Wheels for a lathe?

[Bill Wyko]

The new lathe comes assembled from what I understand. I was wondering if anyone has wheels on their lathe that lock solid and can handle a 1/2 a ton of weight and low profile.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Bill, there may be different options out there but this is the first one I thought of: Robust (http://www.turnrobust.com/Casters_Kits.html)

[Wally Dickerman]

Bill, I went to Ace hdw and bought some inexpensive casters and made 2 dollys. Using leverage I mount the lathe (carefully) one end at a time onto the dollys. My Oneway weighs about 700 lb.

[Bill Wyko]

I'll give them a call to see if they can be adapted. I like the low profile of those.

[Steve Busey]

Woodcraft has some heavy duty casters rated at 300lbs each.

[Richard Allen]

There are loads of casters available which can early support a 1000 lb lathe. Locking wheels on casters can also be done. You want to be able to balance your lathe. If your intention is to leave the lathe on the wheels all the time then you need some way to adjust the load on at least three of the four wheels. The bed of your lathe (any lathe) can twist if the load isn't well balanced. This usually leads to excess vibration and the tailstock not aligning with the headstock.

It is usually prudent to setup your lathe in a secure, stable and balanced position for woodturning. If you move the lathe the balancing procedure should be repeated. For this reason most large lathes are not moved frequently. Also because of this the mobile option is usually a temperay condition. The Robust solution is designed for the Robust lathe. Oneway has a mobility solution with is designed for Oneway lathes. For your lathe you may wish to ask one of the Powermatic lathe forums to see what other folks are doing with Powermatic lathes.

[sam upton]

Bill, I have the locking heavy duty casters from Woodcraft. I am thankful for them, especially when it is shop cleanup time.

[Jon Prouty]

Bill - you may want to look at a pallet jack for your needs. That big PM will want to be on the floor anyway.

JP

[Jay Rasmussen]

Bill,
You might look at these:

http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Lathes___Attachments___Lift_Lock_N__Roll____lift_l ock_roll?Args=

I put them on my new PM3520 and there great! I don’t know if they will handle a full 1K lbs or not.

[Reed Gray]

I can see wheels for moving your lathe around the shop, but not for turning on. Wheels would have to be locked not only for rolling, but for pivoting. Just not stable enough. No problem finding wheels that will handle that type of load. Any big box store will have them.

robo hippy

[Jim Burr]

I have seen some low pop casters that really only show about 1/2" when elevated for brief movement. We use them on anesthesia carts, but the are commercial wheels...our cart weight in at 400lb give or take and these are rated to about a ton...just because they are portable.

[Russ Massery]

I have these on my 17" band saw. I like them because you can level the unit after you get it into place. http://www.greatlakescaster.com/products.php?cat=262

[Jamie Donaldson]

I've seen several sets of removeable wheel set-ups for Powermatics, but can't give you a definite source, but they are available.

[Ted Calver]

I had no trouble moving my 4224 on a 1000# capacity HF hydraulic cart whenever it needed to be moved. Now that there is a huge bed extension to deal with I'm not sure how it will move without taking it apart... maybe two hydraulic carts?

[allen thunem]

go to the mustard monster site they show several styles

[Mikey Green]

As long as you don't have huge dips in the floor to deal with, I understand that the Great Lakes casters mentioned by Russ and the Zambus model casters may have an advantage, since they can permanently mount to the lathe by bolting onto the bottom of each leg, they allow for easy rolling, then height adjustment for leveling, taking the weight off the roller/wheel, to prevent flat spots from developing. Nothing sticks out to trip you, and nothing has to be stored separately in your shop.

I've lusted after them for a few years. For now, I just try not to move my lathe.

[Gary Herrmann]

I've got Zambus on my PM3520b. I raised the spindle height 9" and added 250 lbs of sand in the base for ballast. I figure the whole thing is in the neighborhood of 900 lbs. With the levelers down, the lathe is rock solid.

[allen thunem]

I've got Zambus on my PM3520b. I raised the spindle height 9" and added 250 lbs of sand in the base for ballast. I figure the whole thing is in the neighborhood of 900 lbs. With the levelers down, the lathe is rock solid.



gary which zambus casters did you end up with???
Have a model or part number??

[Scott Gibbons]

I have locking casters on my 1200lbs wellsaw that I picked up from amazon. let me know I can try and find the link.

[David DeCristoforo]

Bill, you can't go wrong with the "Zambus" or "Great Lakes" casters (they are, for all practical purposes, identical). They are extremely robust and with the feet lowered, virtually immobile. I mounted my PM160 planer on a set of them and I could push it around with one hand. But with the feet lowered, it could not be moved at all.

[Jon McElwain]

We have a PM 3520 lathe for the turning club. They put three trailer jacks (tongue jacks) on it because it was moved from storage to the meeting place so frequently. Two jacks on the headstock end, one on the tailstock. Harbor freight sells them for $25 apiece. The nice thing is that you can screw the jacks down very quickly, move the lathe, and then screw them back up so that the lathe is setting on it's own feet for turning. Most elegant solution that I have seen.

here is a link... (http://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lb-swing-back-trailer-jack-41005.html)

[mike ash]

+1 of the Great Lakes Casters that Russ Massery has. I put them on my PM3520 complete with an understorage cabinet with all my goodies and they work great. I didn't want anything that protrudes to the inside or outside of the legs as I didn't have room becasue of my storage cabinet, and I didn't want to be tripping on them....plus I didn't want things that would impede my floor cleanup (smile JK!!).

[Bill Bukovec]

We use foot master casters at work for heavy equipment.
The casters have integrated feet.

There is a spoked wheel thing that you can rotate.
Rotating the wheel raises or lowers the rubber feet.

Bill

[Bill Wyko]

Looks like the lathe may be a day early. I'm going to see what the footprint is first and how much is assembled. you all gave so many options that I'm sure I'll have enough info to get some type of wheels on it. I really like the one from Craft Supplies but it won't work on the 4224. Lots of options now though, thanks very much.

[Rod Sheridan]

I put wheels on Diann's lathe.

I used 8" wheels on the headstock, levelling feet on the tailstock.

The lathe now acts like a semi-live skid so it doesn't move around, and it's only 1/2" taller.

I use the same tow bar for my saw/shaper and jointer/planer...............regards, Rod.

[Dick Strauss]

Bill,
Matt Meiser let me know about SES Casters when I wanted to make my old PM66 mobile. They have models to fit any need. They sell both on ebay and their online store (though ebay prices are slightly better for some reason). They will match their ebay price when you talk to their sales folks. I've purchased a total of 24 of their Total Lock casters (they lock the wheels from rotating vertically and horizontally) in 3 and 4" sizes and am very happy with the casters and the service. https://www.sescasters.com/scripts/index.php?area=user

I have no interest in SES but am a satisfied customer.