Hidden "lifting" casters

[Dave Hasson]

I am planning on building the pedestal desk from Woodsmith 79. I'm going to be making some changes to it so I can turn it into a sewing desk for my wife. I'm going to be adding a leaf off the back that folds up to increase the "working area". Most of the time the desk will be pushed against the wall, but it will need to be pulled out every now and then to utilize the leaf. Does anyone know a good hidden lift system, hidden casters or such that are not seen from the outside and can lift the desk and roll when needed? Almost like a mobile base for your table saw, but not something that can be seen. Thanks in advance!

[Kevin Groenke]

Somebody will surely mention Zambus/Great Lakes casters which you might be able to incorporate somehow. If you want to spend some $ on hardware, you could integrate and attach casters to a Suspa or similar lift system.
http://www.suspa.com/index.php?id=1826
This would also make the table adjustable height which would be very beneficial for a sewing table.

[Jamie Buxton]

Perhaps instead of lifting casters, you could use locking casters. They'd have the desk sitting on the wheels all the time. You wouldn't have to lock all four casters, just two of them. I don't know your design, but maybe you could reach down through the bottoms of the pedestals to lock the casters, or maybe you could flip up a hinged "baseboard" molding running around the bottoms of the pedestals.

[Dave Hasson]

Kevin, that Suspa system is exactly what I was looking for, but for $750!!?? Zambus seems to have some nice leveling casters so thanks also for that link.

Jamie, that's also a good suggestion. However, I'm not sure my wife wants to keep going under the desk to lock casters. I'm a mechanical guy and got the crazy idea that I could cheaply design something that "at the push of a button" lowers some casters.

I like the leveling casters that have a foot and caster all in one. If I can figure out a way to actuate the foot up and down it just may work.

Thanks again!

[Jamie Buxton]

.. I'm a mechanical guy and got the crazy idea that I could cheaply design something that "at the push of a button" lowers some casters...

The way I see it, you're not so much lowering some casters, but rather jacking up the workstation. With your approach, you must pick the workstation up off the floor to get the wheels under it. That's one of the reasons I was thinking about locking casters. You (or more likely your wife) don't have to pick up the weight of the workstation.

Perhaps locking casters isn't quite the right way to think about my approach. Think about it instead as setting the parking brake. For instance, you could use regular non-brake casters, and find some other way to set the brake. Perhaps the brake is a foot that drops down to push against the floor. The handbrake handle could be somewhere up higher in the workstation where it is more easily accessable. There's mechanical bits in there somehow, but it could be done.

[Dave Hasson]

Jamie, thanks! I like the "drop down foot" idea. Once I get the plans going I'll see what I can do with the idea.