Moving a Garage Workshop - Advice?

[smorgasbord]

Other than "Don't do it!" that is.

There's a non-zero chance that we'll move - the first time in 33 years if we do it this year (but probably not this year). My previous "shop" was just some hand tools and a tablesaw. It's quite a different situation now: I've got a 2-car garage stuffed to the gills, plus a bunch of wood storage in the rafters. Big tools like a cabinet saw, 350mm jointer/planer, 540mm bandsaw, 25" dual drum sander, and 3HP cyclone dust collector are pretty straightforward, although I'll need help from strong movers and probably a lift gate truck. I'm not as young/strong as I once was. Packing up my CNC won't be fun, either - maybe I just try to sell it locally.

I guess I'm mostly concerned about all the medium/little things. Stuff in drawers, stuff on shelves, stuff hanging on the walls. While I poo-poo-ed using systainers in a shop, I have to admit that would/will help with moving items in them. I've got router bits in racks (aka long wood blocks with holes drilled in them) that I wouldn't trust on a drive, finishing liquids, etc.

And @jeffinsgf, I'll be sure to remember to take my air cleaner off the rafters, along with the spare ducting and some long board storage up there.

Some specific questions:
• Packing Time - how long should I allocate for packing up the shop to be "truck ready?" This would be mostly just me doing it.
• A "Pod" is an interesting idea, but I've read horror stories about how those get transported - seems like everything inside needs to be braced for very rough handling.
• Maybe I try creating a staging area and as I box/crate things up, place them in the staging area so loading of the truck can be done by many people and fairly quickly.
• One realtor told me I should prepare "a dollar figure" in case the potential house buyer asks about buying the whole shop en masse. He said similar things have happened in his office before. I'd have to pull some of my precious/discontinued hand tools out beforehand, though. That exercise, however, might be something I start today just to have an inventory of everything I've got and be useful for insurance purposes as well.
• Do I have to crate up the big tools? They all have all sorts of ways they can be tied to truck walls. I'm mostly worried about the jointer/planer since the jointer tables stick out so far and removing them would be a huge pain, not to mention reattaching and re-aligning them after, but maybe that's safest?

Any shop moving tales of woe or "it wasn't that bad" appreciated. And, maybe we won't move after all, but...

 

[luvmytoolz]

When we moved (which was a nightmare) I spent months packing everything up that I knew I wouldn't need before moving and unpacking. I also numbered each box and took pics of the contents to make retrieving things much easier. Immediately before the move the final bits of stuff that could be packed were packed.

I've seen enough removalists results for me to not trust that anything shipped by them wouldn't get miss-treated, so we hired a truck for a few days and moved all the first lot of cartons, and then the later lot, stacking the later lot and boxes with kitchen stuff in front to be unpacked first..

We then spent the next 25 years unpacking! Funnily enough I still have some boxes in the bowels of the shed that haven't been unpacked!

 

[Steve1]

Be glad you got a garage shop and not a basement shop like me. That alone makes it a lot easier.

Doubt movers would want machines crated, but they might want them on a skid, and I expect they would be fully willing to put them on a skid for you (for $ more, of course). that is a question for them.

I took a few of my big tools apart a bit when I moved. Things like the motor can be a significant difference. I wouldn't want the movers disassembling anything, and they probably wouldn't do it.

If using something like u-haul boxes, pre-glue the bottoms. That makes them far stronger than just bending over the flaps. And if you drop a piece of 3/16" hardboard or similar into the bottom of the box, that makes them still stronger. For a shop, you will be using mostly "small" boxes. If you filled a "large" box with tools, you would never lift it. Of course, label each box.

When I got to the new place, I had a bit of a problem that my only workbench was surface of my table saw, and all my tools were in boxes, until I could build a new workbench. (There was no way the old workbench was leaving my old basement)
But I had lots of time to design new workbenches while the new place was getting built.

 

[smorgasbord]

I spent months packing everything...

I don't expect I'll have that much time. We'd need to sell our home to buy another, so outside of some bridge financing, we'll want to move quickly.

We then spent the next 25 years unpacking! Funnily enough I still have some boxes in the bowels of the shed that haven't been unpacked!

When I was younger and single and moved every couple/few years, my rule was anything I hadn't unboxed after 2 moves should almost certainly be given away.

