Hello everyone,
Hoping to get some advice from the experienced, I may have to pack up shop and put in storage for a time. ( I’m not happy) So far was thinking of crating up table saw, lathe and band saw( well I might sell band saw ,don’t know yet) But not having moved shop before, dont know if that is necesary. If they have to be put in a storage place for a time, ( did I really say that?) will they need some kind of protective grease on them? Do the belts need any special attention? where would I get it? Help, I know some of you have had to have gone thru this, and I am trying to avoid rust, corrosion etc. Sorry if its rambling , I’m a little bummed out at the moment.
Thanx in advance,
E
Replies
I had my tools, radial arm, table saw, band saw, jointer, jig saw, lathe & a few others in storage for several months and all I did was spray all the tables with wd-40, release tension on band saw & jig saw.Left belts alone and after 12 weeks in a "You Store It" facility they came out with no rust etc. They were in there for 12 weeks.
I would use something like TopCote or Boeshield on all exposed metal. If it's going to be in storage for a long time, especially if it's in an unconditioned facility, you can probably just assume that any belts and bandsaw tires will likely need replacing once you set the machines up again. There's not that much you can do to preserve rubber anyway--think of it as an excuse to upgrade to link-belts and polyurethane bandsaw tires.
-Steve
I had most of my stuff stored in a relative's garage for almost ten years. Big mistake.
Some stuff went missing.
Lots of stuff rusted. I've bought enough Evapo-rust in the last couple of months to buy that company an executive jet.
What didn't rust was colonised by insects and rodents. Cleaning ratsh*t and redbacks (deadly spiders) out of a thickness planer isn't a fun task.
I did what the previous poster suggested, and sprayed EVERYTHING with WD40 before storing it. I'm not sure how long that treatment is effective. Certainly, I think expecting 10 years from it was totally unrealistic.
If I was going to do it again, I'd take the following steps:
1. Rent a secure, dry, storage facility.
2. Coat EVERYTHING in thick grease
3. Wrap the grease-coated items in plastic wrap then bubble wrap, and tape everything up tight.
A caution about rented storage - make sure you keep it paid, or they'll sell the goods from under you.
I'm not experianced, but go to some storage center w/ climate control. ie. humidity and temp.
"It is like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer: it feels so good when you stop"
I would use LPS 3 Premier/Heavy Duty Rust Inhibitor or cosmoline. I would remove the belts unless they are Powertwist Plus Link Belts
http://www.lpslabs.com/Products/CorrosionInh/Lps3.asp
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1134
Life is what happens to you when you're making other plans .
Edited 2/6/2008 9:20 am ET by JerryPacMan
Moved from Hotlanta to Oregon coast, both high humidity. Not sure of exact unpacking time, I had similar concerns. All machines broken into most movable sizes and all parts (except table saw tops and wings), including bolts sprayed with Topcoat and wrapped in 1 mil Husky drum liners then bubble wrap and taped. Then into additional drum liners in white cardboard boxes (slightly more water resident than brown corrugated) taped on all seams and joints. The TS stuff had heavy coat of Johnson's paste wax - not polished) and also packaged in bags and bubble and then wrapped in large thick cardboard sheets. The belts are a loss leader-no biggy. Did same with all planes/chisels etc. but with the addition of Branorost no rust paper wrapped around them. Interim storage in an unheated 4 Salmon Boat pole barn 50 feet from the Alsea River for 3 months while shopping for a house. Was over summer.
Net result - Perfect. No damage. May have been worse in winter - don't know
John
Hi John,
Where are you located? I'm on the bottom end in Brookings.
Paul
Hey Paul,
Brookings is great. I sent you a e-mail.
John
The answer is entirely dependent on where the tools will be stored. Without knowing that, there is no way to give a useful answer. The more details the better.
John White
Thanking everyone for their help, John, leaving jersey suppose to be landing in port st. lucie, FLa. Trying to find out if there is a climate controlled storage nearby. Thanx again everyone.
E
If you are going to store your tools in a climate controlled, rodent free, environment, you only need to spray Boeshield on the cast iron table surfaces. Don't buff it off, leave a thin layer of the wax. Painted and plastic surfaces won't need any protection. Belts and tires should last several years without any more deterioration than if they were in your shop.Your much greater risk is damage from shipping. I typically strip as much off of a machine as I possibly can. Remove and pack separately all wings, switches, rails, fences, hand wheels, levers, and anything else that can be unbolted. If motors can't be removed, support them with hard foam blocks wedged in underneath them so they can't be torn loose if the crate is set down hard. After that, bolt the machine to a pallet that can be lifted by a fork lift and box it with 1/2" plywood over a 2 by frame. This will take time, 4 to 8 hours per machine.John White
Ejc: "Google" Port St. Lucie & go to the chamber of commerce site & look for business's. They have several storage facilities that are climate controlled.
One is: Pineapple, 772-468-7707 Good luck!
James
Ejc I do the moving bit every 6 mos. When I go north for the summer, I "Topcoat "all cast iron areas & loosen belts, such as TS, BS. Doing it for (10) years, (It gets pretty humid in FL), but havn't had a problem. Do the same w/ my stuff up north when I come down for the winter.
James
If you are storing for an extended time and especially if you are relocating to an unknown area it may be economical to ship it to a storage place in a very dry climate.
This is sort of an indirect response to your question. Anyway. I was forced to liquidate a workshop/garage that my father started back in the mid fifties. Since most of the power tools were average in quality at best it was easy to let go. Still, there were a few nuggets that I deeply regret having to sell.
Since the move I've been able to carve out limited space in my current garage and I'm able to work outside weather permitting.
With the exception of my cabinet saw and the Bridgeport mill everything I've purchased since the move has been a surprising upgrade in performance and as such my regrets are few.
Vic
Agian , Thanx to all
The "may have to" is definately a "will have to". Oh well, I guess its a new adventure. John, thanx for the idea on crating, that sounds most secure for my table saw, and lathe. this may just be the excuse to sell the bandsaw and upgrade!
James S thank you for the phone number, I'm going to look into that , is Palm harbor near Port st. lucie? are there any decent hardwood dealers in the area?
Eric
Ejc: Palm Harbor is on the west coast, west of Tampa. We have a Woodcraft in Clearwater, about 11 miles from me. The only other one close to Port St. Lucie is in Pompano Beach, north of Ft. Lauderdale.
Good luck!
James
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