A BIG MACHINE FOR A LITTLE LADY Faced with a heavy task, the "Router Lady" used brains over brawn. SHOP OWNER: Carol Reed LOCATION: Ramona, CA     Finally, my piggy bank was fat enough and the day came when the new Grizzly oscillating drum sander that I ordered had finally arrived - all 360 pounds of it! What was one weak-backed little woodworking gal to do? The truck driver wanted $35 to get it off his truck but I was ready for him.     My brother made a pair of slip-on forks for me for the bucket of the front-end loader on my tractor. They sure saved me some money too!     The crate was way too big and heavy to handle alone, so what to do? First, I called a friend. His back is as bad as mine is, but someone had to survive to call 911! Now, we got clever and transferred the box to a wheeled cart to make transporting much easier.             Next, we stripped the box. One tug on the sander’s top to get it loose from the Styrofoam quickly showed us that wily, devious, clever, and smart would have to take the place of brute force.     So, we hung a come-along to the ceiling joists and cranked the top out of the Styrofoam.         A sturdy C-clamp hooked to the come-along did the job. The next thing was to cart it out of our way.       Since I wanted the sander on a mobile base, and didn’t need to deal with this well over 100-pound top at this time, we placed it on the wheeled cart and pushed it aside for the moment. The white stuff on the bottom is Styrofoam that’s stuck to the trunnions.     With the mobile base made, we cranked up the base of the sander and slid the mobile base under it.           At this point, things looked good. Now it’s on to install the top.     What would we have done without that come-along? I was one happy camper. What? Wait! The wheels on the base were too big! The whole thing is too high. I just hate it when that happens!         Looks like I’ll need to jack the entire sander back up. So, I bolted a big ol’ U-bolt through a short piece of 2x4. The 2x4 ran across the underside of the top and the U-bolt stuck out of the center hole in the top. It turned out to be balanced quite well when lifted.     With the new, smaller wheels on the mobile base, things are better, but still a trifle high. This was the best I could do without going out and actually buying new wheels. Nevertheless, it ‘s quite workable. Later on if I should have a need for the wheels, which are now under this sander, I'll go buy others and swap them out.     Now, the top had all this gunky cosmolene stuff all over it, which needed removing. You know, there’s nothing like a retired military friend who has dealt with this stuff before!     Paul scraped it all off with a razor blade, then cleaned it with mineral spirits, and finished with a wiping coat of lacquer thinner. Then it was my turn.     Six coats of paste wax, each buffed out in turn. There’s nothing like an electric buffer for this job. I think I heard Paul mumble something about cheating. I have NO idea what he was mumbling about!     Here it is all ready to use. As you can see from the drum, I have already properly tested it, and I am happy to report it works just fine.     This is a sturdy, well-built, heavy machine. It runs quiet and very smoothly, and I had no fit and finish problems. It sounds and feels very solid and I think it’s well worth the money. . . . Carol Reed   CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE    INDEX!   SEND US YOUR "SHOP SHOTS" This is the place to share views of your shop, woodworking tips and methods, mug shots, special tools or machines, finished work--you name it!     We prefer digital images via e-mail, but prints or transparencies will do. Include your name, address, phone number and a paragraph or two explaining the photo(s). Not every entry will be used, we reserve the right to edit for length and clarity, and we will not return photos. WoodCentral P.O. Box 493 Springtown, PA 18081