Safely Moving A Surface Plate

We will either learn how to, or how not to, depending on your success or the ER bill...as long as you document it. ;-)
 
The hand truck actually bombed...lol. It worked great up until I needed to lift the plate up three steps onto my main floor from outside. Simply couldn't lift the weight, and no real means to mechanically do the task. However the plate has landed, so to speak. After a long day of effort I finally managed to get the slab downstairs and sitting nicely on the make shift cart I built for it.

There's tons of video, and a few stills of the whole day's efforts. So much so that it will take several days to organize it into something worth sitting down for. To hold anyone who's interested over until then....
IMG_20150308_153521_zpscpinymus.jpg
 
So, the ledge was used to keep it centered in the 2X6 track? That worked rather well it appears.
 
Yes, exactly... Once I had the plate fully on the "tracks" I screwed down another cross member on the top of them to stop them from opening.
 
This is yet another one I need to remember!
Daryl
MN
 
j. vibert said:
Howdy,

Just yesterday I happen to win a 36x24x4" surface plate at a local online auction. This morning I went to pick up my prize and was surprised to see it adhered to another smaller plate. Why...?..., I have no idea. At any rate the "combo" was sold as a single lot. However now I have a double thick plate which is too much for me to move solo.

I can't say for sure what compound is being used to hold the two plates together, but there is bead of what appears to be silicone along the mating edge.

Can anyone suggest a silicone solvent that I may use that won't harm the plates. Or simply just tell me that I have nothing to worry about....lol.

I have no idea and no means to check how thorough the glue job is, but the hope is to use something that will creep between the plates and liquefy the silicone entirely.

Maybe if I can get lucky I'll end up with two plates for the cost of one. :)

Any feedback is welcome, and thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Hi, Why not try a high pressure power washer, once the bond is separated by the water it may come apart easily, It's worth trying and costs nothing.
 
Well water has been breaking down solid stone for centuries so I see no reason why that wouldn't work eventually... ;)

Shame I can't edit the first post, as the rest of the thread doesn't seem to be getting much attention....lol
 
I have safely moved multiple objects, some weighing more than a thousand lbs., up and down my basement steps by myself. I use two 2 x 6" planks tied together with cross bars and a "come-along" or block and tackle. Make sure the plate is securely fastened with nylon strapping and start it down a few clicks at a time. You do not want it to build up any momentum. Depending on the slope of your stairs, it may slide on its own or you may have to nudge it. Stop when you get to your 90 degree turn and set it on the landing, rearrange your planking, reorient the plate and start it down the next flight. If you place a second set of planks a few steps up, you can transfer the plate to them and lift the opposite end up to your final resting place. Don't rush the process. It takes a little time but you don't want to damage your home, the plate , or yourself. Do yourself a favor and put the stand on casters so you can easily move it. Was it not Archimedes that said "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world."?. Physics rules! Good luck!
 
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