Mobile Base for Jointer

[Ian Scofield]

I'll be picking up a Grizzly G0586 jointer next week which doesn't have the built in mobile base. Been looking around and this one:

http://www.rockler.com/rockler-all-terrain-mobile-base-holds-up-to-800-lbs

Gets awesome reviews, looks great, etc. But for that price it's a bit ridiculous. Will it really be that much better than this:

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/152711/woodriver-universal-mobile-base-hardware-kit.aspx#ProdInformationTab

and 3/4" or 1" baltic birch underneath?

[Harold Weaver]

Check out the Shop Fox mobile bases. They are sold by Grizzly. Fair price and they work really well. I have 5 of them and really like them.
Harold

[Bill Clifton]

Did you check the grizzly mobile bases? My jointer sits on one and it is fine for my purposes.

[Ian Scofield]

Harold, I looked at reviews for them on amazon and they didn't get great reviews. Everyone complained that the casters didn't swivel very well with heavy tools. Have you had any issues like that?

[Charles Li]

I have the Woodcraft one you referenced (from steel city but identical) from my jointer and it works great. 3/4 cheap plywood for base. I don't think it matters much as you cut it to size and the legs basically rest on the wheels. My jointer is only 230lbs though. I definitely don't need 800lbs of support. I was a bit worried the wheels would get in the way but I placed them on the under the infeed and it's not a problem. Doesn't move when locked.

[Frederick Skelly]

Ian, the link took me to Woodcraft but didnt show me which particular base you were talking about.

Another option might be JET. They make two bases, a small and a large. I have both. The small is about $80 online and it works just fine on my jointer.

Fred

[Ken Frohnert]

I think I can help here. Two months ago a bought a General International Mobile base Model 50-025 for my 6" powermatic. I got mine off the Borg website ship to store/but I could have done ship to home for free.
It was $68. Rated for 500lbs. It is 4 wheeled which I like for a Jointer (vs 3). And both of the back wheeels have foot lifts. I put it together in a few minutes - I did cut piece of scrap plywood (nothing fancy) and put in the frame - but I don't think it was needed. I would give this base my highest recommendation for $68.

[Randy Red Bemont]

Check out the Shop Fox mobile bases. They are sold by Grizzly. Fair price and they work really well. I have 5 of them and really like them.
Harold

+1
My Grizzly G1023RLX table saw is on one and it works great. Very easy to move and steer by myself. My old 6" jointer was also on one with no problems at all. I would buy them again.

Red

[John McClanahan]

Another vote for the Shop Fox base. The swivel wheels need to be placed under the spot that you grab the machine to move it. Trying to steer the machine while pushing from the opposite end of the swivel wheels is hard to do.


John

[Derek Arita]

Just got a Shop Fox mobile base for a Griz Oscil. Edge Sander that weighs around 400lbs. Kinda tough to roll around and the front castors seem to resist swiveling and sometimes actually skid sideways rather than swivel. I use a Jet Heavy Duty adjustable mobile base under a 700lb. drill press and it rolls and turns pretty well. I also have machines on 3 wheeled HTC bases and they move very well.

[Mike Cutler]

Ian

It all depends on how much you expect to move that jointer. The Rockler has larger diameter, urethane wheels. The model from Woodcraft has inexpensive hard plastic/rubberized wheels. The Rockler will move easier. (The urethane wheels my Jointer, 1500+ lbs., sits on were $40.00 each, so that's part of the difference in price between those two bases.)
I have a mobile base like the one from Woodcraft, in fact that's where I got it. Could be the same one possibly. It sits under my 26" dual drum sander. It "moves" the sander, and that's about the best I can say about it. My sander is about the same weight as the jointer you are considering, but the weight is more evenly distributed with my sander. I do not like the mobile base on my sander, and I do not think you will like that particular mobile base from Woodcraft on your jointer. Especially if it will be moved for use.
In my shop situation only two machines are moved frequently. The drum sander,and the dust collector. The rest are on mobile bases, but that was only to facilitate moving them around to position them.
The mobile base on my sander is going to be replaced as soon as I can get to Woodcraft ,with one of the heavier HTC bases they sell. I looked at the Shop Fox also, and it seems like a nice base.
It's actually physically hurting me, lower back, to move that sander on that base now, so something has to change.

PS.
I need a mobile base for a 1500-2000lb. jointer. Anyone know of one?

[Rod Sheridan]

I hate mobile bases with casters.

In my opinion the semi-live skid design is the best.

You can either make one with a frame as illustrated below.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?88687-Hammer-A3-31-Mobile-Base&highlight=hammer+a3-31+mobile+base

Or you can simply add a couple of wheels and a tow bar bracket as illustrated below.
304496

The semi live skid design is easy to move and doesn't move once you release it from the tow bar.

In addition the tow bar puts the moving forces down low, and not on the tables of the jointer which you shouldn't be using to move the machine.

regards, Rod.

[Alan Schaffter]

Add two wheels to the out-feed end of the cabinet- the wheels here are mounted on bolts in short sections of rectangular steel tubing attached to the sub-base. Then attach a Delta style step caster (available from Rockler) to the sub-base at the other end. Add spacers to level the cabinet.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/medium/P1310146.JPG

[Don Sundberg]

I have one of these on my jointer. I used some 1.5" sq tubing I had for the frame instead of hardwood. Works good enough for me.

http://www.rockler.com/power-tool-mobile-base-hardware

[Pete Janke]

My Grizzly Jointer has the built in mobile base, but the Woodcraft base holds several of my other tools very well. I have no rolling problems. I will buy more when needed.

[Tom Howarth]

304764
This one I made from a Harbor Freight movers dolly. I removed the carpet padding and added a couple of boards to support the jointer.

[John Sanford]

With every mobile base, you've got assorted different design considerations that have to be balanced against your needs.

The first is clearance. How much clearance will you need when moving the machine? Do you have a dead level and clear floor so that 1/4" to 1/2" clearance is enough? Or will you need more moving clearance for whatever reasons? If you need more clearance, keep in mind the potential for high centering in some circumstances.

A second consideration related to the first is ease of mobilizing. Anything that has a lot of clearance is likely to need some sort of pivot/cam action for some/all of the wheels.

A third consideration is interference. This basically relates to how much the mobile base intrudes into your work/foot space and such.

[Harold Weaver]

Ian, sorry, I haven't checked the forum for a while, been travelling for work. I have had no issue with the shop fox bases that I have bought. I have one under my PM 66 and my Delta 17" DP and HD shaper and these are older restored machines (Yes, I am an OWWM guy too, anything newer than 1970 doesn't reside in my shop) and these things are incredibly heavy for their size. The bases work fine with them and I have had no problems with the bases.

[Myk Rian]

Shop Fox is discussed in this thread. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?226711-Shop-Fox-mobile-base-wheels-disentagrating
Apparently the wheels fall apart after a while.

I made a base out of 2x6s, 4" wheels, and a piece of ply for the bottom. Had my 8" Griz on it. Not a light machine and it worked great.

305147

[Jan Smith]

I know this old but I just got a htc2000 base for my jointer and it was easy to put together and I wish I had bought the base the second I got the jointer.