An exciting day, not enough photos but my companion Chad and I were too anxious about delivering a 750 pound machine from the alley beside my house, through a small lake of ginger rock, and into the threshold of my garage. The machine rests as it's sits here. And while I identify as a hand tool woodworker, the drudgery of milling material into the dimensions I need necessitate a planer. I've not had a jointer aside from my winding sticks, planes and bench. after about 3 years of consideration, I finally ordered a Hammer A3-31. Rob Pocaro's blog says enough about why I wanted this machine.
Herin are just some photos of the process getting it into the shop. We used 3 sections of plywood, leapfrogging to form a track for the pallet jack, through the ginger rock. no photos because one is not thinking about photos when you're not even sure you can get it done.
I am humbled at the patient assistance of my friend during this. I surely could not have done this on my own, and that's a good lesson about life.
I rented a hydraulic pallet jack for this operation. couldn't do it without one.
We incrementally raised the pallet up on cribbing from the various 4x sticks on hand around my shop. We then built a platform under the assembly, supported by 2x4 "joists" that were screwed into the temporary plywood underneath. then with a shop-made furniture dolly, lowered the pallet onto wheels to take it inside. From here, it was more shuffling and looking to see how the Austrians did it on their website, before we got it on it's own mobile base.
