Mobile base ideas needed...

[Jim O'Dell]

Ok, here is the base structure for my mobile base for my saw. Hope the drawing is easy enough to understand.138209 The saw will sit in the "well". I need to do this to get the finished height of the saw up about 2 1/2", and wanted enough wood to be really sturdy. I'll have six leveling feet shown in roughly the right position. Now, I need to make a way to get the wheels down to make it mobile. These are the casters I will be using.138211 I have two designs in mind, both are mounting the casters to a frame that pivots with a slip in piece of pipe to rotate them down, then lock into place. One design allows for a bolt to be used as a peg in a hole to hold the wheels in a down position, the other design uses a strap to hook under the 4 X 4 runner to hold it in place. The wheels on the right side will be on a wood frame that will be about 12" from the pivot arm or hinges. The left side will only be about 6 1/2" long. I'm not sure if I will have enough leverage to rotate the wheels into the down position with the saw, torsion box extension, and future cabinet under the extension for storage. With the wheels in the down or mobile position, the pads will be about 2 1/4" off the floor. I could probably space it where it would only be an inch or so.
So any brilliant ideas that won't break the bank? I'd love to have 4 electric screw jacks that would lift the whole shebang off the floor with a button, but that's not going to happen...believe me, I looked at prices. :D Jim.

[Stan Mitchell]

Jim, I don't have a mechanism in mind for you, but you may want to reconsider which caster you use.

If that's the 4" from Grizzly, they're rated at 550lbs each - that's enough to support 4 cabinet saws.

I have those wheel on my 42" x 84" workbench and they definitely support a lot of weight - but are not as maneuverable as a traditional caster.

[keith ouellette]

Hey Jim;

I made a mobile base for my saw and I also made leveling screws that worked with a 9/16" socket in a drill so they could raise and lower with the press of a button.

I used threaded rod cut to length and mortised the nuts in my base frame, held in with epoxy so the rod could go through the nuts and the frame. One on top and one on the bottom makes it extra sturdy but just putting one on the bottom works also. I welded nuts onto the treaded rod to make a bolt but you could also use epoxy. I used treaded rod so there would be threads the whole length of the (home made) bolt.

It works great to lower the base onto the castors but also makes it easier to level the ts out.

If you want some tips on how to go about it let me know. I'd post a pick but I can't get out to the shop right now. I have the same home made levelers and casters on all a lot of my equipment and my work bench.

I could also tell you how to make a nice swiveling foot for each leveler if you are interested

[Jim O'Dell]

Thanks Stan. I already have the casters though. ;) My other saw has moved 2 times in 4 years, so I don't have the normal mobility needs. 99.89% of the time, it will be parked in one spot. The rare occurrence that a bad hail storm is headed our way is the only need for mobility, and that's because my shop is the only building my 3/4 ton extended van will fit in.:eek: Too tall for the regular garage. So I can build the base, and have some time for the right remedy for the mobility part. I just don't want to get the saw on the base, then have to take it back off to install the casters. one of my current designs would retrofit without taking the saw off the mobile base.
What I'd prefer is something that I could turn and it would lower the caster. Don't know how to do that with these casters. Haven't found anything heavy duty enough that had a long enough threaded stem to work either. I know these casters will carry the weight! :rolleyes: The other idea I'm playing with is a scissor jack that I could get under it to lift it up for the wheels to lock in. But it would have to be able to hook on to the outside edge, more like an old fender jack would back in the 60s. And I don't know how stable a scissor jack would be using it that way. Maybe I could just mount the wheels on another piece of 4 X4, set them where they overhang the end enough that the casters would swing full circle without hitting anything, drill 2 holes in each one and run some long bolts down through and into some more of the t-nuts, like those that will hold the levelers on. That way, when not in use, they are stored somewhere. (cabinet I'll build under the extension table?) Hmmmm. It would only raise one corner at a time...not sure if that would cause any problems or not...it would rack the base while lifting it. Might be the simple solution, just not the ideal one.
Anyone know of a bar that has a hole drilled and tapped across the bar? I could make the hinge set up work very easily if something like that existed. Guess I could take some bar stock and drill and tap it myself. But I doubt my Harbor Freight tap and die set would be up to the challenge! :D:D:D Jim.

