Decent Mobile Base For A 18" Bandsaw?

[Bill Adamsen]

Rod ... thanks for elaborating. I was unclear about the definition of "semi-live skid" ... my initial thought was that it was a pallet. I have a very heavy machine (2700 pounds) on a "semi-live skid" and it functions just fine for moving yet providing a stable base for all operations.

[Erik Christensen]

I have had my 18" BS on a shopfox base for about 4 years - not perfect but it gets the job done - the BS is stored in a corner and needs to be moved to the DC port and power source for every use - depending on what I am doing that is either 5' or 30' over several pretty rough expansion joints. I will make something better if it ever breaks but it keeps on truckin

[Doug Ladendorf]

I think biggest fail for this base is the casters. They're solid plastic with no bearing/sleeves so they don't roll all that great.

We must have different models because mine has steel casters. Welding your own base and getting quality casters would be ideal, but I am not much of a welder. It's been sufficient for the little moving I need to do. I would love to build something like the casters and base arrangement in Bill's second photo. The similar casters in
Al's link look like a pretty good deal, though they are the "overseas" copied version.

[Julie Moriarty]

Part of the reason the setup on this particular HTC mobile base is so problematic is the amount of lift required for the cams to seat in the up position. The fixed wheels set the height of the frame 5/8" off the floor, from the bottom of the frame. When you engage the lift cams into their seated position, the bottom rises to a full 2". There's no reason I can see for that much height change to be necessary. All it needs to do is lift it maybe 1/4" or so, just enough to get the fixed feet off the floor, and enough for the feet to clear minor debris. To test that theory, I placed a 2x4 under the MB when in the up position. Then I tried to operate the cam and it was operable with normal foot pressure because it was only lifting it 1/2". It's just a poor design.

I'm going to throw another $25 at the mess. I found some 2" swivel casters to install in place of the 3" that came with the bases. Maybe that will work and I won't have to be left figuring out a safe way to remove the bandsaw from the mobile base.

[Julie Moriarty]

Hi Julie, in a semi-live skid design the bandsaw doesn't tilt side to side.

Please have a look at the above video, at aproximately 50 seconds you'll see the saw being moved.

The semi-live design keeps the saw from moving without locking wheels, and only raises the saw a fraction of an inch above the floor.

There's a reason so many bandsaw manufacturers provide that mobility kit from the factory...........Rod.

Yes, it's a great design. Unfortunately, Jet didn't include that with the bandsaw I have.

In my work, I have been involved with moving switchgear, some very heavy. We use a Johnson bar in much the same way the lift handle in the Hammer video is used. It's amazing the leverage you can get.

[Phillip Gregory]

We must have different models because mine has steel casters. Welding your own base and getting quality casters would be ideal, but I am not much of a welder. It's been sufficient for the little moving I need to do. I would love to build something like the casters and base arrangement in Bill's second photo. The similar casters in
Al's link look like a pretty good deal, though they are the "overseas" copied version.

There are two nearly identical models of the Shop Fox base. I have one of each and they appear to only have different casters. The D2057A is the 700 pound rated version with the rubber-tired casters, which I have on my bandsaw (~350 lb G0513X2.) The D2059A is the steel-castered version good for 1300 pounds, which I have on my 600 lb Shop Fox W1820 (aka Grizzly G0691) cabinet saw, along with the extension rail kit due to the long fence. The tablesaw and its base has worked very well for me as I have a small 20x21 shop and have to put everything on wheels and roll it around to get enough space to work. I just got the bandsaw and the lighter D2057A base, so I can't say much beyond out of the box it works fine. My bandsaw does not feel tippy on the base even though I put the casters on the short edges of the base. I had to do that due to the lower door hitting the caster support if I put the caster support on the long edge. Pro tip: If you have a Grizzly G0513/G0514 saw and put it on a mobile base, the casters have to be on the short side and you will need to swap the two 25x6 mm rail clamping bolts with two of the 15x6 mm bolts used for casters. Otherwise your saw's lower door will hit the caster base and the rail clamping bolts. The salesman at the Grizzly showroom in MO mentioned this and I found he was 100% right after I assembled the base per the manual instructions and then had to redo it.

The worst parts about these mobile bases is that they make you pick a movement direction due to two fixed and two swivel casters and that the bases always are a touch too big in one direction, so you have to take out the hacksaw and cut two rails to length. I always seem to put the casters on the wrong "side," have them interfere with the machine in some unforeseen manner, and have to undo the base and rotate the fixed casters 90 degrees. Every time I get a tool putting it on the mobile base is THE most time consuming and frustrating part. Wiping off five pounds of Cosmoline, waxing everything, and spending a couple hours with straightedges pale in comparison. However at least the heavy duty one has been great once I got it set up.

[Rod Sheridan]

Julie, just drill two holes for an axle and buy a couple of good solid plastic or steel wheels, no need to buy anything from Jet.

Probably $30 would buy you all the parts.

Make your own tow bar, you must be able to weld up something simple of have some trades friends?

Best method going, it's what I alsways put on my machine, and it's inexpensive........Rod.

