Now the work can begin in earnest.
I've spent the last week cleaning and re-arranging the workshop to make room for the new shear. I was expecting a 24hr notice like I requested and they said they would do. Yesterday I got a call at 11:30am from the driver saying he was in Beaver Dam (about 45 minutes away). I was at work, 30 minutes away from the delivery site. I managed to schedule the delivery for after 1pm so I had time to get home and prepped.
Then the fun began. The truck couldn't make it into the lot so he parked up the street in a larger lot. Here is the shear on the truck. His idea was to get the use of a flat-bed tow truck and transfer the shear to there and then to the dock as planned. I was able to get the help of just such a truck from the little auto sales and service place that happened to be across the street from where he was parked. So with the help of an engine hoist we were able to put the wheels on the shear and roll it on to the smaller truck. Since the flat bed tow trucks can extend and aim the bed we just backed it right to the bottom of the ramp at the workshop and extended the bed to the top so we could just roll it right off to the level surface. It was well worth the $60 for the help.
Then it was just a matter of rolling it over to the space I had cleared for it and starting to work on getting it ready. There was a bit of light surface rust on the cast iron bed and a bunch of general grime on it as well so I worked at it with some steel wool, including removing the safety hold down to clean under and behind it. I haven't hooked air up to it yet so I haven't seen the cutting surface of the blade, but the parts that were exposed behind the guard look good. Tonight I am planning on doing a bit more steel wool and applying a coat of paste wax to the bed and hooking up the air to get it to cycle and see if the compressor I have at the shop will be able to keep up and supply enough air, or if I need to rig up a reservoir system to help it. For that I need to pick up a few adapters and connectors and a little bit of hose, planning on doing that just after lunch today, and hopefully not pick up too many extra things while there.
Once it is operational I have a list of things waiting to go on it and get cut down to size. I think my adjustable height saw horses will work for extension supports until I come up with and get around to making something else, if needed.
Then the fun began. The truck couldn't make it into the lot so he parked up the street in a larger lot. Here is the shear on the truck. His idea was to get the use of a flat-bed tow truck and transfer the shear to there and then to the dock as planned. I was able to get the help of just such a truck from the little auto sales and service place that happened to be across the street from where he was parked. So with the help of an engine hoist we were able to put the wheels on the shear and roll it on to the smaller truck. Since the flat bed tow trucks can extend and aim the bed we just backed it right to the bottom of the ramp at the workshop and extended the bed to the top so we could just roll it right off to the level surface. It was well worth the $60 for the help.
Then it was just a matter of rolling it over to the space I had cleared for it and starting to work on getting it ready. There was a bit of light surface rust on the cast iron bed and a bunch of general grime on it as well so I worked at it with some steel wool, including removing the safety hold down to clean under and behind it. I haven't hooked air up to it yet so I haven't seen the cutting surface of the blade, but the parts that were exposed behind the guard look good. Tonight I am planning on doing a bit more steel wool and applying a coat of paste wax to the bed and hooking up the air to get it to cycle and see if the compressor I have at the shop will be able to keep up and supply enough air, or if I need to rig up a reservoir system to help it. For that I need to pick up a few adapters and connectors and a little bit of hose, planning on doing that just after lunch today, and hopefully not pick up too many extra things while there.
Once it is operational I have a list of things waiting to go on it and get cut down to size. I think my adjustable height saw horses will work for extension supports until I come up with and get around to making something else, if needed.