 

[luvmytoolz]

When I was younger and single and moved every couple/few years, my rule was anything I hadn't unboxed after 2 moves should almost certainly be given away.

Coming from a large and poor family I really have trouble letting go of anything! But on the plus side, everything old is new again so when I finally unpack them it might help fund my retirement a little! ;-)

 

[Vondawg]

I’m going thru this right now ..wanting to be near the grand kids so moving two states away (Pods rather “RatPak” ) worked very well…and you can’t imagine how much you have to part with….the perfect piece of ply wood (it’s very different thru the years (good, really good and just ok) the perfectly milled hardwood from a bigger job, some special slab a friend gave you…on and on…making custom crates/boxes to move without damaging “whatever” parting with tools youve used for years ..it’s hard
I parted with things I never thought I would….ever….but in the end it was a good purge..painful in some ways but bummed me out in others. Because I’m older it is all for the better but excepting it….another thing..and yes spent a lot of time packing it up

 

[smorgasbord]

Why would a move force one to give up a piece of plywood or even a slab?
Or, is it just that you realize you won't actually get around to using those? That's my concern now. I've got more than a few "special" boards acquired over the years, like a true Cuban Maghogany bookmatched set, or a really wide piece of thick curly Bubinga, some nice Koa, a bunch of Cocobolo, etc. Maybe I should starting designing projects around them rather than waiting for a project to come along that could happen to use them...

What crates did you build - and how? I've seen frames made from cheap 1x lumber using cheap 1/4" ply - basically make "Shaker Style" panels ()except glue/staple the frame to the ply and then nail the frames together to form a box, but maybe there are better options? And, of course, blocking internally, or maybe build a platform/pallet base to which the thing is bolted?

How many days should I expect on the boxing? Two weeks seems like a minimum if I work really hard and long.

 

[BarneyD]

I actually had a rather pleasant experience using PODS. Moved a bunch of kitchen cabinets that I built for my son from Illinois to Philly. I packed everything well using blankets and bubble wrap with straps/bungy cords. It worked out well, because my sons contractor had some delays, so PODS could store the POD for us. When it was time to move, my son hired an outfit to go to the POD yard, empty the POD into their truck and deliver to his house. And no damage to anything.

I've never had to move my shop (thankfully). My shop is about the size of a two car garage and is packed full. The only thing that has saved me, is a 20 foot shipping container (parked behind the shop) that I bought some years ago for $2k. It's great for storage. Water tight and wind tight. Even the mice can't get into it (I live in a rural area). I was able to progressively move completed cabinets from my shop into the container until ready for the POD. My shop simply doesn't have the free space for that storage option.

I've also made some crates to ship things like baby cribs, beds, chests of drawers, even some tools out to Philly. Usually built with 1X's and 1/4" ply to keep weight down. Recently my son needed some 4/4 cherry so the last shipment I made to him, I made the crates out of cherry. My son said that the UPS driver that delivered them was impressed.

 

[woodferret]

like a true Cuban Maghogany bookmatched set, or a really wide piece of thick curly Bubinga, some nice Koa, a bunch of Cocobolo, etc. Maybe I should starting designing projects around them rather than waiting for a project to come along that could happen to use them...

Make 'em into crates

 

[Cheese]

Hey guys & gals...this is one of the most depressing posts I've ever read on this forum. I acknowledge that we're all getting older and I'm also trying to empty out a storage facility and a neighbors garage into my new garage. This is not fun stuff at 75+. For the newbies on this forum, I'd suggest you cull out the dead wood on a yearly basis...that helps a ton. This action may seem to be premature but time moves on quickly and before you know it, you're in this same situation.

@smorgasbord I wish I had a good answer to your question but we're all going through this dilemma at the same time.

 

[kevin clifford]