[John Sanford]

Part of the reason the setup on this particular HTC mobile base is so problematic is the amount of lift required for the cams to seat in the up position. The fixed wheels set the height of the frame 5/8" off the floor, from the bottom of the frame. When you engage the lift cams into their seated position, the bottom rises to a full 2". There's no reason I can see for that much height change to be necessary. All it needs to do is lift it maybe 1/4" or so, just enough to get the fixed feet off the floor, and enough for the feet to clear minor debris. To test that theory, I placed a 2x4 under the MB when in the up position. Then I tried to operate the cam and it was operable with normal foot pressure because it was only lifting it 1/2". It's just a poor design.

I'm going to throw another $25 at the mess. I found some 2" swivel casters to install in place of the 3" that came with the bases. Maybe that will work and I won't have to be left figuring out a safe way to remove the bandsaw from the mobile base.

The "high lift" is for people with less than perfect floors, or people who roll out to the driveway. A base with a lift of only a 1/4" presents it's own set of problems. For me, the transition from my shop (aka "garage") out to the driveway is such that I have to LIFT 3" casters over the transition, or come at an angle and do one wheel at a time. That's for my Rousseau Planer Cart (doing duty as a CMS Stand), which has 2" of clearance all around. I can only move my PM jointer, which is on a Delta Universal base, into and out of the garage out near the walls, because it high centers on the lip in the center. If I try to take it up the center, I have to shove it because the base is dragging.

All that said, I understand and agree with your dismay with the base in question as I have one of those under my Delta 14" bandsaw. I don't like raising or lowering the thing either, but it does get the job done. With a larger machine, I suspect it would get kinda scary in a hurry. I use my feet exclusively for operating the cams, and hold onto the bandsaw when doing so in order to keep it from getting any unruly notions. I know that I wouldn't buy one like that again for any thing larger than a benchtop machine on a stand, and even then I'd be far more likely to get another Delta Universal, or a clone.

[Julie Moriarty]

I use my feet exclusively for operating the cams, and hold onto the bandsaw when doing so in order to keep it from getting any unruly notions.

Which is exactly what I was expecting. Problem is, the force required to move the cam at all, bends the cam lever. I placed a short piece of pipe over the cam arm to see if it was at all possible to raise the wheels without damaging the arm. The wheels didn't raise a fraction of an inch before the aluminum cam arm began to bend. If I raised the stationary feet to their highest, I might be able to operate the cams but the table of the bandsaw would be seriously out of level.

[Lee Reep]

Julie,

Does your bandsaw manufacturer offer a mobile base? I have a Powermatic, and really need a mobile base. I am going to order the Powermatic base, which is expensive, but I've read good things about it. I have heard a lot of negatives about HTC, and the replies here certainly support what I've heard.

Drill presses are a completely different beast. Most mobile bases on them look too small to me, and look like a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe you could build a big footprint platform with a low center of gravity (4X4s for rigidity, maybe a double-thickness plywood deck, heavy-duty locking casters at all corners)?

[Julie Moriarty]

Lee, the outlook of having a stable mobile base on the drill press is looking bleak. A drill press is more top heavy (proportionally) than a bandsaw. From what I've seen so far, I can't imagine this base ever being safe for a drill press.

I bought the HTC mobile base for my table saw 15-20 years ago. Things were made better then. I don't remember what I paid but whatever it was, it was worth it. I was thinking I could do the same with the bandsaw but so far, it seems I am mistaken.

After reading your post, I went to the Jet website and it appears they only sell a universal mobile base. In the Internet searches I've done it has looked like Jet and Powermatic were linked and that got me to wondering if one bought out the other. I've seen the PM bases and they look very sturdy.

After the last post, I went back to the shop. I had a small project I was going to start before I decided to put the newly arrived HTC MBs to work. Anyway, I had some resawing to do and when I went to change the blade, I couldn't open the bottom door. The problematic wheel had become more problematic. I had placed the operational wheels front and back, for stability. Bad decision.

There's a book I want to finish. I think it's calling me...

[John Sanford]

Which is exactly what I was expecting. Problem is, the force required to move the cam at all, bends the cam lever. I placed a short piece of pipe over the cam arm to see if it was at all possible to raise the wheels without damaging the arm. The wheels didn't raise a fraction of an inch before the aluminum cam arm began to bend. If I raised the stationary feet to their highest, I might be able to operate the cams but the table of the bandsaw would be seriously out of level.

Not surprised that they bent, what with a big honkin 18" BS on there, as opposed to my leetle 14" w/ open stand. Wish I could tell you I had a fix, but other than finding/fabbing some steel cam levers that would fit, I got nuttin'.

[Rod Sheridan]

Julie, you really need to go with a semi live skid design.....Rod

[Tom Howarth]

This is what a buddy of mine and I welded together out of angle iron. There is a piece of 3/4" ply under the saw.
I wanted the wheele to be splayed out a bit as I was worried about the saw being top heavy.
the taller wheels bring the table up to a better working height, easier on my back.

[Robert Engel]

I have a several, some Grizzly (very well built but piece of junk tires shredded off), an HTC under my TS which I never move, and a couple shop fox bases.

I'm pretty happy with the Shop Fox. Bear in mind, tho, I don't move my equipment around too much.

I think they ALL cheap out on the tires, though.

I would try a Grizzly and upgrade the wheels to a bigger size, and better quality.