[William Falberg]

I don't know if this helps but it moves my barber chairs around pretty easy. You basically screw your load off the floor after slipping a couple bars under it with a flat bar. No lifting and your saw is on wheels; until you "unscrew" it. Saw is never more than 1/2" off the floor. The fourth rail comes off and you surround the (chair in this case) ; replace fourth rail; insert bars; turn screws. Roll.

[Stan Mitchell]

I already have the casters though.Well, I guess that's a moot point then! ;) They are killer casters though. That's the reason I put them on my big multipurpose assembly table. It must weigh 1000lbs with tools and hardware stored under it and can be moved when need be.

Hinging those wheels would be tough. I'm thinking that if you don't anticipate moving the saw often, then another option could be something like they have on other heavy items - two fixed wheels at one end and third wheel at the opposite end - either attached or separate.

Some kind of dolly like this would sure keep the base simple and you could make the dolly yourself too:

138238

[Jim O'Dell]

William, that's interesting, and worthy of some thought. Only problem I see starting out is the size of the saw and where I could keep the apparatus like that. I'm hoping for something simpler, but like I said, it is worthy of some thought.

Stan, I have thought of the Johnston bar as I have one that came with my MiniMax band saw. The main problem is it doesn't lift the tool up very high. I've thought about something that doesn't have wheels that would just lift the end up so I could get the hinged wheels locked into place. Oh, and hinging the wheels...the thought is that they would be mounted onto a piece of 4 X 4 like the base, and the wood would be hinged. It could be made into a frame so that 2 wheels would lift one end of the base at the same time. The trick is can I get enough leverage to do so. How long would the bar have to be so that I could lift it up, and get the wheels locked in by myself. That is what I don't know.

2 hours later
I'm starting to think a single bolt pushing against a bar of some sort on the floor as the best bet, with using a scissor jack to do the lifting as a second option. Both ways would leave 3 points of contact with the floor for stability until the wheels were on, and that end let down on the wheels, then go to the other end. And the single bolt would be less expensive. And having the wheels on a separate piece of 4 X 4 that gets bolted on each side when that end is lifted. I can build a storage cabinet under the right side extension table, and let the bottom drawer house the 4 wheel setups. I'll let this sit for a few days and think about it. So there is still time to change my mind!!! :D Jim.

[Scott Schwake]

Jim, I'm working on a similar design, here's my preliminary sketches with the casters up & casters down. I don't have the hinges shown, but the caster board will have hinges, & the short blocks will be hinged so they'll swing down when the caster board is pryed down. I plan to attach a short piece of pipe to the caster board with U-bolts that I can insert a long, smaller diameter pipe to pry the casters down. I also plan on using these levelers from Rockler; http://tinyurl.com/yg7eqoe

[Jim O'Dell]

Nice idea!! How much weight will you have on it? How long of a pipe will you start with to rotate the wheels down? Thanks!! Jim.

[Scott Schwake]

How much weight will you have on it? How long of a pipe will you start with to rotate the wheels down? Thanks!! Jim.

It will house a Unisaw with a 30" Bies and extension table, with a storage cabinet under the table, could be as much as 800+ lbs or so I suppose. My thought is a 4' pipe, but that will be trial & error once I get to that point.

[Jim O'Dell]

I'll be anxious to see how it works for you! Jim.

