The Move
Moving a shop is never easy. The machinery is heavy, dirty, and delicate. Every cord needs to be carefully coiled and labeled, every bolt and fixture accounted for. And once you load it all up, you’re left with the even bigger task—setting it all back up again.
At the start of December, right in the middle of a kitchen install, we began the second shop move in Works Progress’s history. Over two intense weeks, we dismantled the old space and shuttled it across town—one load at a time in a 16' cabover truck.
The Right Tool for the Job
One thing that made this move a whole lot smoother than our first? The forklift.
After signing the lease on the new space, my first major investment was a used teal Mitsubishi forklift—and I honestly don’t know how we would’ve done it without it. From the first pallet to the last CNC, this machine saved us hours of labor and a lot of back pain.
Making Room for the Big Machines
We started with the “smaller” items: the table saws, jointer, planer, air compressors, and dust collection. Clearing those made way to bring in the biggest pieces—the CNC routers.
Our 5' x 10' ShopBot just barely fit into the 16’ truck, sliding in with less than an inch of clearance on either side. We prepped by lifting both ShopBots onto custom-built caster sleds, using 2x6s with mounted casters to easily maneuver them across the concrete floor. Once they were in position, we used 72” fork extensions to lift and load them into the truck. With a little patience, both machines landed safely in their new home.
Setting Up for What’s Next
With the machines in place, we moved on to the final leg of the process—power, air, and dust collection. Wiring up the CNCs, plumbing in air lines, and connecting the dust collection took some time, but hearing those machines hum to life in a new space made it all worth it.
We’re excited to have the shop fully operational again and ready for what’s next—bigger projects, smoother workflow, and more opportunities to build for our clients.
Let’s build something together.
