Great Lakes Leveling Casters

[Mark Lincoln]

I plan on getting a dozen of these. I have an incoming Band Saw and Jointer from Grizzly and figured to get them equipped from the ground up instead of going back later on.

To keep from lifting my tools up to high I figured to have some chasis of angle iron welded up that resembles most mobile bases. --{_____]-- <- like that. So the casters will sit on the exterior wings and the base of the tool can sit lower.

Are there cons to this? Any advice? Should I get the single post versions or the four whole models?

I need self leveling casters as my floor is unlevel. I have my machines on mobile bases and at the same height so I can use the saw table as an out feed for jointing. Well, they are the same height but when you line them up you realize the floor slope causes them to not be level and it doesn't work. I am hoping these will help with such situations.

My brother is a Pro Welder so getting this contraption will only take me parking in his driveway for 2 days and refusing to leave till I get the contraption.

[Philip Rodriquez]

Based on your design, I would go with the 4 hole model.

[Michael Heffernan]

Mark,

I built a mobile base for my Grizzly G0514x2 bandsaw when it arrived, using the Great Lakes leveling casters.
Here is my old post of what I built:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=119068
It worked out great for my shop. I didn't have access to a welder, so I bolted the rectangular tubes together.
These casters are nice; you can level them to your floor.
http://www.greatlakescaster.com/products.php?cat=262
I used model # LV-1710-NYP-S-M12

Keep in mind that they are not the easiest caster to disengage and roll around. I don't mind because I don't move my bandsaw often. But when I need to, they roll easily.

Enjoy your new machines!

[David Wong]

Mark,

I built a mobile base for my Grizzly G0514x2 bandsaw when it arrived, using the Great Lakes leveling casters.
Here is my old post of what I built:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=119068
It worked out great for my shop. I didn't have access to a welder, so I bolted the rectangular tubes together.

Michael,
Very nice mobile base design. If you don't mind, I think I will copy it for my Felder 20".

These casters are nice; you can level them to your floor.
http://www.greatlakescaster.com/products.php?cat=262
I used model # LV-1710-NYP-S-M12

Keep in mind that they are not the easiest caster to disengage and roll around. I don't mind because I don't move my bandsaw often.
But when I need to, they roll easily.

Can you elaborate on the difficulty a little? Is it due to the small space provided to turn the lifting wheel, or is it due to the wheel being too tight?

Thanks,
David

[Michael Heffernan]

David,

Thanks for the compliment. Go ahead and make one to fit your Felder.

As for the difficulty, it's due to the small space to turn the leveling wheel. It would be nice to have some sort of spanner wrench to crank the wheels. In order to take the weight off the caster wheels, I need to use a pry bar to take the weight off the wheel(s) and then lower the leveler feet.
As I said, I don't move my bandsaw much, so it's not too big of a deal.
There are better leveling casters, made by FootMaster, that have a ratcheting handle, making it much easier to crank the leveler. The caveat is that they cost about $60 each. If you move your machinery around alot, it might be worth the extra bucks. They're listed on the same page as the GreatLakes link that I provided. (model # GDR-60S)

Show us some pics when you get the base done.

Michael,
Very nice mobile base design. If you don't mind, I think I will copy it for my Felder 20".


Can you elaborate on the difficulty a little? Is it due to the small space provided to turn the lifting wheel, or is it due to the wheel being too tight?

Thanks,
David

[Rod Sheridan]

The base with caster looked nice, however I thought I would add a second option, a semi-live skid design.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...31+mobile+base

The semi live skid design uses two wheels and a removable tow bar to position the machine.

This design is very stable, and very easy to level once moved. In addition, the front feet prevent the machine from moving once set in place.

Another benefit is that the moving force is applied at ground level, and the force isn't applied to tables, fence rails etc.

I have all my large machines on these type of bases.

Regards, Rod.

[Steven DeMars]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=94367

[Michael Heffernan]

Steven,

Saw your post on your base for your planer/jointer. That's a great looking base! Nice work.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=94367