"Charlie Self" wrote in message
...
Got a reminder today. I had the engine crane out and was pulling the head
off
my drill press. Almost at full extension when I got it off, with the
garage
door closed. Without thinking, I decided to open the door so I could wheel
the
crane and DP head outdoors. Yeah, right, as one granddaughter loves to
say.

The opening door caught a panel on the upraised end of the crane, tipping
it.
My wife tried to close the door so I could release the damned thing, but
instead the opener did its usual up and down dither, tipping the crane
into the
shop. It missed me, for which I am grateful since I was standing where I
shouldn't have been (inside the crane legs). Dropped the DP head onto my
Shop
Fox benchtop mortiser also sitting there waiting to be loaded this
evening. And
the lawnmower. Missed my router table.

A PITA to pull the mess apart, but we did it, I stood the crane up and it
was
mostly unhurt (one clevis pin bent), and the mortiser appears OK, except
for a
bent depth gauge rod. Knocked one lawnmower wheel out of adjustment.

Basically, that loss of ceiling height as a garage door opens is why I
installed a sliding door on my Bedford shop. Here, I simply forgot about
the
clearance difference. Fortunately, no real damage to anything but my
wife's
nerves...she was afraid the crane arm would nail my head, which is
slightly--not much--softer than mild steel. I was too busy to worry about
it.

Charlie Self
"The test and the use of man's education is that he finds pleasure in the
exercise of his mind." Jacques Barzun



I'm sorry to hear about your mishap. I'm glad damages and injuries were
minimal. Hearing what just happened to you and seeing photo after photo of
over crowded shops, it seems we all naturally overlook a significant safety
factor, that being trying to cram too much stuff in too little space. We
all know setting up a woodshop tools and equipment is very expensive, which
costs we are willing to bare (or is that bear?), but not the cost of
building an adequate space to put it in. Maybe there should be a minimal
square footage standard for every piece of workshop equipment. Glad you're
doing ok.

Gary