I need a mobile pedestal for my Jet 12" disc sander, any suggestions.....

[Jack Gaskins]

I need to put my jet disc sander on a pedestal so I can wheel it out of the garage when in use. I was thinking of buying the Harbor Frieght metal tool stand and put it on top of one of the small HF flat dollies they also sell and then was going to build a base to bolt the sander to and fasten that to the top of the stand. Anyone have photos of something they have made like this or do you think the HF stand will work?

Thanks,

Jack

[Julie Moriarty]

Having made several bases for portable tools I am now of the firm belief that you make a stand that has storage in it, unless you have more storage space than you know what to do with, and no one I know does.

The stands I make now all have drawers to hold the parts particular to that tool. Sanding discs, adjustment tools and whatever else I need for the tool. Then I use the rest to store what would most likely end up being clutter on my workbench. Drawers are great. After that, sliding shelves behind doors. Once it's done, you'll never regret you took the time to do it.

As for the wheels, just make sure they are large enough to make rolling it in and out of the garage easy enough so you'll never be mumbling under your breath "what a pain these wheels are". I'm finding more and more, it's not about how fast you can do something, it's how well you can do it. I have yet to regret how long something took me when I did it right but I have tons of regrets about those things I made quickly.

[Keith Outten]

Jack,

Awhile back someone here suggested using a small pallet jack to move machines around. The idea is that you can build your machine stands and incorporate the holes in the bottom so the pallet jack will slide through and allow you to move machines without purchasing wheels. Generally speaking you can design even wooden stands that can be very stable, the problem has always been incorporating the mobility. The savings from not having to purchase high quality wheels adds up real quick and the pallet jack is more versatile.

Grizzly sells a small pallet jack, I bought mine locally from Northern Tools. I haven't redesigned all of my tool stands yet but its on my list of things to do and any new stands will definitely have slots for the pallet jack. A second benefit is that you can start using pallets for various other activities, I don't know how I ever got along without the little pallet jack in the past.

Just another option for you to consider.
.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I need to put my jet disc sander on a pedestal so I can wheel it out of the garage when in use. I was thinking of buying the Harbor Frieght metal tool stand and put it on top of one of the small HF flat dollies they also sell and then was going to build a base to bolt the sander to and fasten that to the top of the stand
A few things...

Those HF mover's dollies have very small wheels & the geometry of the dolly itself doesn't work out well for using it as a single unit platform to roll things around on.
I have one with a piece of 3/4" ply mounted on top that is just large enough to hold my IR "twin hot dog" compressor. My original plan was to use it to wheel the compressor into and out of job sites instead of lugging it by hand, as well as making the compressor easier to move around the shop.
That grand idea went up in flames the first few times I tired it.

# 2- again the wheels - if there's any type of lip between the garage and the driveway, you're going to need at least 4" wheels. 5" would be better. 10" pneumatic would be ideal...
I have 4" wheels on both my jointer and my router table. The jointer get's pretty "tippy" when go over that lip going out. Coming back in, it's sort of a circus and balancing act to get it in without it tipping over.
I also have 4" wheels on my roll around sheet goods cart. (IIRC< the plans were in Wood magazine). I have 4 wheels on it now, two on each end.
It's impossible to roll it in/out of the garage. Every time I've tried it, it fell over.
I have two 10" pneumatic tires I bought from HF that I plan to add to the middle - just slightly higher than the end wheels - so it's like the lumber carts at Lowes and Home Depot that "rock" back and forth on those center wheels.

#3 - again the wheels.
Great Lakes Casters is the place to go. I believe they have a perptual discount code for 10% off. I can look back to a previous post where someone filled me in about the discount code if you want.
GLC always seems to have a sale or closeout on casters.
There service is top rate also.
I'm not associated in any way w/them, just a very satisfied customer.
If you do decide to go with them, plan on figuring out everything you want to make mobile, then order all at the same time. That way the discount (if it's still offered) covers the shipping charges.

#4 - the base.
I've gone to just using standard construction grade 2x6's. for all my mobile bases.
2x4's are just a hair too narrow to get a good solid mount of the casters. W/a 2x4, the holes on the caster plates are too close to the edge & I don't feel comfortable using lag screws or carriage bolts so I drill through and use nuts/bolts instead.

I'd love to post some pictures of all the mobile "stuff" - but - my shop is a total disaster right now. I just finished up a rehab of one house, and jumped into a bathroom redo. My shop is more of a staging area and a place where materials/onsite tools are stored than anything else at the moment. Every tool & bench I have is covered up with junk.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I've made a couple mobile bases myself..........very straightforward. In general, I would agree with Rich's advice on diameter, to a certain extent - 10" is a bit much, I think :D but all of that is based on what the terrain looks like. You can rummage around here and find a couple examples of clever ideas where there are 2 wheels and two leveling feet, plus a shop-made wheeled tow bar that lifts the two feet off the floor to move it.

On the other hand, I had a friend's wife get him a very nice, and heavy, Jet benchtop DP for Christmas a couple years back, and then had him buy this base for a Dewalt planer because he preferred a stand to consuming bench space. We needed to upgrade the table surface to 2-plys of 3/4" plywood [overkill, probably] because the DP footprint was smaller than the DW planer, and so it was not sitting over the stand's rails. I really like this stand - sturdy and mobile. If I even need another mobile stand, I'd buy one of these rather than make one, simply because it is a reasonable price for what I found to be a very solid unit. And, I got nuttin' to prove in terms of my ability to build one if needed - BTDT, on to a new adventure, ya know? YMMV, of course.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CCXU9/?tag=hyprod-20&hvadid=15470184459&hvpos=1o2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1398527276739889858&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&ref=asc_df_B0000CCXU9

[Jack Gaskins]

I've made a couple mobile bases myself..........very straightforward. In general, I would agree with Rich's advice on diameter, to a certain extent - 10" is a bit much, I think :D but all of that is based on what the terrain looks like. You can rummage around here and find a couple examples of clever ideas where there are 2 wheels and two leveling feet, plus a shop-made wheeled tow bar that lifts the two feet off the floor to move it.

On the other hand, I had a friend's wife get him a very nice, and heavy, Jet benchtop DP for Christmas a couple years back, and then had him buy this base for a Dewalt planer because he preferred a stand to consuming bench space. We needed to upgrade the table surface to 2-plys of 3/4" plywood [overkill, probably] because the DP footprint was smaller than the DW planer, and so it was not sitting over the stand's rails. I really like this stand - sturdy and mobile. If I even need another mobile stand, I'd buy one of these rather than make one, simply because it is a reasonable price for what I found to be a very solid unit. And, I got nuttin' to prove in terms of my ability to build one if needed - BTDT, on to a new adventure, ya know? YMMV, of course.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000CCXU9/?tag=hyprod-20&hvadid=15470184459&hvpos=1o2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1398527276739889858&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&ref=asc_df_B0000CCXU9


That stand would work great. Might have to look around on CL for one.

[Don Parker]

Do you live near a Sam's Club? They have a really nice rolling cart with storage underneath. Steel cabinet, big casters, hardwood top. I own one, and it is very sturdy.

Here's a link:

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/ultra-heavy-duty-6-drawer-cabinet/prod2140859.ip

[Bob Faris]

Rockler has their router table leg set (includes casters) on sale for $99. The size/height could be modified to suit your needs. Fill-in doors or drawers could be added. The reviewers say it's sturdy.

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17180&rrt=1

[Jack Gaskins]

Thanks for the options so far. As always I will be going the cheapo route which ususally means searching craigslist for a year to find just the right one at the right price.