[OP]
Member
Mobile Base Design
Quick question - why do mobile bases always have two fixed wheels, which limit side to side mobility - you end up backing the unit up in stages to move it side to side if you have space problems, and most of us do.
I was thinking about getting the Delta Universal Base system, I wish they offered different wheel configurations as you build the rails anyway.
Opinions or rationale anyone?
Member
I've wondered that same thing. The best option I can come up with is to build your own, which I plan on doing one of these days. There are some great designs here on the Creek if you search around.
Contributor
I built a base for my cabinet saw out of wood and used 4" double-locking swivel casters. Having all 4 casters swivel made steering the saw around my shop a bit unwieldy. I've since swapped two of the casters for non-swivel and now I just steer it like a car. Kind of a pain in the butt, but I don't see any better options at the moment.
Also, it was tough locking all 4 casters because I could only lock two with my feet. The other two I always had to crawl under the saw and lock them by hand. Also seems to be a tiny bit less "wiggle" in the saw with two fixed casters, but it might just be my imagination.
Jason
Originally Posted by John Craig Brown
Last edited by Jason White; 11-06-2009 at 10:54 AM.
[OP]
Member
Jason
Nice base!! I was going to build mine with pressure treated 2bys.
Member
Unless you work in a damp environment and need them I wouldn't use the pressure treated wood. You don't need to expose yourself to the chemicals when cutting and working the wood, and they will be off-gassing for a long time.
Maybe I'm just paranoid about chemicals. I think the companies treat the wood with chemicals considered non-toxic until proven otherwise.
Member
I think it's an issue of being able to steer it. The mobile base on my table saw has two locking fixed wheels and two locking swivels. I don't think I'd want 4 swivels on it either - too squirrely for moving it very far.
I did build a mobile base for my band saw with 4 - 3" locking swivels and it's just fine for moving around. But the band saw is bit lighter than the table saw and I'm usually just moving the band out away the wall a bit - not out the door or into the middle of the shop.
Stan
Member
I wouldn't use that stuff near anything that can rust. The chemicals used in PT aren't as nasty as they once were, but they're still corrosive and the moisture content alone is a problem. I won't even store it in my shop.
- Tom
Contributor
Good point, Stan.
I have all swivels on my smaller tools (bandsaw, planer, etc.), which are all mounted on wooden shop carts. I like being able to "spin" them around when needed -- which in my tiny shop is most of the time.
For the heaviest tools like my tablesaw and jointer, I prefer two swivels and two fixed.
Jason
Contributor
That works, too.
I opted for red oak because I wanted everything to be good and stiff.
Jason
Member
I ahd a mobile base with just one swivel wheel in the center and two fixed one on my previous table saw and it was a bear to move it in the right direction. When I bought my PM66 I welded a mobile base for it with four swivel casters on it and it is much easier to move it just as needed. If I need mobile bases I will weld them from now on and they will be just what I want not what some company X or Y offers.
Contributor
Can you please post a picture, Tom?
Jason
Contributor
Just made a base for my 8" Griz jointer out of some old growth pine I have.
Used 5 1/2" casters on it because the weight makes smaller wheels dig into the 1/2" floor pads I use. 2 casters are fixed, the other 2 swivel. Makes it easy to steer it around. As it sits, the tables are 35" from the floor. Nice height for me.
Never, under any circumstances, consume a laxative and sleeping pill, on the same night
Contributor
Unless the base was going to be in contact with the ground, I wouldn't use pressure treated lumber. It usually is of inferior quality, it is often higher in moisture content, and cutting and drilling it will expose you to the toxic chemicals in the wood.
Contributor
The first-ever mobile stand I made was for the base of a very heavy (to me) Rockwell RC33 planer. I used four heavy duty swivel casters which could be raised to allow the legs to rest solidly on the floor. (A design carryover from my old Craftsman Days) When in the mobile position, I found that four swivel casters have a mind of their own. I have shoved, tugged, pulled, moaned, groaned and cussed! to get the machine to travel in the direction wanted. FOUR SWIVEL CASTERS basically SUCKS!
Although a *tricycle-type* base such as HTC or DELTA requires some see-sawing back n forth, I still feel it is less work to maneuver than the *Mobile Base From Hell* !!!
[/SIGPIC]Necessisity is the Mother of Invention, But If it Ain't Broke don't Fix It !!
Member
anyone found a caster wheel that will roll right over an extension cord? I'd pay good money for one.
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