Looking for good quality locking casters for a new workbench.

[Tim Janssen]

This is how I move my bench.

It's an old thread from another forum, but the bench and lift are still working fine.
The beauty is that the bench rests on its own legs when you are not moving it.
Cheers!

Tim

22:55 My apologies, I wasn't aware of that rule

[Jason Hanko]

Ill throw in a pitch for SES casters. Decent price, and Ive heard people say theyre comparable to the Great Lakes/Woodcraft ones. Can't speak to that myself, as all of my stuff is on SES.

[Ron May]

Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with the Rockler workbench caster kit. I installed a set on my 72" x 24" bench a couple weeks ago... they're great. It's amazing how easy it is to move a 200+ lb. bench around.

[Andy Pratt]

I used to only buy certain brands from known suppliers but recently started trying out semi-generic ebay casters. I always buy 2-4x the load needed for a task so that is a caveat up front. As long as I buy swivel lock, urethane tire, ball bearing casters I honestly haven't seen much variance in the brands. If you buy a super premium brand/model you might get a grease fitting for the ball bearing area, that's all the difference I've ever seen. As long as you stick to premium specs (swivel lock, urethane tire, ball bearing etc) it seems like you won't get a bad grade of caster from my experience.

The best casters I have ever used are the woodcraft line with the red wheels. They are only a tiny bit smoother than ebay casters at half the price though, so I just get the ebay ones for shop tools.

[Doug Hobkirk]

• I'm another Grizzly caster guy - 4" or 5" (I don't remember which), all 4 swivel, all 4 lock. I cannot remember them causing me any regrets.
• But I am very impressed by the Great Lakes ones - they seem like they would be better if you only occasionally move your bench (like me)
• And the Rockler lever is interesting.
• But if you want rock solid footing, use casters and design their location so they will accommodate a block of wood that is slightly taller than the casters. Build a long lever that you can easily use to raise one end of your bench. Raise one end of the bench and slide the blocks in. Repeat. Obviously you can make the blocks so they custom fit into dados, have whatever bottom surface you want (rubber?), etc.
  
  • This would mean you could use cheaper casters that don't lock.

Good luck.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I'm sold on Great Lakes.

Check out this thread for a possible discount:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...omotional-Code

I used that twice a couple years ago.

[Evan Patton]

Why not try retractable casters, such as per below link? FWIW, they are on my workbench, and I am completely satisfied with them.

http://www.rockler.com/workbench-caster-kit-4-pack

You may want to make sure your bench is not too heavy. These are only rated at 100# each. My bench is closer to 500#, so something like the urethane casters are in order, which is too bad because I really like the retractable part.

The Great Lakes casters look great, especially at $15@. They're rated for 220# (presumably each?), for a total rated capacity of 880#. Unfortunately they won't work for my bench unless I build a bracket because I don't want to raise it any higher. The search continues.

[Erik Christensen]

a couple of questions - is this bench going to be for handtools and how much will it weigh? depending on the answer to those questions you might find a lot of things to choose from or... none at all.

I went through this exact exercise when I built my new hand tool workbench a year ago. I have locking casters on my origional bench and they work just fine; but that bench is built for power tools so the locking casters do not need to withstand the forces of things like hand planes. Plus it only weighs maybe 4-500#

My new hand tool bench weighs > 1,200# loaded and I spent considerable time looking at every kind of locking/mobile caster setup I could find on the internet. Nothing met the requirements of large load capacity along with zero movement when locked. I ended up getting casters rated at 900# each and building a foot operated mechanism to engage them when desired. After a year of use they have worked as intended no matter how much crap is in/on the bench when I want to move it. bench.jpg

[Stew Hagerty]

I happen to have one of the long "Rockler All Terrain Mobile Bases" that I just stopped using due to my workshop remodel. My bench is now doing double duty as an outfeed table to maximize space and it was too high on the base.

But, this base was great for a workbench. My bench probably weighs between 400 & 500 lbs and I could move it around with one finger, or lock it and leave it.

If you, or anyone else, is close to Ft Wayne, IN I'd be happy make you a great deal on it.

I have Set "B" with the long extensions

http://www.rockler.com/rockler-all-t...-package-offer

[Evan Patton]

a couple of questions - is this bench going to be for handtools and how much will it weigh? depending on the answer to those questions you might find a lot of things to choose from or... none at all.

I went through this exact exercise when I built my new hand tool workbench a year ago. I have locking casters on my origional bench and they work just fine; but that bench is built for power tools so the locking casters do not need to withstand the forces of things like hand planes. Plus it only weighs maybe 4-500#

My new hand tool bench weighs > 1,200# loaded and I spent considerable time looking at every kind of locking/mobile caster setup I could find on the internet. Nothing met the requirements of large load capacity along with zero movement when locked. I ended up getting casters rated at 900# each and building a foot operated mechanism to engage them when desired. After a year of use they have worked as intended no matter how much crap is in/on the bench when I want to move it.

That, Erik, is a doozy of a wheeled bench. Stick a motor on it and you've got a very slow go-kart!

[Dave Zellers]

Ill throw in a pitch for SES casters. Decent price, and Ive heard people say theyre comparable to the Great Lakes/Woodcraft ones. Can't speak to that myself, as all of my stuff is on SES.

ditto.

most everything in my shop is on SES casters.

[Rick Lizek]

There is another industry option not mentioned. Look up foot pedal floor lock in Google or Mcmaster or Granger. It's a common method in industry to secure rolling tables for heavy work. You can make up something similar with threaded rod and welded t-handles and a piece of steel angle with a nut welded to it and bolting a couple of these to the side of your rolling bench. Your only limit is your imagination.

[Shane Copps]

Why not try retractable casters, such as per below link? FWIW, they are on my workbench, and I am completely satisfied with them.

http://www.rockler.com/workbench-caster-kit-4-pack

Eric, How do these work????

[Jay Radke]

here here, but on my roubo bench. they have worked well.

[Kent A Bathurst]

http://www.rockler.com/lt14-lt16-300...FWxp7Aod5VgAOw

Mobility kits use the same principle.

If you do it often, casters all around will be easier.
If it's an infrequent thing, this method should be more stable (and easier to install).

Yeah - like that. 'Cept home-built v store bought. Good example - thanks, Jim.

Move it where you want it, plunk the straight legs down on the floor, and it ain't gonna go anywhere. Very sturdy.

I am solidly in the "locking casters really don't" camp. When I want something stable, in place, I want it STABLE. Maybe I have not found the best locking caster. One reason for that, I guess, would be that I ain't looking, eh?

I am, of course, influenced by the industrial situation where the stuff we move around cannot move around when we set it. Too much at stake, and most likely too rigorous an environment for locking casters.

But - whadda I know? Just offering an observation / opinion. Go with whatever works.