Smart Packaging Can Save Your Back

I just got my planer unloaded from the box. It arrived today. I have to give DeWalt credit; I know of no other company that packs heavy objects in boxes with side packing that can be removed before the items are unboxed.

When I got my sliding compound miter saw home, it was totally surrounded by two pieces of styrofoam, and styrofoam generates lots of friction when pressed against cardboard, and it also seals pretty well so air can’t get past it. Lift the whole mess straight up, and the box comes with it, because there is a vacuum between the box and the styrofoam. Lift one end while pressing down on the styrofoam and it comes up, but how do you lift the other end without dropping the first end? Get a friend to lift the other end, and what happens? You’re lifting the whole thing again, so the box goes up at the same time.

I used a hoist to get it out of the box. Seriously. The saw probably weighs 70 pounds, which is not all that much, but when the box is determined to stick to it, it seems like 700.

With the planer, I pulled out the stuff between the machine’s sides and the cardboard, grabbed the machine’s handles, and lifted. POOF. Out. With free space around the machine, it came right out.

I would have waited around and looked for a used planer, but I got this recon cheaper than a Ridgid, and it’s supposed to be very, very good. I decided to take a chance on it because the recon router I bought was perfect and appeared to be new. This thing has some scuffs on one of the ramp deals, but I’m not sure they’re from wood. It could be from rubbing against cardboard in the box. It may be totally unused. A lot of recons are.

In the box, it seemed to weigh maybe 175 pounds. That would have been my guess. I could not handle it or carry it safely. I used a handtruck to put it in the garage. Out of the box, it feels like less than a hundred. Funny how that works.

I continue looking for drill presses. I have come to realize that there is no perfect choice. The old ones with long strokes seem to be limited to a 17″ swing, and many of them have 3-phase motors, and it seems like it’s impossible to get the dealers to answer questions. Delta makes a new one with a 6″ stroke and a 20″ swing, but I get the impression that it does not have a split head, and if this is the case, it may be badly engineered. A split head allows you to fix runout problems that arise in long-stroke machines as they age. Steel City makes one with a long stroke and a split head, but it only has a 17″ swing.

This seems to be the hardest machine to choose and buy. There were several planers I liked. There are a lot of band saws that would make me happy. Table saws are a dime a dozen. But drill presses are just plain vexing.

I know that if I compromise on any feature, it will immediately become essential. That’s how life is. If I get a 4″ stroke, ten minutes after I start using it, I will need 6″. Don’t even question it. This is why I bought a compressor fit for a body shop. People laughed at me. Well, now I want to sand things, and guess what you need for that? Pneumatic sanders that suck tons of air. Who’s laughing now? Okay, I guess the same people are laughing, but at least I can sand things.

I am seriously considering building a spruce box with the tools I have right now. I can make a planer sled and try it. I can then plane the wood. I can do most of the cutting on the table saw. Hey, it would give me something to do.