Hugh:
Congratulations on the new house, the new baby, and getting the very nice looking machine into the new shop. Good job!
I moved into a basement shop below a two car garage some 20 years ago. What I decided to do was cut a big hole in the floor and build a hoist. Two wood 6x6 uprights with an I-beam across the top. Then a chain hoist to lower the machines into the basement. The floor bolted back into place and good as new. Two years ago I moved the machines out via the same hoist. It was an adventure with a considerable pucker factor.
(http://www.currin.us/MEM/hoist/hoist.jpg)
(http://www.currin.us/MEM/hoist/lathe-1.jpg)
(http://www.currin.us/MEM/hoist/lathe-2.jpg)
(http://www.currin.us/MEM/hoist/lathe-3.jpg)
(http://www.currin.us/MEM/hoist/mill.jpg)
Tomorrow I pick up a rental forklift to put these two machines on a utility trailer. We're moving to Prescott, AZ this week and the shop is part of the move.
Keep us updated. Thanks.
PS: You have a great first name there.
Hugh: The hole in the floor did take some thought. However, the design and construction of the hoist had me checking calculations many times. This current move may be a bridge too far, I'm considering downsizing the lathe and mill. But they are both on a trailer and Saturday we dive south.
Andy: I did cut the joists. To build back up I made new joists that rest on the original foundation and center beam. Are these "sister joists"? I bolted these to the original joist stubs, then screwed the original flooring back in place. Quite and adventure.
(http://www.currin.us/MEM/hoist/joist-1.jpg)
(http://www.currin.us/MEM/hoist/joist-2.jpg)
But I'm too old to ever do that again.
Thanks.