Mobile Bases - Show me yours

[Dave Carteret]

I've been collecting tools at a faster pace than I've been collecting bases for them to ride on.

My Unisaw sits on a Rockler universal, add-your-own-wood, mobile base. It gets the job done, but isn't perfect for such a heavy saw.

I also have a jointer, planer, and drill press that need bases. I'm thinking about just fabricating my own rather than go with one of the commercially available options.

So what has everyone here done? Any good self-fabricated bases out there? Wood or metal? Opinions on the various commercially available ones?

Thanks!
Dave

[Jerome Hanby]

I'm sure I'll get some booing and hissing, but I've used several of the add your own wood bases from Harbor Freight. Only problem I've had with them is the same I've had with all mobile bases, they don't have enough clearance for the rough transition from the garage to the driveway (and the driveway itself). I mounted large casters on my RAS and Freud router table (had to put a piece of plywood on the very bottom of the feet to make it rigid enough) and they do fine. i saw a bigfoot or some such name mobile stand from Rockler (I think) that would be better, but it was a premium price...

[Joseph Tarantino]

i agree that those "add your own" wood mobile bases aren't all that good. but they can be improved by using 1.5" square steel tubing and bolts instead of wood:

http://www.forums.woodnet.net/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=5081500&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=1&vc=1

[Jerome Hanby]

I got some long chucks of fairly narrow 8/4 hard maple from the bargain bin at the lumber yard. I cut and planed it down to use and that worked well. The one I where I used borg 2x2's is definitely not as strong.

[Jim O'Dell]

I've used the Ridgid Herk-U-Lift on several of my tools. Shame HD hasn't bought a bunch of them again and put them on blow out sale. :rolleyes: For my Grizzly GO691 table saw, I made my own out of 4X4 Douglas Fir, with 4 removable Grizzly casters. Works great. Here are some pictures: Drawing 198890 Casters on 198888198893198892 And casters off 198891 I even found paint that, though a slightly different shade, probably the difference in painting wood and steel, matches the hammered green of the saw. ;) Jim.

[Cary Falk]

http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q297/caryincamas/DSC_0306-1.jpg
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[Randy Dutkiewicz]

I'm using Shop Fox and HTC mobile bases for my large stationary machines.

[Mark Ashmeade]

If you can find the RIDGID AC9950 Herc-U-lift out there, they are excellent. The RIDGID saws came with them, and they were available as a retrofit accessory for other tools. Unfortunately, they're no longer available new, but they do crop up from time-to-time on Craigslist or Ebay.

[Myk Rian]

I made one for my Griz g1018 jointer, which is very heavy, so I used 5 & 6" wheels on a simple frame put together with carriage bolts to hold it up.

198944198938198937198936

[johnny means]

IMO, every mobile base available on the retail market is garbage. They seem to be designed to roll around on polished marble slabs, not cracked concrete or worn wood planks. I don't understand why manufacturers don't put decent sized wheels on those things. Why is it that every Shop made base I see starts with big ol' 4 " casters, yet the manufactured bases all have bottle cap sized wheels? Plus, they all seem to use parts that can just barely support the intended load. Roll over that 1/4" threshold a few times and parts start bending.

Nice job Jim. How do you attach the casters when its time to move? I cant see any attachment points.

[Stephen Olson]

IMO, every mobile base available on the retail market is garbage. They seem to be designed to roll around on polished marble slabs, not cracked concrete or worn wood planks. I don't understand why manufacturers don't put decent sized wheels on those things. Why is it that every Shop made base I see starts with big ol' 4 " casters, yet the manufactured bases all have bottle cap sized wheels? Plus, they all seem to use parts that can just barely support the intended load. Roll over that 1/4" threshold a few times and parts start bending.

Nice job Jim. How do you attach the casters when its time to move? I cant see any attachment points.

I'm using a Rockler all-terrain base under my ProShop, it has 5" casters on it and is rated for 800lbs. The only downside to it is that the swivel casters were about 3/16" higher than the non-swivels, so I had to shim the plates on them to level the saw. Not a huge deal, but irritating as I noticed it after the saw was bolted to the base.

[George Gyulatyan]

I am using the HTC bases for my ProShop table saw and Rikon 10" planer/jointer. They work pretty well for the tools I have, although I wouldn't use them for big cabinet saws.

[Rod Sheridan]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?88687-Hammer-A3-31-Mobile-Base

Here's a link to the semi live skid designed base for my jointer/planer...........Regards, Rod.

[Dave Carteret]

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?88687-Hammer-A3-31-Mobile-Base

Here's a link to the semi live skid designed base for my jointer/planer...........Regards, Rod.

Outstanding, Rod! That's along the lines of what I was thinking for a home-crafted base that would be superior to the one-size-fits-all commercial ones. Seems to be stout without being excessively large. The mobile handle is a nice touch, too. Just need one handle for several tools.

[Carroll Courtney]

Dave,what I did was first figure what I had that I wanted to be mobile and figure out what machines I wanted in the future that would need mobile bases also.Buying the store brought type would have added up to alot of money,so instead of buying mobile bases,I purchase a small mig welder,casters,1"X2" tubing.I'm no welder,but I did get alittle better with each project,welding and design.So if you foresee yourself needing several then you may want to invest in a mig welder.Mig welders are not just for mobile bases,they can be use to weld holes in table saw cabinets,repairing lawn mowers,bar-b-que pits,etc.This should be enought excuses to buy a mig welder,big box stores sell them----Carroll

[Chip Lindley]

Rectangular Delta tricycle stands serve me well for several machines like my DJ-20 jointer and Delta 14" BS with enclosed base.

