Lowering machines in to the basement

I'd stick with the stairs rather than risking boogering up the floor joists. Consider an electric hoist and/or a come-along, with a backup safety rope. A simple sled for the tool to ride down the incline. I have an industrial furniture dolly with tank treads on the back. This would work quite well to move safely down the steps as long as the decent was being controlled by mechanical means.

One of these:

Good luck,

Robert

There's machine climbing stairs designed for evacuating the disabled in cases of emergency. They're usually rated for people that are very heavy. You might consider sourcing one of these out and renting it. The operating instructions will give you a minimum turning diameter for using one of these in case turns need to be made. Of course, this is all dependent on your stairs not having too many turns or twists and having enough room to manoeuvre as well as being able to support the weight. Assuming all of that is workable, mounting a woodworking machine on one of these machine climbing stairs is your problem. :)

Again, dependent on your stairs, I'm not quite sure why you can't winch a machine down skids on the stairs. I guess you've already considered this.

I had to disassemble a queen-size box spring to get it into our bedroom and with that I said I would sell the box spring with the house. I guess I got off easy. There must not be a Mrs. Blair because let me 'splain what would happen if I told *my* wife I was going to be cutting some floor joists to move in some equipment. Like 2manytoyz, I was also thinking of an electric hoist. If it was my house/wife, I bet I could find a way to make that work before I started sawing floor joists. Heck, if you had to anchor it by bolting it to the floor it would still be less damage than what you have in mind. I'm sure you're a handy guy and have probably considered all of this already.

todd

I'm envisioning a gantry crane hung from the family room ceiling, double sliding doors out to the garage, maybe even a loading dock off the front door stoop.

sigh...

Anyways (notawerd) I got my machines into the basement the easy way, I had the movers do it.

UA100, wondering, if it's not a troll, if maybe something on the *outside* of the house might/could be better, 'specially if it ended up with a glass door (more daylight)...

The second part of the EMS law which states "the bigger the patient, the smaller your partner" is "and the closer the quarters." With all the rules we incorporate into building codes, you'd think getting rid of right-angle entryways would be one with some value.

Sounds like the OP would be well served by a cellar door. If it's tough to get machines in, it'll be as tough to get other supplies in - and finished projects out.

Try disassembling your equipment and taking them down the stairs in manageable pieces. Prior to assembling my new Unisaw I removed the top and carried it down the stairs then followed with the base....one step at a time. I also moved a 14" Delta closed base bandsaw, Jet 6" closed base jointer and a Delta 10" radial arm saw down the stairs by either disassembling or carrying down one step at a time. When I say "one step at a time" I am referring to resting the equipment on a step then lifting and then lowering to the next....takes 2 people. Have you considered how you are going to get the tools out if you move? Cut another hole in the floor to lift everything out? Find a strong friend to help....you'll find a way without cutting holes in floors.

Good Luck

Blair, Take the machines apart. I hauled my drillpress, bandsaw and jointer down to the basement myself. My 2 sons and I hauled my unisaw down in two sections. Ted

Can you expound on taking the unisaw apart? I've managed to get machines as large as a 6" jointer down my basement stairs in pieces. I dearly want to upgrade to a unisaw-style table saw, but the fear of moving it has so far kept me back.

How hard was it to take apart and put back together? What where the two sections? How big and heavy was each one?

Blair, as mentioned, I also used a furniture dolly with tracks on the back to load (down and back up when I moved) my tools. This included my PM66 table saw which I left the motor and top attached (over

Good luck, I also vote for saving the floor joists and trying the stair method. My $0.02 Rick

Blair,

Have you checked with a professional industrial moving & rigging firm? These are companies that specialize in moving large, heavy and awkward industrial items. They would have the proper gear and experienced crew to move your tools. They would also have insurance coverage in case something goes wrong. Sure, I'd rather do it myself with some buddies but it would be a cold day in hell before WHMBO would let _me_ cut a hole in her family room. She would not like to see me at the bottom of the stairs, under what used to be, that *&^% saw, bleeding all over the basement floor, either. Give the pros a call, I bet they can do it for way less than you think.

Let us know how you end up doing it. Good Luck!

DexAZ

Consider yourself lucky. I think I carry too much life insurance...

-- Mark

Now you're reminding me of my sister-in-law's parents house. She was one of the 13 children that were raised on an old farm. Her father would heard a cow that was to be slaughtered into the basement. Shoot it there and then hoist it through a trap door in the kitchen floor, suspending it from the kitchen ceiling while it was butchered. Low ceilings in the basement.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA

He sounds like he was more interested in the pleasure than the necessity.

Now please, tell me if was your brother's wife and not your wife's sister.

UA100

No, an' it ain't my sister neither.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA

Blair:

I cannot urge strongly enough; DO NOT cut a hole in your floor!

Unless you are skilled in the building trade(s), you are not likely to get the floor nearly as strong as it was prior! - POSSIBLE, of course, but not likely.

Among the problems you're opening yourself up to is compromising the structural integrity of the house in the sense of resale value (it WILL come up sooner or later). That is to say; "...why the hell did he cut a hole in the freakin' living room floor - REALLY?"

It WILL look stupid to them, and frankly, your reason, while honest to be sure, DOES sound a bit strange given that there ARE better, SIMPLE ways to do this.

One way I would suggest:

Again, the 2x12's on the steps - BUT: Brace the stairs beneath, obviously. (Assuming) you have exterior access via either a bulkhead (sloping doors over staircase) or a straight (+/-) line from outside to basement.

If you can procure a vehicle-mounted winch (or fasten the cable directly to the vehicle's frame/bumper/tow point/?), play out the line 'til you reach the bottom of the stairs/whatever point you like to make certain you have sufficient. Notice where the line will abrade the floor/edges of steps/etc.. Pad these spots with plywood pieces fixed in place via friction, hot-melt glue, (?),

Then use the vehicle's/winch's muscles to do the heavy work!

An [architect's] suggestion only - but one I have used successfully several times!

I sincerely hope this helps you out...

Warmly, Griz

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"Hey all, " "I tried the methods of 2X12's on the stairs and all that and we just about "killed ourselves moving the lightest machine, a 275 pound bandsaw into the "basement. I have decided that just like my home two houses ago, I will be "cutting a hole in the family room floor and lowering the machines down that "way. I will be starting the hole cutting later this week so I am looking "for suggetions as too mounting back in the floor joists. Last time I "slabbed two more joists on to the existing outer joists and used joist "hangers to run the new inserted joists perpendicular between the outer ones. "This worked well and made it easy to remove the joists for removal of the "tools but I'm wondering if anyone has any better suggestions. " "Next time I move, I should sell the house to a woodworker and save the "hassle of removing the tools. " "Blair "

Once again, thanks to all for the input,

I might contact the SCM Minimax dealer I bought the units from and check about removing the tops. The following is a link to a site that shows the shaper and jointer/planer. The shaper is about 650 lbs with the motor hung from the table and has a setup of adjusting cranks going out two sides. I don't think I would be able to reassemble it, let alone try to regain its accuracy.

Blair

Better yet, Buy a house with a walkout basement. That was my criteria in my latest home purchase. I gave up the cathedral ceilings and other niceties of new construction, but I now have a 4100 sf walkout basement with multiple doors including a 10ft wide double door. :)

Yes, it's nice to have a large walkout basement. You can't build everyhouse like that because it requires a certain lay of the land. You need to have a flat front yard, sloping within the width of the house to a level backyard which is about 12 fet lower than the front. This enables essentially an extra story when viewed from the rear. My home is large, but not as large as might be expected based on the