Decent Mobile Base For A 18" Bandsaw?

[Julie Moriarty]

I ordered a couple of HTC PM1000 mobile bases, one for an 18" bandsaw and the other for a 17" drill press. I assembled one to fit the BS and got our son to help me get it in place. Once there, I went to move it and the thing scared me. The wheels were wobbling and looking like they were about to break off. And the tilt of the bandsaw was making me nervous too. It felt like one bad move and the whole thing was going to topple.

Things got worse when I went to set it down. The cam arms snapped back and the machine banged to the ground. When I went to lift it back up, the cam arms wouldn't budge. One eventually bent. So the bases are going back.

Is there a mobile base that's sturdy enough for tall machines that are top heavy? I'd prefer not to have the kind that lift one side to make it mobile. Locking wheels would be fine. And it would have to be able to handle the weight. I think the BS is about 240#.

Thanks

[Bruce Page]

Hi Julie, I have a couple of HTC bases and don't care for either of them. The one under my jointer is squirrely and I had to replace the wheels on my drum sander base because they flat spotted. I have a Delta base under my MM16 that is very stable.

Here's the story: I've gone Mobile! (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?10507-I-ve-gone-Mobile%21)

[Jesse Busenitz]

I have a mobile base for my Bridgewood 22" saw... have to check for a brand but it's been working great for me. Since I have access to metal fab machines, I normally make my own.... built one for my 900# Grizz planer, and most recently for a 1600# Greenlee jointer. Scary huh?

[Doug Ladendorf]

I have a couple of those HTC bases on smaller machines and done care for them either. For the 1960's Powermatic 20" bandsaw I recently picked up I got the Shop Fox base. Not too expensive from Amazon and the one I cot can handle up to 1300 lbs. the smaller one should work for you. They have feet that screw down to stabilize the base.

Doug

[Gary Salisbury]

I went mobile but am hoping to remove them when I get into my new dedicated wood shop. All my stationary power tools are JET as are the bases. (They could be something else re-branded however....)

Gary

[Al Weber]

I made mine using some 1.5 x 1.5 inch angle iron, two 3/4" ply sheets and stabilizing casters like these. (http://www.greatlakescaster.com/proddetailstatic.php?pUnit=2&prod=LV-1710-NYP-S-M12). This was for a 18" Rikon. Completely stable during moves and the pad can be let down to hold the saw in place during use. The biggest downside is that lowering the pad is not easy as you need to get down on the floor and turn the little wheels on each caster. But this gives a very stable platform and has served me well for many years. Obviously these work best on a hard smooth surface although I used them in a not so smooth plank floor in my previous shop.

[Dan T Jones]

Julie,
I have been happy with this one. I have it for a Walker Turner 16 which is very heavy (600+lbs).

http://www.amazon.com/Oasis-Machinery-MB800-Adjustable-Mobile/dp/B004BA283W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427459977&sr=8-1&keywords=oasis+mobile+base

Dan

[joe milana]

Heres one of mine. Some 1 x 2 square steel tubing, eight bolts, and four zambus leveling casters. Simple & bulletproof.
310081

[Bill Adamsen]

I have never been happy with a purchased base, and have moved towards designing and welding up my own. For steel I use 1/4" or 5/16" angle - but I have started to believe even 3/8" is not too much. The steel cost itself is really minimal. But the cost in terms of time (designing, purchasing steel, cutting, welding) is not insignificant. Good casters are not cheap either.

The biggest engineering challenge is getting the center of gravity as low as possible, and designing caster brackets with minimal deflection. The best casters have a small rotation so that the caster support is not too far from the angle. The model I first copied were those made by Chuck Hess for his vast collection of Oliver machines (http://www.hesswoodwork.com/machinery.html) (one photo attached here for illustrative purposes). But Joe Jensen did a post here on his rebuild of a jointer (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?97380-SCMI-F3a-Jointer-Refurb-Completed-%28lots-of-pics%29), and his base design is outstanding too. Those casters are expensive, and tough to shell out the money for initially, but they pay for themselves in performance many times over if using a machine that needs to be locked in place. Designing/building custom bases isn't for everyone, but over the life of a machine, it will make the machine more usable and your work with them more pleasant.

Wish I could have said ... "Buy brand X!" ... but in my experience the "off the shelf" models just don't stack up.

[Added during edit] Just noticed the link Al Weber provided to the casters ... if those are as good as they look, they look like a pretty good deal. Similar to Joe's casters above.

[Rod Sheridan]

Is there a mobile base that's sturdy enough for tall machines that are top heavy? I'd prefer not to have the kind that lift one side to make it mobile. Locking wheels would be fine. And it would have to be able to handle the weight. I think the BS is about 240#.

Thanks

Julie, why don't you want a semi-live skid design?

They really are the best for heavy machines...........Rod.

[Julie Moriarty]

Julie, why don't you want a semi-live skid design?

They really are the best for heavy machines...........Rod.

My bandsaw and drill press are top heavy. I would think this to be common. In the time spent trying to operate the mobility factor of the HTC base, it became apparent to me the small base of the bandsaw needs a very solid mobile base when you're moving it around. The two cam operated wheels of the HTC act independently. On my bandsaw, a high percentage of weight seems to fall on one operating wheel and when you disengage the cam, that corner drops hard to the ground and the whole machine tilts in the process. It seems dangerous.