But, the HTC factory stand that came with my Powermatic 66 was a joke! I fabricated my own heavy-duty mobile base of 3" steel channel and angle to hold the heavy saw plus a heavy drawer bank beneath the extension table. Needless to say, I like welded steel stands. No wood for me! I saved lots of money using scrap metal shapes to weld up my own stands to the exact dimension needed. A stick welder, small metal-cutting horizontal BS (or chop saw) and two side grinders for wire brushing and metal grinding are all that's needed.

199025

Scrap steel base w/ retractable Rockler caster for RC-33 planer:

199026

Base for Shop Fox 20" planer made of 1.5" square channel and Rockler caster:

199027

Ho'made version of HTC tricycle base of 2" narrow channel instead of tubing, under 14" Delta BS:

199028

Base for Grizzly 24" DDS of stamped channel and heavy 4x6 angle:

199029

[Casey Carr]

199032After I made this one, I was thinking I'd just buy the next one I need, but from what people are saying of HTC, maybe not. It would still be cheaper though. $170 in casters, $75 in metal and the two days worth of welding and grinding. I hate the smell of ground metal.

Not exactly set up for metal work, but have good friends! This was meant for a 12" medium duty Northfield Jointer. It's obviously not done in this pic, but it is finished, with a coat of paint and all. Holds up well. It's 2x2x1/4" angle and holds 1100 lbs. If you're going to buy a mig welder for all these bases, I'd get a bigger one and not the little lunchbox types. I'm not sure what it was I used, but it was big enough there was no picking it up and carrying it. You need the bigger ones to get the penetration or I wouldn't have been comfortable with a mig. I still would have rather done it with a stick type, but I had access to the mig. I'm just not familiar with what's avialable at the big box stores.

[Carroll Courtney]

Wish I was this good and Casey love your mobile base---Carroll
http://weldingweb.com/showthread.php?t=18016

[Jason White]

Here's the one I made for my cabinet saw...

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=157964&d=1281474496

[Jim O'Dell]

Johnny, there are 2 bolts that go down through the caster blocks and screw into T-nuts that are imbedded in the bottom of the frame. Lifts the floor pads about 1/2" off the floor. Rolls easily. Note the hole between the 2 casters on the second picture? That is for a threaded rod to go through to screw down to lift that end of the base off the ground to make it easier to put the casters on. There is one at each end. But I've found it easier/faster to use a pry bar and some wood blocks under the base while screwing the casters on. Actually the only time I've done it is when I put the saw in place. Haven't needed to move it since. Hope I don't have to. Here's a picture with the storage cabinet in place. 200291 Jim.

[Alan Schaffter]

My floors are relatively smooth so I believe less is more where mobile bases are concerned. Not that they don't work great or aren't stable and strong which they are, but I felt a big wood or metal frame wasn't necessary.

Except for my tablesaw where I changed the right extension table support frame and rebuilt the legs, all my bases are simple arrangements utilizing 3" Hartville Tool casters removed from their mounts and bolted to a section of rectangular steel tubing all bolted directly to the sides of the machine sub base. I mounted Delta-style step casters from Rockler to the fronts:

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

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http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P1290142.JPG

I added the housed casters and shop-made leveler feet to the Unisaw cabinet but beefed up the right extension table rail so I could put the step caster on the legs at the end. This opened up the area under the extension table for a rolling cabinet.

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

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

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

[Jeffrey S. Gardner]

200396200397I just finished building a mobile stand for my thickness planer this weekend and like it a lot. It was made with junk 2x4s that I cleaned up using my planer, so it was a fun project. Cost me around $15 for the piano hinges and a half sheet of MDF...everything else was stuff I had left over from other projects. It rides on a rather inexpensive HTC universal base that I wasn't using. Cheap, sturdy, useful and fun to make. What else can you ask for? :) If you want the plans, let me know and I can post. Jeff

[David Hostetler]

I too went with the "Add Your Own wood" type mobile bases.
http://inlinethumb11.webshots.com/48458/2506267850103915817S600x600Q85.jpg

I have the same base under the band saw as well. I wanted to show you the drill press base to give you an idea of how to add some stability to the drill presses as they tend to be top heavy.

[Dick Strauss]

2x2x5/16 welded angle iron for the base and cut down 6x6x3/8 angle for the wheel mounts on all four corners holding 4" SES Total Lock Casters (thanks Matt Meiser!) rated for 275# each. The openings are covered with 13/16" plywood that allows for slight unevenness on the the actual tools base since the plywood will compress slightly if needed. The wheel mounts also have outriggers (for more permanent placement) that thread down for support and up when I need to move tools. My heaviest WW tools are about 700# each and the stands move fine over cracked and uneven concrete.

[Nicholas Carey]

If you can find the RIDGID AC9950 Herc-U-lift out there, they are excellent. The RIDGID saws came with them, and they were available as a retrofit accessory for other tools. Unfortunately, they're no longer available new, but they do crop up from time-to-time on Craigslist or Ebay.That's funny, Ridgid lists it on their web site -- though they treat it as a part-cum-accesory:

http://www.ridgidparts.com/accessories/woodacc.phtml

"To order parts or accessories for your RIDGID woodworking power tools, please call 1-866-539-1710."


http://www.ridgidparts.com/images/products/AC99200.gif
AC9920
Herc-U-Lift™ Caster Set
Used on RIDGID and Craftsman® belt drive table saws. Patented one step design allows easy 360° mobility. Allows saw to rest on all four legs when disengaged. Works with RIDGID TS2412.


Also


http://www.ridgidparts.com/images/products/AC99500.gif
AC9950
Herc-U-Lift PLUS™
Easy 360º Mobility for Any RIDGID® Stationary Tool with an Open Leg Set - Also Fits AC9910 Universal Leg Set and Some Craftsman Stationary Tools