[Dave Cav]

Here ya go, Jim:

http://woodgears.ca/mobile_base/table_saw.html

[keith jensen]

What about using trailer jacks? $34.98each online at Lowes. They swing up/down and crank up/down to raise and lower the base. Maybe not the most swanky way but effective. Just need to figure out how to mount it high enough to swing it down. You could take the wheel off and just use the crank too I guess.
http://images.lowes.com/product/converted/016118/016118043778lg.jpg

[Harry Hagan]

http://www.hoverbench.com/

click on "Hover Pad"

[Rick Moyer]

http://www.hoverbench.com/

click on "Hover Pad"

Very cool. I wonder what they cost?

[Mark Engel]

I adapted the Wood Magazine mobile saw base system for my workbench.

It is basically just swivel casters attached to a board which is attached to the bench legs with heavy duty hinges. The board is pushed down using a pivoting lever which moves the wheels into contact with the floor and lifts the bench legs off the floor about 1/4" to 1/2".

I'll get some pictures posted shortly.

[Mark Engel]

Pictures:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/picture.php?albumid=276&pictureid=2680

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/picture.php?albumid=276&pictureid=2678


http://www.sawmillcreek.org/picture.php?albumid=276&pictureid=2674


http://www.sawmillcreek.org/picture.php?albumid=276&pictureid=2677

[Wayne Jolly]

Since you want to raise the saw anyway, what about a used pallet jack?

Wayne

[Jim O'Dell]

Dave, that is slick, but I'm thinking my set up will be a little heavy for that to work.
Keith, I actually looked those up on Northern tool, as well as the ones with a pad instead of a wheel. Price was a little more than I wanted to spend, plus the aesthetics.....:rolleyes:
Harry, I'm thinking from a thread a few years ago that those are a little pricey too. Don't remember for sure though.
Mark, that's a little more my price range. :D But again the short throw and the weight of the saw and peripherals I'm afraid would make it hard to work.
Wayne, that would work fine, but I don't have space to maneuver one around in the shop, and also nowhere for it to park!!
I appreciate the ideas guys! Keep 'em comin'. But I'm pretty sure which way I'm going....but it's not to late to change my mind!! Jim.

[Alan Schaffter]

I took a little different approach. I wanted to be able to move the saw and right extension easily w/o messing with locking casters, etc. and I wanted the space between the saw and the extension table legs open so I could put a rolling cabinet in there some day.

My answer- a set of wheels mounted to the left side of the saw's sub-base, leveling feet on the right side, heavier duty rails attached to the front and back of table, a new leg assembly mounted at the end of the extension table, and a Delta-style step caster mounted to the bottom of the leg assembly.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P5220039.JPG

I mounted some nice casters which I got from Hartville Tool in short sections of square steel tubing which I bolted to the sub-base.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P5070066.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P5080008.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P1310145.JPG

I also bolted short pieces of angle iron to the right end of the sub-base which I drilled and tapped for leveling elevator bolts.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P5080009.JPG

New heavier angle iron rails and leg assembly:

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P5160021.JPG

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P5160022.JPG

I purchased the step caster from Rockler.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P5160023.JPG

[Chris Parks]

My saw sits on the casters and never moves during use. Why complicate things before trying the obvious, leave it on the casters and see if it moves before building lifting mechanisms that might not be needed.

[Paul Snowden]

Very cool. I wonder what they cost?


I found this


Large Pad - 29" x 29" - $325.00*
Small Pad - 18 1/2" x 24" - $205.00*

[Jim O'Dell]

My saw sits on the casters and never moves during use. Why complicate things before trying the obvious, leave it on the casters and see if it moves before building lifting mechanisms that might not be needed.

Chris, if this is to me, I will have it on the leveling pads about 99% of the time or more. The mobility option is for when I need to get my van out of a pending hail storm. Has happened 2 times in 4 years, neither time did we get the severity of hail that was forecast. I'm not comfortable that the saw on 4 swivel casters will not moving if I'm cutting sheet goods. Might be ok if 2 of them were stationary wheels turned perpendicular to the wood's path.
My current design has the casters where they will bolt on when needed, stored when not needed. I think this will be the best solution for my situation and budget.

