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