We moved my shop twice now. Once was an in town move that I was able to do in my trailer and van over the course of about a week. Took quite a few trips and it wasn't bad at all. The second time was from Florida to Tennessee. Took 2 full box trucks to get everything moved. Renting a truck with a lift gate was worth the extra money. Most everything was already on wheels already and the stuff that wasn't I put into totes and boxes and then stretch wrapped them all together to make it easy to roll into the truck. Rolling shelves just got wrapped with stretch wrap too. Carts and stretch wrap were worth the investment to me.
I probably spent 2 weeks packing stuff up and getting it ready to roll into the truck. Stuff like dust collection piping is slow to take down and get packed up. I used trash cans on wheels (brute cans) for all my clamps. They hold a bunch of weight and still roll well when full.
All the little things are going to take a lot of time to wrap up too. Packing foam and plastic totes made sure things like turning tools all made it safely.
Keep a separate bag with a drill and a few hand tools to load last into the truck on moving day. You'll need the drill for one last thing and if it's buried in the truck somewhere and you have to dig it out it's frustrating as can be!
Hope this helps, good luck with the move and enjoy setting up a new shop.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Hey guys & gals...this is one of the most depressing posts I've ever read on this forum. I acknowledge that we're all getting older and I'm also trying to empty out a storage facility and a neighbors garage into my new garage. This is not fun stuff at 75+. For the newbies on this forum, I'd suggest you cull out the dead wood on a yearly basis...that helps a ton. This action may seem to be premature but time moves on quickly and before you know it, you're in this same situation.

@smorgasbord I wish I had a good answer to your question but we're all going through this dilemma at the same time.

I've been going through this dilemma for some years now! ;-)

Seriously though, when we last moved 25 years back, I stupidly got rid of several large skips containing a lot of junk I didn't care about, but also probably 1 cubic metre of veneered door ply's in every timber you could imagine. I certainly lived to regret that one pretty quick!

I have learnt now though to not be so picky on saving loads of different woods for that one "special project", and have started using a lot of the stash on anything remotely suitable that might give even a half decent return.

 

[Cheese]

I have learnt now though to not be so picky on saving loads of different woods for that one "special project", and have started using a lot of the stash on anything remotely suitable that might give even a half decent return.

Ya, unless you're 25 years of age that's the only smart way to deal with it.

I had a large selection of SMAW (arc welding) electrodes that I'd been hoarding over the years. All were in thick PVC tubing with PVC caps top & bottom. There was about 50-60# of them and they were successfully moved to 3 different garages. About 5 years ago I fired up the arc welder and went to grab some welding rods. Unfortunately, over the years and the moves, all of the flux had fallen off of the rods and I now needed to get rid of 50-60# of scrap metal. The worse part though was that I could painfully remember moving all of that "precious" scrap material from garage to garage.

 

[jeffinsgf]

I went through this over a few months in 2016 and 2017. Moved from Springfield, MO to Northeast OH. I moved my shop in stages. I rented a straight truck with a lift gate for one trip. Palletized my biggest, heaviest machines, loaded and unloaded with a narrow frame, short fork pallet jack. I believe that pallet jack is one of the best investments I've ever made. Made another trip with a U-Haul trailer and all my power tools and most cherished hand tools. Both trips went into a storage unit until we found our house. The rest of the shop and all of the house went into 3 PODS. I really liked the PODS. Nancy and I loaded at our own pace. Having spent 20 years doing woodworking shows where we essentially moved a shop every Sunday night and set it up again on Thursday, we know how to pack to keep things safe. Having the storage and transport all be in the same space was the best feature. Having it all on ground level was a close second.

 

[Sparktrician]

One word of warning regarding Pods-like shipping - the ones I've used for local moves came out well, largely due to short distances. The warning is that these Pods that I have used don't have tie-downs to the sides, so extra pads are a mandatory. If you choose to have movers relocate them, take copious pictures of the boxes and contents, and be sure to insure the whole lot. Alternatively, rent a truck with tie-downs AND a lift-gate, plus a good load of pads. Heavy low; light high! When the movers deliver, check each item off the inventory as it is taken from the truck to the house or garage. Be sure to note any absences or damage as the items come off the truck and take more pictures of the item(s) damaged. You'll need these to make claims against the carrier and/or insurance. And get extra insurance for the move!

 

[Crazyraceguy]

A lot of how you pack things has a lot to do with how far you are going. There is a big difference between across town and across the country.
The POD thing is somewhat dependent on the particular company doing the moving. Some of them lift the POD with a special crane type apparatus, others tilt them with what is effectively the same as a roll-back type truck, that is used for cars.
As far as moving shops.... my experience is rather unique. In the 21 years I have been with my current employer, we have moved several times. A couple of those times were very short duration, temporary places, because the new place was not ready. Altogether there have been 4 moves One was about 25 miles and the shortest was only about 3.
It was quite a daunting task, but with 20-25 guys, a forklift at each location, and a liftgate truck, it is manageable.

