Moving the bandsaw
A while back, I showed off my homemade bandsaw at the Ottawa wood show. This of course involved the problem of actually getting it there. Fortunately, my homemade bandsaw is a lot more portable than a comparably sized one made of metal.
With the covers removed, the top wheel mount and wheel just slide out the top. The wooden
wheels on my bandsaw are a little heavier than aluminium spoke wheels, so it helps
to take the top wheel out. I would have to remove the trunnion supports to pull
the bottom wheel out, so I left that one in place.
Here I'm removing the table. It's just a matter of taking off the locking nuts and lifting it off.
The motor is another heavy part. Electrically it's just plugged
into a socket on the back of the saw, so it's pretty easy to disconnect.
With the motor sitting on top of part of the frame as opposed to hanging sideways, there's no need to support the weight of the motor while taking the bolts off.
The frame is held onto the stand with two long screws from the bottom, so
these had to come out as well.
With the enclosure, top wheel, table and motor removed, it's a manageable lift.
The frame with what is still attached to it weighs about 50 pounds (23 kg), about
the same as what is allowed for a suitcase on a flight before you have to pay extra.
Just the wooden frame itself weighs about 30 pounds, but it's not worth the effort
to strip it down further. 50 pounds is manageable.
The size of the frame is such that it will fit in the back seat of a car.
I put it in with the left side (column side) down, because there isn't anything
to damage the upholstery on that side.
The whole bandsaw on the back seat. I put the bandsaw stand in the trunk.
More about my homemade bandsaw
