Moving a Slider Table Saw

I have a 1 ton shop crane that I would try to use for the (un)loading. You probably wouldn’t need quite as much disassembly either. HTH

-- Art

You suck.

I’ve moved machines up to 2000 lbs. unloading with
a pallet jack and/or engine hoist. If the seller
can put the machine on a pallet or if it has cutouts
for a pallet jack/forklift (I expect it does) then
perhaps it can be moved using a pallet jack and a
ramp alone. I broke a 2×6 pine ramp in half unloading
an 1800+ lb Tannewitz JS, but I expect the
Altendorf is not so heavy. The ramp worked fine
before for a couple of 1000 lb. class machines. Steel
ATV ramps should perform better.

Moving a long stroke slider is likely to most complicated
by the support cabinet under the sliding wagon. If the
wagon is sliding accurately and cutting square at the
seller’s location, you may want to secure it and leave
it on, hoping for the best. They can be tricky to
adjust.

Remove the fence and support tables to the right
of course.

Watch the balance. It’s cheaper to keep a rental
trailer for another day than fix a machine you
dumped on its side.

Some guys on owwm.org have moved larger
European sliders and far heavier items and will
have suggestions.

+1 on Loren’s post and I would take a lot of 2×4’s cardboard or rubber softeners and a healthy steel banding setup.
I couple of long pinch bars for turns, small bites. Wood blocking is king, steel sucks.
Maybe a come-along and slings to move it horizontally or up a slight incline.
If you can move it almost assembled that’s great so use the above items to keep everything stabilized.
Stay low, long ramps for minimal inclines and don’t hurry.
Lots of wide tie down straps on the trailer and center it in the trailer.
Most machinery tends to be very top heavy.
You can make your own good luck.

If you can get overhead purchase, a chain hoist works well. You can get a cheapie at HF. They have them in several weight capacities.

-- I admit to being an adrenaline junky; fortunately, I'm very easily frightened

Real nice saw. I’d hire a wrecker, old stlye with the boom. They’ll usually come for the service call fee. Center the sliding table and secure it so it doesn’t move or remove the sliding table, whatever works. Have the wrecker pick it and drive your trailer or truck underneath of it. He can also follow you and pick it and in some cases, slowly set it where needed. Put a lot of thought into rigging it as to not damage anything. Be safe. Use straps as opposed to chains. Wreckers have moved quite a few things for me in the past.

Thanks for the tips. I did forget to mention that off-loading will likely be easy. We’ll probably have forklift access.

I don’t have a steel banding setup but I do have some of those heavy duty, 2.5” wide ratchet tie downs and a nylon towing strap. If that’s not enough I can pick up a couple more.

I’ll probably rent a car trailer so I can be assured of a strong ramp. That and a come-along sound like the simplest solution and if that fails a tow truck is just a phone call away. A pallet jack or wood sled plus pipe should help it roll up the car ramp. I’m pretty sure I can borrow a pallet jack.

Renting a shop crane is probably doable too but I’m not positive I can get both that and a saw on a trailer. I’m also under the impression that they don’t do much more than 1,000lbs fully extended.

Just checked the specs on a random website and it looks like I’m dealing with a 132”x60”x44” machine that weighs 2200lbs. I don’t see a place for forks to fit either. Looks like I’ll need to lift it onto 4×4 skids and bolt them in place if possible. I’ve been reading up at owwm.org and finding some pertinent threads.

-- See my work at http://altaredesign.com

It seems to me, that the squareheads (Germans ) installed a cam. At the front of the saw, if your facing the blade where the controls are, you will see an arm on the left side near the bottom. If you pull the arm out and push down, the arm will lock in position allowing wheels to engage, where the saw can be moved around by one strong man. No need for a crane, the germans think of everything.

Even the main bed, table top, if its bowed or convex, there are cables on the underside to flatten the table top.

Also, its one of the only sliders that accept dado blades, and the list goes on and on and on and on

sweet toy

-- "Good artists borrow, great artists steal”…..Picasso

I might add, when you’ve ,moved your saw into the spot that works for you, leave the wheels up, place hardwood or steel shims under it near the wheels, Levelling the table top to perfection, will allow the saw to work perfectly for years to come. If the top isnt level, maintenance issues can become expensive.

Also, on the saw base, there should be three eye bolts, this allows you to lift the saw, via a jack, crane, forklift, where the saw becomes perfectly balanced and wont tip over, it removes the chance you might damage the saw during the move.

-- "Good artists borrow, great artists steal”…..Picasso

Wow, this is what makes this site great, there are so many resources lurking around. This kind of information I usually found after I moved something.
I’ve been watching these posts because I love the small of large machinery in the morning.

Congrats on the new saw. I will be looking for your updates on the saw and how it goes.

-- .

That looks like the cam lever as described by Moron.

I’ll have to look for the eye bolts while onsite. I’m not finding them in the pictures.

Thanks again for the information. I’ll try not to forget to take some pictures.

-- See my work at http://altaredesign.com

That is the lever, and by pulling it up, lift up, push down….. it engages the wheels. Hard to believe 1 person could push the saw around alone, but yes. Sure beats disassembling it and then moving with equipment

-- "Good artists borrow, great artists steal”…..Picasso

I have no experience with this saw, but have used a tilt bed trailer to move some heavy equipment. Great thing is, you back the trailer as close as possible to the machine, roll it onto the trailer, put the pin in, strap it down, then back up to your location, take the pin out and tilt it, unstrap, roll it off.

-- Jim from Kansas

I have no experience with this saw, but have used a tilt bed trailer to move some heavy equipment. Great thing is, you back the trailer as close as possible to the machine, roll it onto the trailer, put the pin in, strap it down, then back up to your location, take the pin out and tilt it, unstrap, roll it off.

-- Jim from Kansas

+1 on the you suck….....

Once you get it in place, I’d highly recommend you contact Altendorf and have a factory tech come out and run through it. They are trained in precise setup and it will be worth every penny on that saw.

Did I mention you suck?

-- Artisan Woodworks of Texas.... www.awwtx.com