Alan, I love your extension table!!! Mobility was nicely done also as is the kill bar for the saw. Now make some saw dust...that's too clean! :D Jim.

[Harry Hagan]

Very cool. I wonder what they cost?


Here's what I found out:

They're currently on sale. For prices, see the last page of the flier. I've attached a link. http://www.general.ca/images/frontpage/flyers/Promo%20fall%20winter%2009-10%20US.pdf

The manufacturer's rep. said distributors should honor those prices.

Distributor's list: http://www.general.ca/pg_index/Distributors/distus_en.html

If it must be shipped to you he said,: "However, if the product needs to be shipped, I’ve found Tools Plus to be the most reasonable and most efficient."

[Chris Parks]

Chris, if this is to me, I will have it on the leveling pads about 99% of the time or more. The mobility option is for when I need to get my van out of a pending hail storm. Has happened 2 times in 4 years,

I too only rarely move the saw. It is only on casters to move if absoulutely necessary. I guess I move it every twelve months or so.

[Jim O'Dell]

I probably should have updated at the end of last weekend, but I just never got out to the shop with the camera. I got about as much done to the base as I originally planned to, thanks to the Cowboys stinking the TV up and the extra time that gave me in the shop. :D Evenings just haven't been conducive to getting out there to work on it, so I'll get most of the rest of it done this weekend, starting with sanding the "pit" for the saw to sit in. It is pretty rough. Still need to decide how to finish it. I'd love to paint it with the green paint that the saw is trimmed in. It is pretty expensive though. About 60.00 a gallon. I've read that it can and can not be applied to wood. So I'll probably pass unless I can get clarification from the manufacturer. If I find it will work, I'll just prime it good for now, and do the green hammered paint later. If it isn't going to work, I guess I could go with black and it would be fine. We'll see.
I will need to take the base back apart to drill the holes for the leveling feet, the threaded rod that will lift each end, and for the caster mounts. In the pictures, the casters are mounted to the wood, and just set in the middle of the base.139307139308 Hopefully, I'll get it under the saw by Sunday, but I doubt it. ;) Jim.

[Salem Ganzhorn]

I cannot tell from the pictures how the casters will be mounted. How much height are you adding to the saw? My 691 is STILL sitting on part of the shipping pallet! I haven't settled on a design yet but I don't want to raise the saw much more than 4".
Salem

[Jim O'Dell]

Salem, I'm raising mine about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2" That's why I have the "pit" for the saw to sit in routed out in the wood. I could have used two 2 X 4s in an L shape for the long rails, but thought this would be sturdier.
The wheels will bolt on the top of the 4 X 4 rails, so will only raise the base up about 1 1/4" from the stationary position on the 6 leveling pads. They will bolt on to make mobile, and be off and stored when not needed, which will be about 99% or more of the time. It will make more sense when I get it together this weekend, even if the saw isn't mounted on it yet. :D I'll take pictures with the wheels on and with them off. Jim.

[Salem Ganzhorn]

Yeah I saw the "pit" for the saw (I bet that was quite a bit of shavings :)). Just didn't see how you were attaching the wheels such that the mounting flange would be above the bottom of the frame. I will wait for more pictures :).
Salem

[Jim O'Dell]

