Ok, so now that I had three phase power run to the bandsaw, I wired up the bandsaw, clicked my remote, and pressed the button on the bandsaw. I didn't bother taking a picture, since I still haven't gotten any blades for the saw, but it was pretty rewarding to hear the 7.5 hp motor fire, and hear that lower wheel spinning (in the right direction first shot
)!
But wait, that's not what this second post is all about.
This one involves a tractor trailer backing up to my loading dock...
Yup, time for a few more tools to arrive...
As any of you know that have followed this adventure for any length, one of the things I keep professing is that I'm doing everything within my power to do this ONCE AND DO IT RIGHT. To that end, you've noticed that I've invested in a few good quality tools. I believe in the
Quality of MiniMax and I think this post will help prove that point...
I had my hands full today, so there aren't anywhere near the number of pictures I would have liked to have taken. But here are a few...
Here's a shot of my new Formula F1 16" Jointer loaded into my 'crane':
I wished I had gotten a picture of that beast hanging from the crane, but I was far too nervous to stop and grab the camera! That things weighs just under ONE TON, almost twice the weight of the bandsaw, and I wasn't very sure of the capacity of the straps and such that I was using to hoist it up off the pallet. I was concentrating on getting it lifted, getting the pallet out from under it, and getting it safely on the floor. Another thing that made it pretty challenging was the fact that the jointer has 'hook holes' in three places, where I needed to attach straps and lift. There are two holes on the rear of the machine, and one on the front. Given the weight, and the top-heavy nature of it, rigging and hoisting was far more complicated than the bandsaw. Luckily, it went and up back down safely without a hitch:
So, with the F1 safely on the shop floor, I moved it out of the crane with my pallet jack.
And then I loaded the crane back up...
I didn't get any before pictures, again because of the nerve wracking nature of the process, but here's a shot of my new SP1 20" Planer sitting safely on the shop floor:
Getting that off the pallet was just as challenging as the jointer was...more so infact, since the way it sat safely 'inside' the pallet, it had to be lifted about 6" up off the pallet before the pallet could be slid out from under it. And since it also weighs in at around ONE TON, I did everything I could to make the process go quickly and error free.
Here's a few shots showing the new equipment placed 'roughly' in their new homes:
I'm sure glad I built the shop as big as I did!
I have my work cut out for the next few days. Both of the new machines are covered in cosmoline, and will require a few hours of cleanup to get them ready. Once they're cleaned up, I need to get back down under the shop and get three phase power run to them. (Now you see why I built in room for expansion under there...
)
Before I call it quits for the night and go soak in the spa, I want to add one important item to this post...
I mentioned above that I (obviously) believe strongly in the
Quality of MiniMax. Well, that's not the only thing about MiniMax that I believe in.
I've heard folks mention the good customer service they've recieved from various vendors. Well, let me tell you...
MiniMax understands the meaning of customer service and knows how to deliver it!!!
Here's a picture to show what I'm talking about:
That shows the truck backed up to my loading dock. It also shows Denise looking over the paperwork with the driver while they both lean on the new jointer. But more importantly, it shows TWO JOINTERS and TWO PLANERS sitting in the shop. There's one each sitting behind that sheet of plywood towards the left in the picture.
It turns out that the jointer and planer arrived at the same time as the bandsaw, but both were damaged beyond repair by the freight company!
I can't say enough about the FANTASTIC support I recieved from both Dain and Jim at MiniMax. After a few phone calls, an inspector from the freight company was in the shop examining, documenting, and photographing the damage.
A few days later, replacement equipment shows up, and the damaged machines are hauled away.
My hat's off to the folks at MiniMax for turning what could have been a nightmare into a relatively painless experience!
Thanks Dain!
Thanks Jim!
I believe I've made a wise investment with MiniMax!
(Oh, and in case you didn't think about it, that's a WHOLE LOT OF WEIGHT on my shop floor in that picture. It handled it without a blink! I think I done good with the build!
)
Well, as always, thanks for following. Thanks for allowing the gloat. And thanks for listening while I praised a company I believe in.
Off to the spa...
- Marty -