Best casters for Router table??

[Allen Bookout]

Frankie,

I pretty much agree with just about everything that you had to say. All of my stuff is pretty heavy which keeps the movement to a minimum and if it is something that I have movement with I turn the castors crossways before I lock them. I do like the HTC and Delta mobile bases unless I need to rotate the tool 180 degrees in one spot.

That is a great idea about using toggle clamps. I will have to look into that. I have always used threaded rod but the toggle clamp idea would be much faster and easier to use when set up right. Thanks for the idea!

Allen

[Bruce Benjamin]

If you purchase good quality castors you are within $10 to $15 of the Delta 50-345 mobile base from Amazon. (sorry I cant seem to paste a link) They are super stable, and very easy to use. Plus, you dont have to modify / design around castors very much. You just build your base however you want, with the exception of an extremly low drawer. Then if you want mobility, use the Delta base. They add a minimal amount of height too.

I don't like for my machines to budge even a little. Although I have never used the double locking castors, I dont see how using swivel castors in general would be stable enough on a machine that you push stuff through. Don't they allow some movement of the cabinet/machine even if it is small? It looks to me like it would be even worse if you have all 4 as swivel vs having 2 fixed and 2 swivel. You would want the 2 fixed wheels running perpendicular to how you apply force to your cabinet, cross grain so to speak.

This is just thinking out loud for me because I have never used double locking castors. My experience has been with the the plain (single?) locking versions, and I don't like them. I am partial to the Delta mobile bases.

Make that within $20 comparing to either of the caster brands I listed in the 3" range. With the Hartville/grizzly casters you need to buy screws or nuts and bolts and with the Delta base you need to buy the wood. I couldn't tell how tall the casters themselves were on that mobile base but from the picture they didn't look much bigger than 2". Hard to tell though. If anyone had a problem with the diameter of the 3" wheels they obviously won't want them any smaller. The problem I have with those mobile bases is the opposite of what you liked about them. And that's the lack of 4 swiveling casters. I've moved equipment with two fixed/two swiveling casters and for me it was a real PITA in tight spots. My garage/shop is a tight spot. For some this won't be a problem but if you're putting your tools on a mobile base there's a good chance that you're dealing with too many big tools in too few square feet.

You say that you've never used double locking casters. No offense intended but I don't really think you're giving a very informed opinion about double locking casters. Single locking casters behave very differently than double locking when locked down. The casters I have on mine are very stable. If you are holding a caster in your hand and lock it you can get a small amount of swivel. But when combined with 3 other, (5 other on my TS/RT Combo) and the heavy weight of the tool I get practically no movement at all. I don't usually even bother to lock more than two casters and that limits the amount of movement but still allows a tiny amount. But this isn't a problem for me at all. Locking all casters removes that small movement. If I were doing brain surgery I guess you wouldn't want even the slightest movement but whether I'm pushing a piece across my TS or over my jointer, I'm moving around myself so if the tool happens to move 1/2" I don't even notice it. But usually I don't get even that much movement unless I'm really pushing or the workpiece is very heavy. I frequently don't even lock any casters on either my planer or jointer because the small amount of movement has zero effect on my ability to properly complete the task. I guess it just depends on what you're comfortable with.

I have a brand new, unused Sunhill mobile base for my jointer. (for sale, by the way...$50 +shipping) It's the beefiest commercial base I've ever seen and it uses two fixed casters on one end and one swivel with a foot lever on the other end. I didn't use it for two reasons. One, it wouldn't put my jointer nearly as high as I wanted it but more importantly, it wouldn't allow me to maneuver the 8" jointer around the shop and into it's tight storage spot. For someone who's shop isn't quite as tight the maneuverability wouldn't be an issue. The base I made is stupidly over built using 5"x3"x3/8" angle and 5"x3/8" flat bar all welded together and placed on top of the Hartville 3" casters. That is one strong base that has a capacity of 880 lbs based on the ratings of the casters. Were it not for the casters I'll bet I could drive a semi truck over the base and it wouldn't bend. Why use such heavy steel? I had a little of it already and when I went to the steel supplier and went through their scrap bin that's the thinnest that was the dimensions I wanted. In other words, "Cheap!". I can spin that jointer around with one finger within it's own length and easily direct it into a spot that's about 2" wider and the same length as the jointer. Try that with a commercial base.

Bruce

[John Keane]

I just ordered a set of four 3" swivel casters from Hartville based on this thread. I am going to use them under my 15 1/2 Hitachi DP. I will provide an opinion after a trial.

[Allen Bookout]

John,

Do let us know please. It will be real interesting to see what a "new user" has to say.

Allen

[Bruce Benjamin]

I just ordered a set of four 3" swivel casters from Hartville based on this thread. I am going to use them under my 15 1/2 Hitachi DP. I will provide an opinion after a trial.

