing.

We took off the wings, laid the table on its side on the shipping dock, and rigged a bunch of straps and lowered it into a pickup with a forklift. (Be careful rigging, it is not balanced)

We then drove the saw to his shop with it on its side in the back of the truck. (With padding and tied down)

It was no big deal.

Larry C

[Mike O.]

There are only 4 bolts holding the top on. Removing these will let you take off the top with the fence attached if you like. Then you can easily move the box and motor with a two wheel dolly.

Mike O.

[Upscale]

I missed the beginning of this thread. Is this a contractor style saw or a cabinet saw? If it's contractor style, it should be too difficult to remove the motor too, eliminated a significant amount of weight and reducing the bulkiness of the saw.

[Ignoramus10071]

here's a picture.

[Upscale]

'd agree then, removing the motor would be too much aggravation. As suggested, removing the table top and wings seems the most prudent option for transport. The rest ~ just make sure you don't crush any fingers and are wearing steel toed boots.

[krw]

First of all, thank you all for this thread.

I'm thinking about turning the unfinished room over the garage (UROG?) into a shop and the garage back into a garage. That means moving the Unisaw upstairs. The only way I see to do this is hoisting it up through a trap door (yet to be installed). The trap door would also be used to get material up to "finish" the room (and of course raw sawdust). Moving the saw is my only real concern though.

Will the table mounting holes hold the weight of the rest of the saw? The forces are the opposite of normal. A sling under is easy enough but as others have pointed out, the saw is top heavy. Top becoming bottom when in mid air wouldn't be good.

[Larry C]

Can you please post and tell us how you did it and how it went?

Larry C

[Doug Miller]

It shouldn't be. Not the only concern, I mean.

Your first and primary concern should be whether the joists will support the weight. That's a heavy load, on a long span.

[-MIKE-]

Plus this allows you to slide it to the end of the bed and tilt it off the gate, onto its feet, on the ground.

[Ed Pawlowski]

The ramps only go down about 6" below floor level, not far enough to get to a pickup bed.

Many factories, though, are built on a grade and have at least one overhead door at ground level where you can drive in or take a forklift outside.

[Len]

Put a mobile base on it then roll it down some metal ramps.

Len

[krw]

That isn't at all a concern in this space. ;-) I have no idea why the builder did it (the house was built in '07), but it's not a long span at all. The floor joists are 2x12s (16" O.C.), half the span with a (gotta be) 20"x6"x22' (?) wood beam down the center. So the

2x12s span perhaps 12'. On top of that (because of the beam sticking up in the middle), I'll have to put 2x6s, perhaps 2x8s crossways to get the floor above the beam. There is currently an OSB floor there (I use the space for staining and painting) but the center beam sticks up in the middle. I'm sure it'll take the 600lbs. ;-)