Moving Through Doors

[zorlack]

I feel like the topic of moving a ShopBot has been covered to death, but please bear with me


I work as the Technical Director for a High School theater program. We're about to move a bot from the wood shop to my Scene shop.

I've already gone ahead and installed wheeled jacks so that we can roll it. The problem is that I think its too wide for a double door that it has to get through.

Does anyone have any advice on how to get it through a door? Is it simply a matter of turning it on its side and dollying it through? Show I remove the gantry to cut the weight?

Thanks!

-Zorlack (a soon to be shopbotter)

[harryball]

Just make the door wider. :-)

I would remove the gantry then brace the table since it's not designed to take stress the way you'll be applying it on the side. I would (with ample help) turn it up on it's side on dollys, move it through and immediately return it to the proper position.

That'd be my approach anyway.

/RB

[jhicks]

My 2 cents would be, dont try to take short cuts and expect positive results. The legs only have a few bolts, the gantry is easy to remove, and cabling isnt that complex.
Break it down into sections that fit and wont be unduly stressed. take it apart, reassemble, level, and reconnect.
With a reasonable amouunt of helpers, a small tool chest, and a day to make it happen, you'll be done and running.
Or take out the door. turning on its side and getting all back to square and level sounds like a "pay me now or pay me later situation"
Haste makes waste.
I just hope your new room is better equipped than the wood shop with things you will neeed like space, shelving, power,dust collection etc. Especially since I envision a "scene shop" as a place where much painting, and assembly may be done and near lots people/students, dust,noise material storage, solvent storage, and wet paint. That combination could be a real headache not to mention a safty issue or two.
Good luck

[zorlack]

Thanks for the advice!

Jerry, our scene shop is where we do 99% of the carpentry for our productions. Its a terrific space for building large scenery.

Actually my two big concerns about the move are dust-collection and noise. We don't have centralized dust collection in the shop right now, my plan is to buy dust collector that, for the time being, will connect directly to the bot. At the moment, my plan is to purchase a Delta 50-760 (http://www.amazon.com/Delta-50-760-Horsepower-Vertical-Collector/dp/B00078V9KA/ref=pd_bbs_10?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1214168517&sr=8-10%20) to handle the dust. Unless someone tells me that won't work... Unfortunately I have to find/make a new dust skirt for the bot.

As for the noise... thats a tougher nut to crack... My guess is that upgrading to a spindle is the only thing I can do. Otherwise we might end up making some baffling that can be moved around to dampen the noise. Either way I'm going to have to spring for a gross of foam earplugs.

Back to the moving issue... I'm thinking I can move it most of the way with the legs on (as long as the legs are on, I can use the wheels). I'm definitely going to take the gantry off.

I assume that I'm going to be doing a decent amount of work re-squaring everything. Is there a definitive posting about squaring up the bot?

-Dave

[zorlack]

Mission accomplished!


3354

We scoped the route that we had to take to get the bot into the shop out pretty carefully, but we didn't really know if we were going to make it until we did the move. It turns out, that with the X-Motors removed the bot just barely fit through the double doors (it rubbed on both sides). So we didn't have to angle it at all!

So now the bot is in its new home! Next up tackling the dust problem and making some test cuts.

I'm very excited! I've worked with this bot before, but only ever in someone else's shop. I can't wait to start


-Dave