alem, it wasn't near as messy as the dado work on the RAS!!!:eek: Took me about 45 minutes to vacuum all that up today before I got started.
OK, here is where I'm at so far. 139544 I drilled the rest of the holes, found that where I wanted to have the hole for the mounting pads on the ends ran right into a lag bolt on the underneath side that I didn't take into account for. So I plugged those, and re-drilled further into the the base, further than I wanted them to be, but only about 9" from the ends. Got all the t-nuts installed. Decided against using the steel plate, at least for now. If it doesn't hold, then I can take it back apart and add that. But I'm betting those that said just the t-nuts by themselves would be fine are right. On the two end plates that I will use the section of all thread to jack the ends up to get the wheels on, I used 2 of the t-nuts. One in the bottom of the 4 X 4, and one in the bottom of the
2 X 6. 139542 Then glued and screwed these together. 139543 Tweaked a few things, like the corners and ledges in the "pit", then gave the whole thing a good sanding with 80 grit with the ROS. Did one more test fit. 139545 Then took it all back apart. Last thing was to start the primer coat. 139546 I found I did have some of the correct primer that one fact sheet said you needed to use to use the Hammerite paint on wood. I'll get out there and flip everything over, and finish the priming job, at least the first coat, in a little while. Maybe I can get the second coat on tomorrow. And I think I'll prime a junk piece of wood and try the Hammerite paint on it, see what it does. Later! Jim.

[Bruce Page]

Here ya go, Jim:

http://woodgears.ca/mobile_base/table_saw.html

Now that is clever. It might need a bigger lever arm for a cabinet saw.

[Jim O'Dell]

Yes, that is clever. Just more involved than I want to get at this point. I'll let someone else see if that idea will work with a cabinet saw and 50"+ rails.:D Jim.

[jim gossage]

I agree that Dave's solution was very cool, but also somewhat complex. How about this mobile caster from Rockler for under $30. You could probably add it do your existing design. I have one on my 8# jointer and 1 on my drum sander and they are very easy/smooth to use.

[Jim O'Dell]

I believe that is what Alan is showing on his Unisaw set up on the first page. I was looking for something a little more low-tech, and something I can build. Thanks for the note! Jim.

[Jim O'Dell]

Well, another weekend that I can't paint the base.:mad::mad::mad: I picked up the Hammerite paint that should match the green trim on the saw. So I decided if it got warm enough to paint latex, I'd paint the pit that the saw will sit in black, and I could paint the rest of the base later with the green...But nooooo. Too cold for latex also. So I finished up the mounts for the wheels. Some of the leveling feet were hard to turn and I figured that would be a pain with the saw on it, so I took all of them off and redrilled the holes in the wood with a 1/2" bit (the shaft on the leveling feet are 1/2" threads) so that I wasn't threading into it. Cleaned out the holes, and all seemed good. 2 were still pretty tight, so I was taking it apart again to wallow them out a little, or try a slightly over sized forstner bit. The last foot didn't want to come out. I ended up rounding off the flat spots on the threads meant for a wrench. Chanel locks were of no use. So I break out the vice grips. That worked, for a few turns, then the threaded shaft broke!!! Remember, 1/2"! I knocked the remaining shaft and T-nut out of the wood and in the threaded part of the T-nut it has a round of what looks like metal rolled into it and mushroomed the shank part of the T-nut. Really bummed me out. (But not as much as not being able to paint this weekend! :rolleyes:) So, I ordered another pack of T-nuts and 2 more of the leveling feet (for one I broke, and an extra just in case). I imagine I'll have them Wed, knowing how quick McMaster-Carr gets things here. And long range forecast shows next Sat still being in the 40s. No telling when I'll get to paint this thing and get it under the saw! :(:( I just need 4 hours or so above 60 degrees to get 2 or 3 coats of the Hammerite paint on it. But I guess that's life! I'll get over it. Sometime. One of these days. Maybe.... Jim.

[Jason White]

Done with the base yet?


