Cabinet Saw Stability

[Allan Speers]

I use Leveling Casters. Once you roll to where you want the machine you rotate the red dial and that lowers the rubber foot. You can even use a wrench to raise the machine to level with the caster. Just running the red dial by hand is enough to stop the machine from rolling around. The smaller ones are on my 12" jointer, my planer, and my 24" PM dual drum sander. The large ones are on a massive rolling bench that's like 32" by 72" and it has tons of tools inside. They are not cheap, the smaller ones were $35.15 each and the large ones are maybe $160 each but the quality is amazing. Ordered at sales@zambus.com

That's almost the same as what I was referring to, only these must be hand-turned vs foot-actuated. I think the ones I'm referring to are called something other than "leveling casters," though. I can't seem to find my info on them. A lot of woodworkers swear by them. - And yeah, $160 each sounds about right, which is why I haven't tried them !

There's also the kind of mobile base made by Shop Fox, which has hand-cranked stops instead of foot-actuated. That's more work, but has the same advantage that you can still quickly get rock-solid support on a non-level floor.

[Allan Speers]

I just remembered:

A friend of mine used to use a Ridgid Herc-U-Lift under his TS, and loved it. I dunno if they still make them. It's basically the same idea: Hard stops that flip down after you've rolled the machine into place, but they are built into a steel base.

[Scott DelPorte]

Another vote for the SawStop mobility base. I wish some of my other machines has a base that worked as well. You pump a pedal two or three times, and it lifts it onto a set of wheels so you can move it around. When the saw is in place, you press the release and the saw lowers back on to the solid feet.

[Frank Pratt]

SawStop makes a couple of great mobile bases for your saw. the PCS base has 2 fixed & 2 swivel casters that are lowered down to lift the saw off the floor. Works very well. Or for more money you can get the ICS base which has 4 swiveling casters and a hydraulic pump to raise the saw. That's the one I got with my PCS because I wanted the added maneuverability. The thing is so easy to move that when I raise up, the saw will roll down the very slightly inclined garage floor if I don't hold on to it. Pricey though.

[Allan Speers]

I've been looking for those foot-actuated levelers, but can't find them. Wish I could remember what they're called.

For a non-foot operated one, if price isn't an issue, these look darned tasty: (The deluxe version of what Joe showed. These have ratchets.)

http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/ma...zzqBoCp2fw_wcB

And here's a video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ECbKVmBgkg

[Tom M King]

I just use a lever and fulcrum (wrecking bar or whatever is handy and 2x block of wood for fulcrum) to lift each corner of the rig and slip a hard rubber block under. Reverse when time to move. It doesn't move, and nothing else rattle or shakes.

[Allan Speers]

Ah, I found the foot-actuated ones after all:


http://www.zoro.com/revvo-floor-lock...B&gclsrc=aw.ds


and:

http://www.castersupply.com/NAV/lifting_casters.htm

[John Sanford]

I have the SawStop mobile base already. It doesn't raise the saw nearly enough for my wonky floor. My saw has 40" of cast iron wingage (both SawStop wings and a Benchdog ProMax Router Table) off to the right, and the SawStop slider on the left. The support legs for both the slider and my Incra fence alternately float freeeeeeeee and hook and drag due to the floor wonk. My intention is to build the station so that both the slider and extensions are supported by the station, thus they will always be supported. Because of the length of the whole rig (6'), I won't be using fixed casters.

Aside from getting fulltime support for both slider and wing, the station will contain all the usual storage for saw goodies and the router table. This way I won't have to move the storage cabinet(s) separately every time I move the saw.

It sounds like I'll be engineering a lifting system. Muchos gracias for the responses. (wish I had a bigger shop....)

[Chris Parks]

I had something similar to what you envisage, I made a perimeter steel frame with six casters under it and put the saw and cabinets I built under the extension wings on the frame. I don't know why I bothered putting locking casters on it as the thing never moved and it took two people to get it going and to push it. It never moved during cutting and it was sitting on a very flat floor and sat in the one spot for some years.

[Monte Milanuk]

I've started planning out making a mobile saw cabinet/base to hold my TS... I had been thinking of getting a Rockler All-Terrain mobile base for the bigger wheels and connectors, then building a small torsion box to provide a rigid platform under it all - I figured the All-Terrain with its lower height compared to what I would normally end up with otherwise would off-set the torsion box height somewhat... now I see these leveling casters, and yeah, their pricey, but dang, I like the idea

Question for those of you who've used them... how much of a pain in the butt are they to work with in terms of when you roll the machine in question around into place and it just happens that one or more of the casters are rotated *under* the base to where they are difficult to get to? Seems like having to get down on the ground to reach under and play with a wheel or ratcheting lever would get real old, real fast. In my basement shop, the issue is less one of un-even floors as much as is being able to move things around easily - pull them out, use 'em, put 'em back. Not sure if leveling casters would be much help here?