Advice on Workshop Move/Storage

[timf67]

Hey all. I am sure I am not the first person to go through building a new shop at a new house, so I am looking for advice and what works and doesn't work. I sold my current house and have to be out a month from now. My new house does not have any shop space and I will be building a shop there. I am anticipating the need to store my equipment somewhere for about 6 months while the new shop is built. I have a lot of large equipment (large tablesaw, large lathe, 2 bandsaws, large jointer/planer, drum sander, drill press, large workbench, and of course many benchtop tools and who could forget lots of lumber). I was curious if anyone has used a PODS type solution and if I need to worry about moving equipment in a PODS type container? Obviously I would like to minimize how many times and how far I have to move everything, so any suggestions are welcome!

Tim

 

[ScottM]

I was kinda in your shoes back in 2010. All my tools went into an attached 2 car garage while the shop was being built. They were just put there and not setup for use. The wife was OK parking in the driveway until I could get the shop built. Of course I needed to leave a couple small aisles so she could go in and out. It kinda helped telling her how much storage rental would be verse the convenience of parking in the garage for a few months.

 

[WoodWrangler]

Having had to store my tools for about 4 months in a friends garage, let me warn you of this ... RUST. I protected and waxed my tools, but still I got some rust on the cast iron.

As for PODS, can they handle that kind of weight? I remember your tools setup was similar to mine ... and that means a lot of weight.

If you do some type of storage, just get those tools extra protected.

 

[KenOfCary]

I used a POD for a couple of weeks - paid a month rental - when I put the new floor in the shop. I got tired of moving stuff around to make room for more floor tiles and just moved everything out the door and into the pod parked in the driveway. There prices seemed reasonable at the time. They can also take them to a storage facility or move them across country. You pay monthly rent plus a charge each time it is moved. There are two sizes, I got the smaller one and wished I'd had the bigger one.

They are uninsulated but weather tight. Lots of tie-down rings, etc but you need your own tie-downs. You supply your own lock. Protect against rust for sure as Jeremy mentioned. Not sure of the weight limits - should be on their website. I arranged the whole thing on the web. Was very convenient. They can maneuver that thing just about anywhere. It is really interesting watching them load/unload one of the PODS.

 

[Bill Clemmons]

When I built my current shop my tools were in storage for about 3 years. I used a company that has trailers, like the ones you see semi's pulling on the interstate. They will come to your location to pick up, and can provide laborers to help if you need them. When I was ready to move everything into the new shop, they brought the trailer and backed it up to my door. Saved me from having to load / unload several times.

 

[ScottM]

DAMHIKIT but if building your own shop don't store or bury tools and supplies you are going to need in the build process. :BangHead:

 

[jemcguire]

I had my shop stored in a PODS container while we moved down here and built a new shop. The whole experience was good. I ran stretchers between the wall studs to create levels which allowed me to store all my tools. If memory serves, the shop was probably stored for almost a year and had almost no rust issues with some prevention.

 

[Endless Pursuit]

I have some extra VCI (Volitile Corrosion Inhibitor) Paper I'd sell you for a great price. My stuff has been stored in my new "garage" since October until I can move into my new shop that is under construction. I keep checking the metal parts an zero corrosion. I waxed everything, misted it with WD 40 and then wrapped all bare steel and cast iron in the VCI Paper. I had to buy WAY more than I needed. $25 gets 90% of a $85 roll.

The stuff emits a vapor that passivates steel and iron (depolarizes the cathode) and prevents corrosion even in nooks and crannies. Lasts about a year. I plan on using the other roll I have to line my cabinets and drawers in the new shop.

 

[cpw]

Tim,

My parents built a new house next to their old house, moved in, and then had a garage build in the site of the old house. They used a PODS for storing items that would end up in the garage, but there was no need to move the PODS with their possessions, so I don't know anything about that. As to that, I would ask HOW they move them. If they're going to tilt it and drag it up on a rollback, I'd find another way to move my equipment, but if they can lift it keeping it basically level, then I'd consider it.

When we moved from Asheville to Rutherford County we rented for about a year while we sold our house and shopped for a new house and we put LOTS of stuff, including the shop, into storage. We just rented a 10x20 storage space and tried to arrange things that we might need toward the front.

I knew that the storage facility would get hot and humid, so we did our best to minimize problems. Anything that might melt or explode from pressure was sold, donated, or otherwise discarded, or to went into a storage room in the rental house. Most of my hand tools went with us to the rental house, but the things that were going to be boxed up in storage for some time, like pipe clamps, I tried to pack with those silica gel desiccant packs that come in vitamins and a lot of shipped items. I save those buggers just for such occasions. I waxed the work surfaces on my TS/joiner, which was the only large piece of equipment I had at the time. I ended up selling that before we moved into the new house.

I've actually had more rust problems in my basement shop than I did with storage.

 

[JohnnyR]

Moved here from Texas with professional movers. I cleaned everything and covered with Boeshield T-9. It all went into a Storage Max 10x20 non-climate controlled unit for 5+ months over the summer while we built a house. Trouble was that everywhere the movers handled the cast iron, their sweaty hands caused rust, otherwise everything was fine. So I recommend covering/wrapping where they will be handled.

 

[KenOfCary]

PODS get lifted straight up while remaining level. The lifting device has electric motors and big fat tires that can move over gravel or pavement and maneuver the POD exactly where you want it. It can also guide it onto the back of the transport truck while remaining level.

Things should still be strapped down if they are going "on the road".