QUOTE=Jim O'Dell;1322124]alem, it wasn't near as messy as the dado work on the RAS!!!:eek: Took me about 45 minutes to vacuum all that up today before I got started.
OK, here is where I'm at so far. 139544 I drilled the rest of the holes, found that where I wanted to have the hole for the mounting pads on the ends ran right into a lag bolt on the underneath side that I didn't take into account for. So I plugged those, and re-drilled further into the the base, further than I wanted them to be, but only about 9" from the ends. Got all the t-nuts installed. Decided against using the steel plate, at least for now. If it doesn't hold, then I can take it back apart and add that. But I'm betting those that said just the t-nuts by themselves would be fine are right. On the two end plates that I will use the section of all thread to jack the ends up to get the wheels on, I used 2 of the t-nuts. One in the bottom of the 4 X 4, and one in the bottom of the
2 X 6. 139542 Then glued and screwed these together. 139543 Tweaked a few things, like the corners and ledges in the "pit", then gave the whole thing a good sanding with 80 grit with the ROS. Did one more test fit. 139545 Then took it all back apart. Last thing was to start the primer coat. 139546 I found I did have some of the correct primer that one fact sheet said you needed to use to use the Hammerite paint on wood. I'll get out there and flip everything over, and finish the priming job, at least the first coat, in a little while. Maybe I can get the second coat on tomorrow. And I think I'll prime a junk piece of wood and try the Hammerite paint on it, see what it does. Later! Jim.[/QUOTE]

[Jim O'Dell]

No. :mad::mad::mad: see above. :p Jim.

[Jim O'Dell]

Well, I guess I was pretty upset last night...didn't show the pictures of the casters mounted in place. :rolleyes: 141133141134 Again, these will only be on the base when it needs to move. Other times will be stored in a drawer.
Well, I've been out in the shop working on the ducting. I've got quite a bit of it in place. Enough that with 2 pieces of ply to temp cover open ducts, I can run my contractor saw without the overhead pick up.
This is the long section I had to buy the piece of pipe for. 141135 I also have the 4" piece with a blast gate cut and fitted together. It's just too much weight to hang by itself. The 6" pointed down will be for the future hood that will serve the SCMS and RAS. The 4" will be for the planer and maybe other items in the future. You can see to the left of the window some marks on the wall where shelf brackets held the blast gate before. I moved the pipe about 20" to the right.
This is the down tube that will serve the two table saws. 141137 The blast gate that is on the wye is temporary just to close that branch off to use the contractor saw. That will be repositioned at the side of the saw to make it easy to reach.
And this is the connection at the saw. 141136 This factory port that I changed from a 2 1/2" shop vac hook up to a 6" DC hookup used to point out the back. It now points out the left side. I had to modify things some to make it fit securely, as the mount was rectangular and didn't want to stay in place by itself. It now has some plywood and lags holding it to the bottom of the saw.
I'm eating lunch as I type this. I'll go back out there in a little bit and see what other mess I can create. :D It helps to listen to some good music and work out my frustrations from yesterday. Enjoy the game! Jim.

[Jim O'Dell]

It finally got above 60 degrees!!!! And I got it painted.:cool: 142707 It's not drying very fast. Says you it's dry to the touch in 30 minutes, but it's supposed to take 14 days to completely cure. :confused: It's been an hour and a half since I put the second coat on, and it's still pretty tacky. But the humidity is high today, so that may affect it.
The paint itself is very very thick. I've got lots of runs and drips that showed up 20 minutes or so after I painted it. Weren't there 2 minutes after brushing. Can't go back over it then as it messes up the hammered effect. So I guess I'll have some hammered runs.:rolleyes:
But it is a perfect match for the Grizzly hammered dark green paint. Later on when the temp is warmer and humidity is down, I'll scrape the runs and paint another coat on it to see if I can get a better finish. It did go on the cast iron a lot better/easier than the wood. But I think it's going to look great! Jim.

[Jeff Kieserman]

I thought you might want to see a mobile base I just completed for my Jet Lathe weighing in at about 450lbs. The drawing shows the lifting (or should I say lowering) mechanism for the hinged casters, and of course there is one for each end of the lathe. They slip up into the area where you see the yellow colored hinges. The threaded rod is 1/2-13, so there is a lot of cranking involved, but I wanted the greater mechanical advantage to keep the handwheels small. Please let me know if you want more information. I hope this helps or at least interests someone. Thanks.

[Milind Patil]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZyguUCdw4s

It is about the outfeed table, but take a look at the casters installation and mobility management.