I'm about to find this out for myself, here pretty soon. My retirement is finally happening, next month, and I'm going to have to move everything I have at work.

 

[onocoffee]

I've had to move our coffee roastery twice over the years and it can be quite daunting. We've done both moving with a rented 26' box truck (get the Penske with lift gate) and Pods. Either way, it's best to container-ize your gear and stack them tight. Damage mostly occurs when things can move and shift. The more you can strap things down, the better.

For us, the biggest pieces of equipment were typically the coffee roasters themselves - which are beasts. Those we moved separately but like pirates. Pipes on the ground, a pallet jack, hand trucks and an open trailer. Muscled it on, strapped it down and trucked it to the new location.

But if you have the resources available, it's much simpler to have a company do it all for you.

 

[rvieceli]

A lifetime ago, I was an owner operator leased to Mayflower the moving company. We were one of the first ten husband and wife teams they hired.

for packing stuff remember to not let the boxes get too heavy. The heavier the stuff you put in the smaller the box needs to be. The longer the trip the more even stuff in boxes needs to NOT move around.

If you are going to build a crate make it sturdy enough to support weight. It not just a solid moving blanket. Secure what you are putting in the crate within the crate.

For regular house hold goods you load in tiers. Standard depth tier think dresser/chedt of drawers depth. Heavier furniture as the bases, heavier boxes or lighter chests then lighter boxes and stuff. Pack wall to wall and floor to ceiling. Strap the tier as you go.

Disassemble tables and stuff that might fall apart.

Going far couches usually ship better standing on end against the wall. Short trip cross town may be ok to just put them on flat.

Machinery pose their own problems. My jointer is 106 inches long, 39 inches wide and weighs 2250 pounds. A forklift makes short work of it though.

A box or bin full of small tools also gets heavy quickly

Good luck

Ron

 

[nclemmons]

I moved my basement shop from Chicago to a garage shop in NW Arkansas five years ago.

A few thoughts on my approach:
1 - Hand tools were all packed with bubble wrap and packing paper in boxes. This included hand planes, chisels, router aids, etc.
1a - I did put a lot of tools on eBay that I had not used in years in advance of the move. That helped reduce packing and recouped some cash. I think I spent maybe 4 months selling tools online and found eBay to be the best outlet for the smaller stuff and Craigs List or Facebook Marketplace for the larger items that are more likely locally purchased.
2 - Hardware/supplies were all put in boxes and and carefully packed so they did not turn upside down and have a mix of hardware. I did place cardboard between levels to add a bit of protection of supplies being a mess.
3 - Machine tools were not crated but loaded and strapped to tie-downs on the sides. I had packing blankets to pad them where needed and surrounded them with boxes for additional cushion.
4 - Workbenches and cabinets were broken down and loaded.
5 - I used two PODS - the original - that did have tie downs along the inside walls and hired a crew to move heavier items from my basement to the garage for staging. The crew then returned to load them once I had everything in the garage for packing. PODS transport truck lifts are vertical so no tilting on the back of a truck or trailer which helped with stabilizing of the load and no shifting.
6 - I used ropes across the PODS every 3 feet or so to tie things down and eliminate any shifting.
7 - The PODS were in storage for about 6 months waiting on my home to be finished at the PODS storage facility with climate control and I had zero rust or other deterioration - loaded in December and unloaded in May.
8 - Take your time breaking things down and packing and write on each box what's where. Take pictures of the open boxes so you can recall what is in them when unpacking and sorting!
9 - I also numbered and labeled the boxes so that I had a plan for unpacking and assembling things like the machinery and benches before other things that were meant for cabinets, etc.
10 - Definitely consider insurance given it's a 3rd party driver over a highway and you never know about accidents or load shifts
11 - I bought my packing boxes from U-Haul and unused ones were returnable. U-Haul will also take used boxes and recycle them to customers for free in a lot of their centers.

Take your time, and get help. This stuff gets heavy in a hurry so watch your back. Cull before packing and think hard about what you really use versus can turn into cash. I did move some wood, but most of it I had used up in anticipation of a move.

Good luck!

 

[luvmytoolz]

for packing stuff remember to not let the boxes get too heavy. The heavier the stuff you put in the smaller the box needs to be. The longer the trip the more even stuff in boxes needs to NOT move around.

On top of a lifetime of accumulation, we had probably ~2000 books to move, even though we used somewhat smaller cartons, man they weren't fun to lug!