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Thread: Mobile Base - Wood & Thickness

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    Mobile Base - Wood & Thickness

    Just looking for some advice on what type of wood and what thickness has been used for custom made mobile bases.

    Tools I am designing for immediately are 14" Band Saw, 8" Jojnter, and 10" Cabinet Saw.

    I want the bases to be solid and to be over-designed for the tools they are supporting.
    Brye Goodspeed

  2. #2
    It isn't the size of the machines that are important necessarily, but the weight that the bases will be carrying.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    NW Indiana
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    I typically will plane down 2 x 4s to square them up. I also the double locking casters from Woodcraft.

  4. #4
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    Mar 2007
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    Ontario, Canada
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    Does anyone have a tool weight vs thickness of base rule of thumb that can be applied? A 450 lb Cabinet Saw will need a pretty substantial base. Is laminating two pcs of 3/4" hardwood plywood good enough? I have been looking up weights of sheet goods, but weights vs structural strength doesn't always equate.

    My thoughts were laminating three pcs of 3/4" hardwood plywood (2-1/4" total thickness) for anything weighing 400-500 lbs, possibly two pcs of 3/4" & one pc of 1/2" hardwood plywood (2" total thickness) for tools in the 300-350 lb range. Any thoughts?

    As for final table heights / common elevations, my thought was to use hardwood blocking on the corners to fine-tune to the perfect height. The hardwood would also give me a solid base to fix the casters to. As for the casters, screws, lags, or through-bolts?

    If anyone has already been down this road please give me your input.
    Brye Goodspeed

  5. #5
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    Sep 2009
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    Midland MI
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    I have been told you don't want to use casters all around, it will not hold the tool perfectly still, even when locked, I am not sure if you could make it out of wood, but I am going to copy this setup, it seems cheap and easy, you only need to buy 2 wheels and 2 leveling feet.

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


    also you can buy cheap generic mobile bases for 30-40$ I have one on my bandsaw and like it alot, I have one on my jointer, and I'm not to impressed with it for that, they have 2 wheels and 2 feet that raise or lower.

  6. #6
    No opinion on it except to say that I keep coming back to the recent thread where the owner made his mobile bases out of CONCRETE. If I was going to go through all the work to fab up a mobile base (rather than buying an HTC or something...), that's definitely what I would do.

    Best of luck,

    Erik Loza
    Minimax

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
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    Unfortunately my concrete floor has some issues that prevent me from using out of the box mobile bases. They just don't have enough clearance and the tools shake and rattle while they roll. I am hoping a high-end plastic casters will eliminate the issues. I am concerned with the movement aspect while locked Cody. I am going to build the Cabinet Saw base first and test that theory.

    Concrete is something I hadn't considered but it sure would be solid. I will have to look into that Erik.

    Thanks guys.
    Brye Goodspeed

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    Coastal Virginia
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brye Goodspeed View Post
    My thoughts were laminating three pcs of 3/4" hardwood plywood (2-1/4" total thickness) for anything weighing 400-500 lbs, possibly two pcs of 3/4" & one pc of 1/2" hardwood plywood (2" total thickness) for tools in the 300-350 lb range. Any thoughts?
    2 1/4" is way past over engineering... The entirety of the base doesn't support the load, just the contact points, in your case the casters. The load is carried from the vertical, not the horizontal. All the horizontal does is keep everything stable. As long as you have your casters near the perimeter you're good. Personally I'm not a fan of machines supported on casters, it's much better to have the machine firmly on the floor in use. The casters should only be used to move the machine around. the machine will be much more stable, not to mention rubber/plastic casters develop flat spots over time. A system like Cody linked to or some other system to set the machine on the ground is a better option. On my TS I used a eccentric lever and hinged board to attach the casters to. Flip the lever to raise the casters and move it around, flip the lever back to set the TS firmly back on the ground. Here's a old pic of my setup. I've since made some modifications to it adding support under the router end, but the raising mechanism is still the same. It's worked for over 10 years now.

    Mike
    G1023SL tablesaw.jpg

  9. #9
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    Sep 2009
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    Midland MI
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brye Goodspeed View Post
    Unfortunately my concrete floor has some issues that prevent me from using out of the box mobile bases. They just don't have enough clearance and the tools shake and rattle while they roll. I am hoping a high-end plastic casters will eliminate the issues. I am concerned with the movement aspect while locked Cody. I am going to build the Cabinet Saw base first and test that theory.

    Concrete is something I hadn't considered but it sure would be solid. I will have to look into that Erik.

    Thanks guys.
    I am going to build the setup I linked soon for my unisaw, using either 5 or 6 inch steel wheels with rubber around edge, they are about 8$ on amazon, this will allow me to have big wheels for cracks in my floor and alot of clearance, my floor has alot of issues, also!

  10. #10
    Made this one in Oak with Aluminum mending plates for my bandsaw.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
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    Looks great Pat. Any issues when wheels are locked?
    Brye Goodspeed

  12. #12
    All wheels swivel and lock. Easier to move than a shopping cart at Mayfair. Whence wheels are locked, machine cannot be moved.
    Expensive and time consuming to make: Absolutely. Payoff: Can move into best light, never run stock into the wall, easy to clean
    around, and store in the corner in seconds. All bandsaws should move around like vacuum cleaners.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Camas, Wa
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    3,855
    This one was made with 1.25x3.5" red oak. Rock solid with no flex even with me on top of it.
    Attached Images Attached Images

  14. #14
    My table saw base torsion box is 3/4" MDF top/bottom with 1/2" ply webbing. I recessed the casters so as to not raise the table height too high. With saw plus extension table & cabinet full of stuff it must weigh 1,500#+ and base has no noticeable deflection (when it rolls over a dip in the concrete floor the caster lifts vs base flexing).
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Erik Christensen; 02-05-2015 at 3:59 PM.

  15. #15
    @Cary Falk I'm working on making a similar base out of 3/4 ply and have been curious as to how it might hold up. This is sort of what I'm shooting for http://lumberjocks.com/Brad_Nailor/blog/11845 I guess if plywood doesn't work then I'll have to try some oak. This is a great thread!

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