Today’s installment of crazy maker equipment installs in Henry’s basement was getting my Tormach CNC milling machine from the pallet in the garage down into my basement shop. After all the MA regulatory hurdles, I got a 14-day backhoe operator’s permit, and rented a small backhoe. Then I rented my next-door neighbor (who is just as crazy). While I got my Glowforge down with My son and me carrying it, this was a smidge heavier (250kg). I then had to repeat the process with my 1-ton shop crane to get that downstairs. The up function on that Kubota is silky smooth, while down is super jerky (fine for dirt). All limbs were accounted for at the end of the process. The real problem is that the top ram on the backhoe was non-functional so couldn’t extend which required some shenanigans…
Note to self: don’t ever move.
Have fun with it!
You are definitely certifiable…but you do get it done. Congrats on the new toy! 
This is the crazy sort of stuff our dad has always done. Which makes me really glad to have his 84yo self tucked away in his posh retirement community away from large machines and ladders!
If he has not stopped glaring yet, give it another season or two.
Heh Heh, I love doing this kind of stuff. Wouldn’t mind having you for a neighbour.
Project classifications on the open ended lunatic scale:
1). Moderately difficult
2). Bit dicey
3.) Sketchy
4.) Some trepidation
5.) Serious consideration of consequences
6.) I’m feeling really lucky
7.) Need help from certifiable neighbour
8.) Not doing that (today) if cerifiable neighbour is not available
The move was actually their idea—we moved down here to take care of their house and stuff so it could happen. Dad’s already one of the “popular kids” so he’s having a ball. 
Getting up on the stand was way more terrifying than the getting it into the basement. Way more risk of immediate injury. And that part I did it with my wife. We got up. Now on to building the enclosure, install flood coolant, power drawbar and automatic tool changer. Which will happily reduce the huge pile of boxes of parts.
Note the tip of the one ton shop crane next to my wife’s feet.
May desire more padding on the walls to absorb a measure of the sound this thing looks like it makes.
Interesting project.
The room is right next to my home theater and when me and the kids built it it is offset studs with full R30 insulation and you cant hear squat. The ceiling is heavily insulated above the drop ceiling.
My wife has a theory I only do projects that I need to buy a new tool for (sort of true but I always do a second one using the new tool so I really do “save money” :-)) This is one of the “build a new building” projects though. I don’t do a lot of those but I would seriously do that in this case 
General craziness!
I have considered many times installing some sort of rail system in the ceilings that could lift and walk heavy things about the house or even myself if my back keeps going bad.
Finally got the controller working. Wrong cable in the box… also the controller arm is a custom install (it’s only for the larger models). So I cut and drilled a custom hardened steel plate to hold it onto the case. Started work on the enclosure.
Enclosure is mostly built. I hate the butyl tape they use to seal the seams. You can see it oozing out the side At the bottom seam.
Is there a reason it’s oversized for the cabinet underneath (or more precisely the cabinet is undersized for the enclosure footprint)? I wondered about that but didn’t know anyone to ask 
Not sure it matters. It’s a steel base with very solid thick steel supports on the edges and a solid steel top. Since the machines weighs so much, it’s not going anywhere. Just having extra space (like for the coolant reservoir makes a narrow base useful (plus that makes the monitor arm stick out less) )
A bigger problem is the load the small feet place on the floor. The big boy machines (like the one titan just got) where they weigh 10-20 tons the feet can crush even reinforced concrete. Titan’s new Makino which weighs 43000lbs required new high strength concrete in his machine shop under the feet.
I figured it was structurally okay, just aesthetically it looks tippy and if the cabinet was deeper it could hold more things - including organization via drawers or bins or something.
And that tape does not cut very nicely with a razor knife either. Better than coolant leaks though.