Mobile stands

[Jerome Hanby]

I need some stands to fit the same applications as Rockler's all terrain stands. I just hate to spend almost $200 a pop for them. Anyone have a good plan or good source for something similar?

[Jerome Hanby]

Maybe I can answer my own question. When I put casters on my Freud Router table, I cut a piece of plywood large enough for the legs to sit on, then marked through the holes on the bottom of each leg where the leveling feet install, drilled out the holes on the plywood and installed casters through the bottom of the plywood, through the leveling foot hole on the leg, and secured with fender washer, lock washer and nut. The plywood added alot of strength (the legs were just too flimsy to handle the casters directly). Any reason I couldn't do the same on the table saw (Sears contractor, think it's the Emerson manufactured one)? It would make the saw a bit taller, but that's fine with me, I'm tall. I never lock the base down currently, so four locking casters should let it be secure enough. I also never cut big sheet goods with it, I break them down with PSI Portable Panel Saw or the Festool track saw...

[Chip Lindley]

Jerome, everybody envisions a mobile stand for their machinery a bit differently. No reason your tablesaw idea can't work. There are bazillions of ideas here among the threads. Just search for mobile stand. It may take some time to read all the info there. Here are just a few:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?168141-Mobile-Bases-Show-me-yours&highlight=mobile+stand
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?168141-Mobile-Bases-Show-me-yours&highlight=mobile+stand
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?158178-Custom-Mobile-Base&highlight=mobile+stand
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?145972-Post-Your-Home-Made-Mobile-Bases&highlight=mobile+stand

~~Chip~~

[Jerome Hanby]

Thanks for the links. I've been in most of them already (and most of the ones they link to). Almost everyone seems to be after something close to (functionally) typical mounts. In my case, my biggest problem is I like to roll my machines out of the garage/shop so I have more room to work (and can breathe, the heat/humidity here is killer). Think I'm going to swing by Woodcraft this evening. I called them and they have the Kreg set of casters in stock. The run about $59 for a set of four, but the locks stop the wheels from rolling and the swivels from swiveling! They are 3" casters, but I think they will more than double the clearance I get with my current mobile stand.

Also printed out the FWW article on dust-proofing any table saw, so I think I'll just buy a full sheet of plywood, use a corner of it for this base and the rest for boxing in the saw. Only thing about that article is I can't tell what saw he is working on for sure (colors look like a Jet). It has a slanting (high in front, low in back) side braces that looks factory, but I've never seen anything like that on a saw before. Since he incorporates that into his "box" I was curious. Not critical since my saw doesn't have that regardless :D.

[Callan Campbell]

Thanks for the links. I've been in most of them already (and most of the ones they link to). Almost everyone seems to be after something close to (functionally) typical mounts. In my case, my biggest problem is I like to roll my machines out of the garage/shop so I have more room to work (and can breathe, the heat/humidity here is killer). Think I'm going to swing by Woodcraft this evening. I called them and they have the Kreg set of casters in stock. The run about $59 for a set of four, but the locks stop the wheels from rolling and the swivels from swiveling! They are 3" casters, but I think they will more than double the clearance I get with my current mobile stand.

Also printed out the FWW article on dust-proofing any table saw, so I think I'll just buy a full sheet of plywood, use a corner of it for this base and the rest for boxing in the saw. Only thing about that article is I can't tell what saw he is working on for sure (colors look like a Jet). It has a slanting (high in front, low in back) side braces that looks factory, but I've never seen anything like that on a saw before. Since he incorporates that into his "box" I was curious. Not critical since my saw doesn't have that regardless :D.
If you have uneven pavement or concrete that you're rolling your stuff around on as it's being moved out of the shop, I'd go with 4 or 5" wheels/casters.You'll pay more than 3" casters, but not fight small rocks, twigs, large cracks etc., nearly as much than using smaller wheels.
I swapped the stock 4" casters on my Big Green Egg Smoker for some shielded 5" casters from Mc-Master Carr, huge difference rolling that heavy ceramic smoker around my backyard now. Double locking swivel casters are also nicer for mobile stand applications since you can secure the caster 2 different ways instead of just locking the wheel.

[Jerome Hanby]

I've got bigger casters on my router table and it does roll out easily. Biggest rough spots I have are the joints between the garage floor and the driver way and the slight grade as the drive way slope away from the garage. In both cases, it's the almost non-existent vertical clearance that's giving me headaches. I think the smaller casters will give me all I need when I actually get their full benefit and not have them recessed in the stand like my current mobile stands. I'm going to try and do the job tonight, I'll post back how it works.

[Jerome Hanby]

I added a 3/4" piece of birch plywood on the bottom of my table saw's stand and used the studs from the Kreg casters to hold it onto the legs (the casters sandwich the plywood between them and the stand). Works like a champ. I think the Kreg casters are the best one's I've ever touched. Does make my table saw noticeably taller, but that doesn't bother me at all. It moves great, doesn't scrape when I move it from the garage to the driveway, and the casters brake the wheels and lock the casters so it's rock steady when I lock it.

Started cutting out the 1/2" birch plywood trapezoidal pieces I'll use to box in under the saw for dust collection. I'll be adding a box with cooling vents to cover the motor sticking out the back, and as soon as I have $200 to spend, I'll order a 4" hose version of the Shark Guard.

Once all that is done, I suspect the saw will fall all to pieces and I'll have to start over on my Unisaw.:D