[Jason White]

Finish it yet???!!!!!!!




it finally got above 60 degrees!!!! And i got it painted.:cool: 142707 it's not drying very fast. Says you it's dry to the touch in 30 minutes, but it's supposed to take 14 days to completely cure. :confused: It's been an hour and a half since i put the second coat on, and it's still pretty tacky. But the humidity is high today, so that may affect it.
The paint itself is very very thick. I've got lots of runs and drips that showed up 20 minutes or so after i painted it. Weren't there 2 minutes after brushing. Can't go back over it then as it messes up the hammered effect. So i guess i'll have some hammered runs.:rolleyes:
But it is a perfect match for the grizzly hammered dark green paint. Later on when the temp is warmer and humidity is down, i'll scrape the runs and paint another coat on it to see if i can get a better finish. It did go on the cast iron a lot better/easier than the wood. But i think it's going to look great! Jim.

[Jim O'Dell]

Milind, that is pretty slick. To pick up a 600# machine, it would need to be a little stouter, but nice easy to build idea. I'll put that in the bucket for another mobile cart I need to build. Thanks!

Jason, in a word.....No. :o It's painted, but needs 14 days to completely cure. :confused: I found a couple spots this past weekend that I had failed to paint, so got 2 coats on those small areas, then scraped the runs on the part that was sitting vertically when I painted them. surfaces need to be horizontal when using this paint. I'll put a coat on those 2 sides on Sat after work, then Sunday afternoon put it together and see if I can get the saw on it. The paint can cure after that as it's not in an area that will be critical. I think I'll have just enough paint to finish.
That's the plan anyway. We do have an Irish Festival to go to Sunday if it's not raining. One of our foster volunteers is setting up a booth, and we need to be there with a couple of the dogs that need new homes. So hopefully that won't take the entire day. Jim.

[Salem Ganzhorn]

Jeff that is pretty slick.What are the red things in the diagram?
Thanks!
Salem

[Jeff Kieserman]

The red things were originally bronze bushings, but I upgraded to bearings, thinking the threaded rod would bite into the bushings with so much weight on them. I have no way of weighing each side, but the lathe is over 400lbs. and the headstock side must be quite a bit heavier than the other. I also changed to hardwood for the bearing blocks and ramps. Then I doubled up on the rollers, thinking only two (about 3/8" wide) would dig into even the oak. The only other things I can think to mention are the use of threaded rod couplers. The shorter roller axles are welded to the couplers. I'm lucky enough to have a welder, but I'm sure there are ways around not having one. Also, the threaded rod is held against the bearings with 1/2' nuts. I drilled into one of the faces of the hex, tapped, and installed a set screw (much stronger than a collar).

One thing I didn't even consider that worked out perfectly is the fact that as the casters lower on the hinges, the angle changes. This setup allows the rollers to pivot on the threaded rod, keeping them flat to the ramp. If you want any more information, please let me know. Thanks for your interest.

[Salem Ganzhorn]

Thanks, I get it now. Neat idea!

[Jim O'Dell]

