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Thread: Powermatic on casters

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Chicagoland
    Posts
    2,800
    Mine needs to be on load leveling casters - you can see it here:


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

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Location
    Lake Burton, Northeast Georgia
    Posts
    150
    Quite right that you don't want to turn while up on casters. I forgot to lower my lathe back to its feet after moving it one time, and had a big, out-of-balance blank on the face plate. The lathe did a dance when I started it up!

    But I do enjoy turning outside on a nice day (concrete patio adjoins the shop, at same level). Pleasant, plus makes cleanup a breeze, using a lawn blower.

    My mobility modifications consist of a 4x4 with casters on the bottom, hinged to a plate mounted at the bottom of the legs. A two-foot steel lever inserted into a hole in the front of the 4x4 serves to push the hinged 4x4 down, lifting the lathe up onto its casters, and the 4x4 locks into place with a pivoting metal bar that catches a screw on the side of the mounting plate. The 4x4 and the mounting plate are the width of the lathe legs, which is about 20" (Grizzly G0766). Lathe sits on its regular feet, when not lifted onto the rollers. Casters are swiveling at one end, fixed on the other, so you steer it at the swiveling end.

    Picture below shows a side view of one end of the lathe; same on both ends. From left to right: 4x4, pivot screw, locking bar, hinge at top, mounting plate, locking screw. Not visible in this photo is another plate inside the web of the legs, to which the mounting plate is bolted (through the leg opening). I didn't want to put any screws through the legs, so I used a 'sandwich' of two plates. Below all that you can see one of the casters below the 4x4, and one of the lathe feet below the green cast iron leg.

    Screenshot 2017-04-17 at 3.13.57 PM.jpg

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Seattle
    Posts
    549
    I have leveling casters on my 21"BS, 12" jointer, 20" planer, and 4224 PM lathe--all pretty heavy stuff. They work great and allow easy moving--floor is flat and smooth--and with the machines weight I don't need to spin down the foot often. I am 5'10"--well used to be--and the lathe was too high for me with the casters bolted on the legs, just like the pic above, so I used 3" X 1/4" angle iron to span the legs front to back and welded brackets to bolt the casters to and lowered the lathe ~~2 1/2"s. much better height for me. Arms were very appreciative. I do engage the feet with large blanks but when balanced there is very little movement. I got Great Lakes casters--330# variety IIRC. I have the dial type and they can be a PITA to raise and lower--have to get on knees sometimes(to be honest I can never remember which rotation is up or down) --so if buying now I would step up to the ratcheting type. Not sure how they work but likely you don't have to get in the barking dog pose to adjust. Good luck.

  4. #19
    try looking at this https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p...obility-System I have it on my grizzly G0766 and works great. you can move it around very easily only thing is you will need to level the lathe every time you move it. to make sure the head and tail stock line up. yes cast iron will flex just a little.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Tampa Bay area
    Posts
    1,083
    Quote Originally Posted by Keith Buxton View Post
    try looking at this https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p...obility-System I have it on my grizzly G0766 and works great. you can move it around very easily only thing is you will need to level the lathe every time you move it. to make sure the head and tail stock line up. yes cast iron will flex just a little.
    That is what I have on my 3520b, except mine is home made. Mine is more heavy duty, but was not worth the effort it took to design and build. Works like a dream though. Step on the lever on each end and the lathe can be moved with very little effort on a smooth clean floor.

  6. #21
    Post #2 on this tread was a really nice approach to mobility on a lathe. If you build a box under your powermatic this may work

    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...ht=vicmarc+300

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Quorn United Kingdom
    Posts
    770
    A possible solution may be

    http://www.mjvail.com/carrymaster.htm

    https://www.amazon.com/Footmaster-Gd.../dp/B000LA0G80


    Carrymaster or Footmaster casters

    regards Brian

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Spring City, TN
    Posts
    1,537
    Clancy, here are the casters I have on my PM 3520b. I really don't use them, if I ever move it, I use my engine lift. Fiddling with the threaded part to engage the casters is more effort than I want to spend. If you want them, I take them off and sell them to you.
    Now our club has these from Crafts Supply, frankly, if I HAD to have casters, this is the way to go. They engage easy and the lathe rolls safely and easily with only 1 person. Don't use the trailer tongue jack method, another club uses it and it looks dangerous. It takes 2 to 3 people to keep the lathe from falling over.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Josh Bowman; 04-19-2017 at 8:19 PM.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Columbia, MD
    Posts
    45
    Lathe mobile base.jpg
    Not my design but works great

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