How to Ship Optical Table

[sperez]

Hello,

I'm looking to purchase a Newport optical table and wanted to know if anyone knows the proper way to package and ship optical tables. I'm assuming it would just be a matter of putting it in a crate, but if there is more to it, then any expertise would be appreciated. Also, if there are companies that are known for this type of service, it would be great if I could get recommendations on that as well.

Thank you,

Steven

 

[Harald Kapp]

if there are companies that are known for this type of service, it would be great if I could get recommendations on that as well.

Where are you located, where do you want to ship to?

 

[sperez]

@Harald Kapp I am having the table shipped from Redwood City, CA to Irvine, CA where I am located.

By the way, I may have posted this thread in the wrong forum, which I apologize for. I wasn't able to move it, but it seems like someone did.

 

[dave9]

The seller isn't willing to package and ship it for you? The main thing I would do, is insure the shipment and research whether past customers have had trouble getting the shipper to make good on the insurance claim.

As far as shippers in that area, how about a google search for "freight shippers near me" (assuming you let google know your location) then read the reviews?

 

[sperez]

@dave9 Yes they are. But they are charging for that and the price seemed a little steep, so I wanted to do a bit of searching on my end just to verify. I appreciate the input though, and will definitely look into the insurance.

For shipping I actually ended up contacting Newport (since it is a Newport optical table) and they were able to refer me to a bunch of different "riggers" both in my area and in the seller's area. For anyone that ends up reading this in the future, I definitely think that it's the best way to go. You get the contact information of companies that actually work with Newport and who specialize in moving heavy/delicate equipment such as this.

All that being said, I believe the seller's cost to rig everything up and have it ready for shipping is actually pretty reasonable. A couple of factors are lumber pricing being extremely high right now. So crating is not the cheapest at the moment. After speaking with some of the other riggers, there is special equipment that they can use to transport things like optical tables, but it can definitely be more expensive that putting it in a crate and calling it a day.