My drill press is the one major floor tool that I have that's still not on casters. Mostly because it's footprint is small enough that I don't move it too often but also because I was concerned about the tall DP being unstable. I have an Old Craftsman DP and the base isn't very wide. Not that different than most other DP's though. Are you going to attach the casters directly to the DP base or are you going to make some sort of sub-base for it to widen the stance? I like the narrow base of my DP because I can more easily use the space under the table for squeezing other tools together but if I were going to put it onto wheels I considered making the base about as wide as the auxiliary table that I made for it.

Bruce

[Frankie Hunt]

You say that you've never used double locking casters. No offense intended but I don't really think you're giving a very informed opinion about double locking casters.

Single locking casters behave very differently than double locking when locked down. The casters I have on mine are very stable. If you are holding a caster in your hand and lock it you can get a small amount of swivel. But when combined with 3 other, (5 other on my TS/RT Combo) and the heavy weight of the tool I get practically no movement at all.

but whether I'm pushing a piece across my TS or over my jointer, I'm moving around myself so if the tool happens to move 1/2" I don't even notice it.

I guess it just depends on what you're comfortable with.

Bruce

Bruce, no offense taken. I stated twice that I had no experience with the double locking casters so that no one would think I was giving opinions about them. I even asked if they allowed movement. "Don't they allow some movement of the cabinet/machine even if it is small?" Perhaps I should have worded it "Don't the double locking castors allow some movement of the cabinet/machine even if it is small?" Sorry for any confusion.

I do have experience with the single locking castors and they aren't for me, especially when used on the larger equipment.

Thanks for your thoughts about double vs single locking swivel castors.

I have enough room that I prefer the Delta style mobile bases. I don't like for some of my equipment to feel "mushy" or move any at all. I prefer "no movement" to "practically no movement". On some things it really wouldn't matter to me (such as a 6x48 sander, or a clamp rack). On others it does matter.

It would be totally unacceptable for my table saw to be able to move 1/2 inch while using it. Same for my router table. I really dont want them to move at all. Different strokes for different folks.

Yes, the Delta mobile bases have smaller wheels. I have a concrete floor and find them perfect in size. This could be an issue for some folks. Most things in life are a compromise. Smaller wheels = more stable but harder to roll over uneven surfaces. Larger wheels = rolls over uneven surfaces better but less stable.

Thats why things come in different colors, not everyone likes (insert color here).

[Mike Kelly]

I bought two fixed and two swivel locking from Woodcraft. I think they are 3 inch gray ones. I never have bothered locking them. The fixed ones are on the end that would move the easiest under load, but they are in oposing direction. The table is about 250 lbs loaded so it is real stable.

[Allen Bookout]

My drill press is the one major floor tool that I have that's still not on casters. Mostly because it's footprint is small enough that I don't move it too often but also because I was concerned about the tall DP being unstable. I have an Old Craftsman DP and the base isn't very wide. Not that different than most other DP's though. Are you going to attach the casters directly to the DP base or are you going to make some sort of sub-base for it to widen the stance? I like the narrow base of my DP because I can more easily use the space under the table for squeezing other tools together but if I were going to put it onto wheels I considered making the base about as wide as the auxiliary table that I made for it.

Bruce

Bruce and John,

Look at the first post in this thread. I am real happy with this set up.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...hlight=casters

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Wheeled power tools give me the willies.

I use outrigger wheels that come all the way off the floor when the machine in is place. It's sort of like a wheelbarrow when I'm moving a machine. A couple pull outs or handles and I lift and roll. When I set it down the wheels aren't touching the floor.

This is clearly not a workable solution for a 500 - 700 pound table saw but it's just fine for most all shop built machines and light tools under 150 pounds.

[Bruce Benjamin]

Bruce and John,

Look at the first post in this thread. I am real happy with this set up.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...hlight=casters

Allen, your mobile base is very much like what I will build for my DP if I decide to make one. Much more stable than just adding casters within the same foot print of the DP base. Having both Grizzly and Hartville casters in my shop, I really believe the Hartville casters are superior in at least 3 or three ways. The Grizzly casters would've easily done the job for your DP with respects to weight and durability but the locking mechanism of the Hartville casters are easier to use and I believe they lock a little more securely than the Grizzly casters. Good job.

Bruce

[John Keane]

I installed the Hartville 3" casters with brake on my Norm version router table. These replaced HD casters of the same size. The improvement in mobility was immediate and substantial. Jerry they are the way to go. Hartville come through again with a great product at a fair price.

[Allen Bookout]

I just moved my workbench that is on small HD double locking casters and am having a hard time locking them. Have not had this problem with the Hartville's or the Grizzly's. Live and learn I suppose. I just wish that the learning didn't cost money.