We got the call that we could come and pick up the base from Stephen’s Machine, and were filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness. Nan had been sick for days, battling some odd virus, so Dave prepped and organized for transport. Luckily we got a fever reprieve window to record our baby coming home, and although it had the potential to be catastrophic in Dave’s mind, all of his prep and the professionals at Stephen’s meant that it went smoothly and easily.
There were two goals for the morning. First, of course, bring her home. Second, create the base template. While forklifts were going to have the half ton base lifted and moving, this was the perfect chance to set her on plywood and create a template of the base for the site prep crew, allowing them a model for where to drill holes, rather than relying on measurements alone.
Before we even started with the transfer into Maynard ( our trailer), Dave worked with the crew at Stephen’s to get the template drawn.
Then, it was time for the transfer. It went quickly and painlessly. The little cart you see her being transferred onto in the trailer is the one Dave and his dad were building when he learned some new technique lessons.
You don’t just toss a thousand pounds of stainless steel love in the back of your trailer and drive off, it needs to be blocked and braced and locked into place.
In case you did not get a good look at the current state of the base with all the movement in the videos, here is a static shot. A few days of polishing and she will be glistening.
This weekend will be the non-fork truck unloading of the base at home , and installation of the gantry to start with the piecing of the parts. There has also been incredible hours of polishing this week, so more sneak peaks at the progress on the gears- stay tuned!
