Shopsmith Forums

Looking for help & suggestions...tips & tricks for packing and moving my Shopsmith. Should I disassemble it? Does Shopsmith have shipping materials available?

My first question would be how it is being moved? If you are moving your household using a moving company and it is going to be packed inside a truck that would be different than moving it, in say a pickup or a van. If you are moving your household then I would ask the moving company if it would be better if it was disassembled some or if it would be okay if moved assembled packed in the truck with other furniture. The tables and tailstock could be removed and packed in boxes with other accessories. Do use your best judgement as it will have items packed next to and on top of it in a truck. Shopsmith ships new ones with the legs detached but the rest assembled and in a heavy box crate. You may choose to disassemble it more to have smaller lighter weight boxes. The most important thing is to have it moved without damage. Again use your best judgement.

If you are moving across the country, disassemble it as much as can be done easily and pack the parts in wooden crates. If you are just moving it across town, simply lay it on the back of a pickup and move it. I've done it just laying in the back of a pickup numerous times without issues.

I am also looking to move now the Shopsmith. Will the moving company pack it for myself or better to pack it by myself? Any good or bad experience?

I wouldn't let a moving company pack anything you care about

SJErick1972,

First, I would refer you back to my previous post above on this topic dated Nov. 1, 2021, for help. If it is a short distance that you will go back and forth to, I would suggest you move it yourself. Since that posting I moved last summer so I was faced with how to move my Shopsmith Tools. As noted below I have a lot of them and that list doesn't include everything. With help, we moved ALL of my Shopsmith and other tools in a 26' U-Haul truck. They were carefully loaded and strapped in and made the 21 mile trip from my old home to my new one on July 1st. The truck was full. This kind of covers what HopefulSSer said above.

If you are moving a greater distance and have to consider the moving truck as your only alternative know that it will be packed in with other furniture and boxes. Moving blankets will help pad it and items will be placed under, around and over it. Reputable Movers will pack it in with care as with all of your belongings to protect them from damage. You could ask that it be loaded last with less chance of other items being placed on top of it.

Do check yourself that ALL locks on the Shopsmith are locked before it is loaded.

I'd take the headstock off completely and pack that separately. You could leave the tubes and end castings assembled and strap them onto a heavy board, but you'll save a lot of space if you dissemble those pieces.

From my experience, it's better to let the moving company pack, especially for something as complex as a Shopsmith. I used Three Movers for my move, and they offered both packing and moving services. It felt safer because they knew exactly how to handle and pack everything properly, avoiding any damage during the move.

The team was very careful and consulted with me on how I wanted my items packed, which was reassuring. They seemed to have a lot of experience and offered good service without charging extra just for packing. For more detailed info on why it's beneficial to use professional packing services, you can check out https://threemovers.com/why-do-you-need ... -services/.