Well, a week later than I wanted, but here it is. 145011 I was able to get the saw on the mobile base by myself...Or should I say I got the mobile base under the saw. ;) I tilted the back of the saw up, slid 2 pieces of 2X4 under the back edge, then did the same for the front, only used 4X4 pieces under it to gain some height. I had mounted the two cross pieces that the saw sits on to the back portion, so slid it under the saw some, knelt down and pushed up the back edge of the saw with one hand, and pulled the 2 pieces of wood out, then pushed the base forward. Put some wood under the cross pieces so that 3 sides of the saw were supported by the base, pulled the front pieces of wood out and bolted the front piece of the base to the cross pieces. At that point, the saw was on the base, but I had to do 4 lags from underneath for the cross pieces at the ends. That was slow going, but not hard. Really simple to do. Then I had to stop and get cleaned up and eat lunch before guests came to visit rescue dogs. After that I went back out and installed the casters to see how that worked....SMOOTH!!!! I like!
More pictures...This one shows the lag bolts holding the long section to the cross pieces. The lags are 7" long for the 1/4" on top, and 8" for the 3/8" ones on the bottom. 145009 Wider shot of the base. 145010 The next few show the casters bolted on to the base.145012145013145014145015 And this one shows the saw after rolling it close to it's final destination and pulling the casters off. 145016
It rolled very smoothly. I'm very happy with the outcome. I did have to take the dust floor loose and shim under one corner of the saw. It wanted to rock from the right front to the left rear in the pit of the base. 2 pieces of Laminate did the trick. I need a 45 degree el and cut some pipe and I'll be good to go on the dust collection. Then move the overhead guard so it will be in the right position for this saw. I cleaned the top again, and put a thick coat of Boeshield on it to let dry overnight. I'll buff and wax that tomorrow, and start remounting the rails. Not sure If I'll try to move them down or not. May play with it a little to see, but will probably not do any modifications until after the saw is out of warranty, just in case. Who knows, I may decide that this is all I need and leave it alone!?!
Oh, and the color is a little darker than the factory, but in the same family. I'm thinking it is partly the difference in brushing it on like I did, and spraying on what would have to have been a thinned version at the factory.
Thanks for all the ideas and support along the way! Jim.

[Milind Patil]

Once you finish your cart, how do you plan to actually mount the 600 lb beast on it ? Are you planning on putting your buddies to work ?

[Jim O'Dell]

Milind, it's on the base. I did it by myself!! It's all about leverage and using your head. I explained the procedure in the post above Saturday...maybe you missed it.


Installed the rails and fence. Got the bottom of the fence about 1/16" above the table top. 145219Put on the slick tape I bought for the plastic buttons to ride on. 145220145221 Works pretty good. Took the damaged extension table apart, cut the raised portion off with a carpet knife, and turned it around to the back side to use until I get the new one made. Got the DC hooked up Sunday afternoon 145217145218 and made a few cuts. Only one speck of dust in the cabinet after I got finished, and I think I brushed it through the throat plate after the cyclone was turned off. I really like the set up. Finally at the end, I went ahead and made a platform for a piece of 3/4" ply to sit on. 145222 I will build a cabinet on top of this to keep tools and blades in, and to store the casters in. The top will have an open space for my Jointech Smart Miter to slide into for storage. Need to move the overhead guard over to work with the saw. Then I'll need to decide what's next. Probably to build the dust hood for the SCMS/RAS spot in the multi purpose wall cabinets. Thanks again for help spurring ideas and for coming along on the ride! Jim.

[Milind Patil]

That is awsome Jim. Indeed I missed your post on Saturday. Great work !

[Chip Lindley]

A really Epic Adventure Jim! Quite a HD stand for your cabinet saw without the aid of steel and a welder!

The HTC stand that came with my PM66 is ridiculous! Not sure what they were thinking! I'm going to use some junk 3" steel channel to make a long stand similar to yours to support the saw with 50" rails and extension table. The last mobile base for the 66 I will ever need! I will cannibalize the old stand to use under the PM26 shaper base, which is the same size!

[Joseph Tarantino]

jim...so whenever you want to move the griz, the 8 carriage bolts that connect the 4 casters to the base must be re-bolted? does that mean that each corner is lifted one at a time?

[Jim O'Dell]

At the moment, yes. But it's lifting less than 1/4". That will increase as the saw gets leveled out to the other horizontal surfaces. I have a hole in the middle of each end cross brace that has 2 t-nuts that a 1/2" threaded rod can pass through to lift each end up a little, then put the casters on. I just haven't cut the rod yet. So as I lift one end, the base will be on 3 points for a moment while I tighten the 4 bolts on that end. Then I go to the other end and repeat. It will be a rare time that the casters will be on it, so I think (hope!!) that this will be adequate. Jim.