guys who ship stuff will it survive?

[warmpancakes]

its shipping fed ex insured for twice selling price shipping from Michigan to North carolina, its secured for movement by wood pieces entire crate will be packed with shreaded paper to prevent any movement at all.

 

[mrholeshot]

I doubt it. While it looks good there is nothing to absorb the shock and UPS and Fed-Ex sling stuff like that around something terrible. I would remove the braces and totally wrap it in bubble wrap so as it's flung around, dropped and slid the tool can absorb some impact. It's just too ridged. If it wasn't a precision measuring instrument I would say fine but in this case you are asking for trouble. I hate to say it but I would either build a bigger box of buy a cardboard box twice that size and bubble wrap hell out of it, then pack around that with newpaper, foam peanuts or something like that. When I ship vintage guitars I insure a minimum of 10,000 dollars. When you do that it's specially marked and handled like it should be. One of my sons worked for UPS for a few years as a loader/unloader. The horror stories were real.

 

[warmpancakes]

theres a gap at the top the only real "secure" thing is the bottom ill loosen it up and bubble wrap the snot out of it

 

[american lockpicker]

I doubt it. While it looks good there is nothing to absorb the shock and UPS and Fed-Ex sling stuff like that around something terrible. I would remove the braces and totally wrap it in bubble wrap so as it's flung around, dropped and slid the tool can absorb some impact. It's just too ridged. If it wasn't a precision measuring instrument I would say fine but in this case you are asking for trouble. I hate to say it but I would either build a bigger box of buy a cardboard box twice that size and bubble wrap hell out of it, then pack around that with newpaper, foam peanuts or something like that.

This^^^^^ and even then they might lose it or steal it.

 

[ThatsWhatSheSaid]

I personally dont trust Fed-ex. When I was working at my last job we had to use fedex all the time and they only got a few good shipments to us out of hundreds while I worked there. One of the other guys joked that they would load stuff up on the forks and do bumper cars with the hilos in their warehouse because thats the only reason why stuff could show up in such a mess. Im just sharing my insight as I'm also in Michigan so you may deal with the same drivers

 

[Stuey]

I agree with Mr. Hole. A few wraps of bubble wrap to serve as dampening shock and movement, and then fill it up with shredded paper as mentioned.

Take pics before packaging it up, and of the final box.

 

[TheGrooveking]

Nope, you have nothing running in the long direction besides the outer sheathing. You need to isolate the assembly being shipped from it's container. With this being a height gage this needs to be very, very well packed, in cushioning material within a carton which would then be wrapped and placed in the crate.

In the recent edition of Popular Mechanics they reviewed the three big shippers, USPS, FED EX & UPS, and did report that FED EX provided the most gentle of the three.

TheGrooveking

 

[warmpancakes]

Its all crated up now Im looking for a box to put the crate into with at least 4-5 inches all the way around so I can have a crate in a box guys gonna hate unpacking it

 

[eborcim]

On something like a dial indicator you need packing above and below. I doubt anything will hurt the arm, but it won't hurt to insulate the same way. I hope the buyer paid for the extra shipping!!

 

[warmpancakes]

Nope I sold it for 250.00 shipped, oh well win some loose some Just want it to get there safe

 

[mrholeshot]

Its all crated up now Im looking for a box to put the crate into with at least 4-5 inches all the way around so I can have a crate in a box guys gonna hate unpacking it

Wrap the bubble wrap around the wood crate for the first few layers. That way it can only work it's way down so far. Tape the lid on the box. You don't want to hammer on the crate with the gauge inside. The guy wont have to hammer on it to get it out either

 

[csp]

I'd screw the lid on. Tape doesn't stick to OSB very well.

 

[johnnybentwrench]

NO! You need styrofoam under and around it forget the newspaper man, it will take about 20 papers to fill around it. Go buy foam peanuts or the foam type insulation at home cheapo is awesome easy to cut absorbs shock and is cheap. I have shipped perfect tool boxes across the country without a scratch! "I learned the hard way"

 

[warmpancakes]

I have 50 gallon trash bags full of shreaded paper my work is like enron lately, Ill get some of the foam board for packing I was wondering if that will work

 

[mrholeshot]

I'd screw the lid on. Tape doesn't stick to OSB very well.

It will iif you wrap it all the way around.

 

[mrholeshot]

NO! You need styrofoam under and around it forget the newspaper man, it will take about 20 papers to fill around it. Go buy foam peanuts or the foam type insulation at home cheapo is awesome easy to cut absorbs shock and is cheap. I have shipped perfect tool boxes across the country without a scratch! "I learned the hard way"

I wouldn't use the foam board. Still to stiff. The peanuts would work. Tool boxes don't get thrown and arn't precision instuments. Even when I ship a guitar I wrap the guitar in a thin layer of bubble wrap inside the case. I wrap the outside of the case with bubble wrap then put peanuts(foam) in the bottom of the box about 6 inches deep then slide the guitar into the box and fill the box with peanuts and keep shaking them down and then tape the box shut. I then slide that box into a guitar shipper box. People use to gripe that I charged 60 dollars to ship a guitar in the lower 48. It cost me 55-60 to actually ship not including my time and materials. They were fine with it once they saw how it was shipped. It doesn't get much more fragile that a vintage acoustic guitar.

 

[Bull]

Peanuts and shredded paper are ok for low stakes stuff. For that, I'd use bubble wrap, tightly packed, and/or that foam carpet underlayment stuff. Peanuts and paper are too yielding.

 

[Theloniousmonk]

fill it w/ a few cans of expansion foam (put a coat of wax on the piece first)... it won't move then.

 

[Boiler]

You want shock absorption, not firm hold. Wrap it tightly with 1/2"+ bubble wrap until you can no longer feel features. It should be like a bubble wrap egg...

Then put it into whatever box it will fit in and fill the gaps with more balls of wadded bubble wrap, peanuts, tightly balled newspaper, etc. Tape all the way around three stripes in two or three directions and you've got it.

Crate: bad idea, rigid foams and fills: bad idea.

If the value of an item is relatively small, <200, This is my process with no insurance. Insurance may be good if they don't deliver it, but if they break it, you're pretty much screwed. They'll find a reason it is your fault no matter what you do. I've never had anything get lost yet, and I've probably shipped about 1000 items in 10 years. As for damage, it ony happens when I don't pack up to my normal standards. So I make it a point to pack 3x better than the average ebayer.

 

[csp]

It will iif you wrap it all the way around.

Regardless, a few screws is still more secure.

fill it w/ a few cans of expansion foam (put a coat of wax on the piece first)... it won't move then.

That's how Polaris packs replacement snowmobile hoods. I have one that's been in the box since 1997 that looks like new. The box it isn in is pretty beat.

 

[warmpancakes]

the local UPS store will pack and ship it for 40.00 insured for 500, so if something does happen its open and shut case you packed it and you shipped it im headed there in a few minutes

 

[forceyoda]

the local UPS store will pack and ship it for 40.00 insured for 500, so if something does happen its open and shut case you packed it and you shipped it im headed there in a few minutes

Agreed, that is the best option. I have had a lot of issues with UPS not honoring their insurance if they are not the ones who pack it.