Patrick Nowak Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 We will be moving to a new house and new shop next month. I'm quite excited as I will be able to split my machining off into a seperate building from the forging/fabricating. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to go about packing up all the little things? I've well over a hundred pairs of tongs, probably close to that many anvil tools, hammers and other handled tools, metal in all shapes and sizes, work benches, large and small machines etc. The machines, benches and cabinets will all be loaded onto trailers and moved with a large fork lift or tow truck. My plan for the hand tools and small items is to crate them so they too can be loaded with a fork lift. How have you moved and what should I be sure to do or NOT do? Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 If you indeed have access to a lift truck I would utilize it ! However you have things laid out now, I would suggest the packing to be in accordance with that theme. then you can at least find things. Are you to have all new shop or the new one exists and you are just gonna move in ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drewy Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 When ever my back is out I can't make money and be productive, so paying others can be a good investment for the short and long term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcusb Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 I recently moved my modest shop to our new home. All told it took one Uhaul truck load. I used steel drums for the steel and durable stuff. Loaded them full and wheeled them right up the ramp with a hand truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 You may want to look into a cargo steel shipping container for both moving and storage till you can get it unloaded. They are secure temporary storage. As others have suggested, make it easy on you. Make use of 2 or 3 inch tape and a marker to identify what goes into each container. Load dolly size containers on to pallets. Offer beer and pizza (when everything if finished) to those that help and/or hire out the heavy lifting. Many hands lighten the load. Get 2 x the amount of containers you think you will need. You may want to offer a donation to the local football team for their assistance. You win, they win, and you may get an apprentice or two when everything is over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knots Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 All of the above comments leave little room for adding helpful suggestions. However there is one that could be helpful. I recently consolidated two shops into one. The logistics of my move were very different for yours so my comment relates more to what happens after the move. What I found was that any thing that does not have a dedicated place in your shop at the time of the move will end up on the floor of your new shop. This can be a real problem. My suggestion is that the first work effort should be directed toward getting as much storage in place as is possible before you move. If shelves, and racks, and wall hooks are in place at the time of the move It will help keep the floor space clear to allow free movement and avoid having to shift stuff around multiple times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 One thing to take into consideration is the fact that your current permanent fixtures ( read forge(es), drills, hammers, presses, tables and so forth ) will be one thing. Perhaps if you are like me you will have already made plans in your head for the move in some respects. The basic shop setup is fine where I am as far as floor plan is concerned. I can reach everything I need to when in the fire. If I were to move and acquire space in the shop, I would just set things up the same and make a few adjustments. Material handling would change on raw stock and the saw and plasma areas. Patterns and tooling would have some of the same homes they currently have but would expand a few things so that items currently in boxes could be hung on wall (or another rack or two) for easier access. This said, it would be somewhat of a nightmare to find a few things that only get used every few years (tooling or patterns or first parts). Good luck and congratulations. Perhaps a picture of the new shop will help yourself to plan while you have coffee. If you have measurements of the new place you can make plans. If you are indeed building a new place then that is another matter. Glenns suggestion of a container for storage is a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted June 17, 2012 Share Posted June 17, 2012 Steel drums are great as stated before. when filling with long items like tongs lay the drum on its side or at least tilt it at as steep an angle as you can, that way everything you load in it will stack nice. There may even be empty space above for lighter items. I cut holes in either side of the top of each drum for lifting with chain hooks and also smaller holes for water drainage on the bottom. I cut the bottom off the drums so the bung holes act as drains- less holes to cut, and more useable metal to have for later use. Good luck smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin K Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I don't have personal experience, but I once saw the contents of a big blacksmith shop moved on pallets. They just piled the tongs, dies, tooling, etc. on pallets and stretch-wrapped them. Google "plastic pallet wrap". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimw Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I recently moved from the southern tier of new york to hotlanta. I just threw anvils, vises, and tongs in the back of my pickup truck and off I went! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I've moved my workshop twice, once a short two hour journey, the next time 500+ miles from Scotland to the South of England. Number one, check that your vehicle can carry the laden weight, it adds up faster than you think it might, in the first move we bottomed out the suspension on a 4.5 ton van and I didn't even think there was that much stuff on there! Luckily there was no lasting damage to the suspension. If you have a fork lift truck, sounds like you are pretty lucky! After the first move I added casters to my tong racks and tooling racks, the kind with brakes on, then they could just be wheeled up onto the tail lift, onto the truck and then back out the other side. If you keep everything as organized as possible, and have it ready at the other end, as organized as possible then the smoother it will go, and I second what Knots says about having racking/hooks/shelves ready so things can go up and out of the way and not on the floor. And invite all your friends and neighbours to help!! and as suggested by Glen, reward with gifts- be it pizza and beer (in Scotland it was bottles of whisky!) and small tokens of metalwork are good too!! After the last move I felt I really never want to do that again, but I know I probably will!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 18, 2012 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Patrick; you dog! Will this be a far move---like when I went from OH to NM, or an across town move? If it's an across town move lots of 5 gallon buckets for tools so they stay sorted by location and move the racks and shelves and work benches *first* so they can go directly back into place. If it's a long move then palletize everything possible! Then shrink wrap it so the tools can stay outside and be moved in and put in place after the big stuff gets situated. Remember if it can rain IT WILL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Nowak Posted June 21, 2012 Author Share Posted June 21, 2012 We are only moving about 4 miles. Due to the expanding needs of the family and the great buyers market we decided this was a good time to look for a bigger house (and shop). What where buying has two shop buidings, one 30x30 the other 28x30. the larger is completly insulated and has a wood stove, lots of overhead lighting and some dedicated air lines along one wall. This will be my machine shop and probably also stock storage. The other building has not yet had concrete poured so it will become the forge and fabrication building. I have a local friend with heavy equipment so I don't think it will be any trouble to have some lifting capaciy on site for this move. My plan is to crate as much as possible and then on moving day just start loading up trailers with crates, pallets and machinery. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ten Hammers Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Congratulations. Nice to see your business has the wherewithal to expand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Francis Trez Cole Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 short moves can be the most trying. but its a great time to organize and get rid of trash. for the small stuff wood boxes that can be picked up and moved around with a fork lift works well the military has used them for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNewman Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Crates on skids are great. Makes "moving day" much easier. The one foundry I buy castings from uses triwall cardboard boxes nailed to skids. These then have one band of steel strapping around them. for some extra strength They ship 2-3tons of small castings in these boxes. The nice thing about these vs. wooden crates is small items don't fall out the gaps between boards. These don't have bottoms but they throw a piece of cardboard in the bottom to cover the gaps between the skid boards. I don't know if it is possible to arrange at this point But I decided many years ago that I would never do a one day move again. It makes financials a little trickier but is much less stressful. It gives you the time to do a little more organizing ahead of time at the new house and gives you more time to clean things up at the old place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Can you install a jib crane(s) or other lift points in your new shops *first*? May not need them to unload but sure will be handy in the future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 If I remember correctly the first time I moved all of my crap, burnout oven, melting furnace, anvils, welding table and such, it was me and my friend and we did some damage to our bodies, too much heavy lifting to do for just two young healthy males but we were young and dumb. We both had six pick up loads of stuff to move, what a chore, it would have been worth the price of the riggers looking back on it now. :wacko: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillon Sculpture Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 Congratulations on the new shop patrick! Good luck with the move, hope to see some pictures when you get it up and running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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