I have a Delta mobile base on my drum sander that has one operational wheel. I can't see a three wheel mobile base working for a top heavy tool. But what has always bothered me about the Delta base is the lift lever. When in the down position, the foot lever is constantly gouging my ankle. On whole, the idea you have to lift up one side of a heavy machine seems unnecessary when all you incorporate a wheel lock. I have an HTC mobile base w/o wheel lift mechanisms on my table saw and I love it. When I'm feeding heavier planks, I just lock the wheels. If I could have found the right size for my BS & DP, I would have bought them instead.

Bill, I completely understand where you're coming from. I originally made a mobile base out of Unistrut and I used "Z" brackets to keep the machine as low as possible. The problem came with the wheels. I couldn't find any low profile wheels that were of good quality. What I did install on the Unistrut seemed to struggle under the load of the bandsaw. The HTC base on my TS works so well it never ceases to impress me. But so far, that's the only mobile tool in my shop that does. I don't own a welder so I'm stuck with nuts and bolts attachments when making a custom base.

Doug, I was looking at the Shop Fox bases before ordering the HTC. On the smaller base, the reviews aren't good so I didn't buy it.

As far as online ratings go, there seems to be a fairly negative view of every universal mobile base I've found. The ones that are made specifically for a particular tool seem to get much better ratings. Is this what you guys have seen too? The HTCs I bought had great reviews but a few scathing ones too. I found the latter to be more in line with what I experienced.

Thank you all for your responses. You've got me wondering if purchasing a small MIG welder might be the best way to spend the money that would be going towards good tool mobility.

[Erik Loza]

I really like the idea another gentleman posted not too long ago about making a concrete pedestal for the mobility base. Be pretty easy to bolt a bandsaw down. I would do something like that if I had the need.

Erik

[Tom Morassini]

I have the larger Shop Fox base for my Grizzly Table Saw & Band Saw. I only move the Band Saw, but only a few feet when I need it. I would say overall the base is junk, but for me it works okay. The main thing I did to deal with the top heavy problem is I used clamps to pull the crossbars as close as possible before tightening the bolts at the wheel platforms. I don't know if I explained that well, but in doing this the Band Saw and base become one so you when you push up high on the Band Saw it doesn't try to tip independently of the base.

I think biggest fail for this base is the casters. They're solid plastic with no bearing/sleeves so they don't roll all that great. Short of building your own I would think that if you buy this base and add some decent casters it should work fine for you. I think this is another one of those things that's the best junk China has to offer. I never bothered looking so maybe you can find something better with a price to match.

[Wade Lippman]

I had a HTC for my old 19" Grizzly and was in terror any time I moved it for fear it would topple over.
For my 18" Rikon I got the Woodstock D3757. Very stable and easy to use. It has poor reviews on Amazon, but there are a lot of nuts in the world.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Julie, in a semi-live skid design the bandsaw doesn't tilt side to side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Nhq5swos8

Please have a look at the above video, at aproximately 50 seconds you'll see the saw being moved.

The semi-live design keeps the saw from moving without locking wheels, and only raises the saw a fraction of an inch above the floor.

There's a reason so many bandsaw manufacturers provide that mobility kit from the factory...........Rod.

[Bill Adamsen]

Rod ... thanks for elaborating. I was unclear about the definition of "semi-live skid" ... my initial thought was that it was a pallet. I have a very heavy machine (2700 pounds) on a "semi-live skid" and it functions just fine for moving yet providing a stable base for all operations.

[Erik Christensen]

I have had my 18" BS on a shopfox base for about 4 years - not perfect but it gets the job done - the BS is stored in a corner and needs to be moved to the DC port and power source for every use - depending on what I am doing that is either 5' or 30' over several pretty rough expansion joints. I will make something better if it ever breaks but it keeps on truckin

[Doug Ladendorf]

I think biggest fail for this base is the casters. They're solid plastic with no bearing/sleeves so they don't roll all that great.

We must have different models because mine has steel casters. Welding your own base and getting quality casters would be ideal, but I am not much of a welder. It's been sufficient for the little moving I need to do. I would love to build something like the casters and base arrangement in Bill's second photo. The similar casters in
Al's link look like a pretty good deal, though they are the "overseas" copied version.

[Julie Moriarty]

Part of the reason the setup on this particular HTC mobile base is so problematic is the amount of lift required for the cams to seat in the up position. The fixed wheels set the height of the frame 5/8" off the floor, from the bottom of the frame. When you engage the lift cams into their seated position, the bottom rises to a full 2". There's no reason I can see for that much height change to be necessary. All it needs to do is lift it maybe 1/4" or so, just enough to get the fixed feet off the floor, and enough for the feet to clear minor debris. To test that theory, I placed a 2x4 under the MB when in the up position. Then I tried to operate the cam and it was operable with normal foot pressure because it was only lifting it 1/2". It's just a poor design.

I'm going to throw another $25 at the mess. I found some 2" swivel casters to install in place of the 3" that came with the bases. Maybe that will work and I won't have to be left figuring out a safe way to remove the bandsaw from the mobile base.

[Julie Moriarty]

Hi Julie, in a semi-live skid design the bandsaw doesn't tilt side to side.

Please have a look at the above video, at aproximately 50 seconds you'll see the saw being moved.

The semi-live design keeps the saw from moving without locking wheels, and only raises the saw a fraction of an inch above the floor.

There's a reason so many bandsaw manufacturers provide that mobility kit from the factory...........Rod.

Yes, it's a great design. Unfortunately, Jet didn't include that with the bandsaw I have.

In my work, I have been involved with moving switchgear, some very heavy. We use a Johnson bar in much the same way the lift handle in the Hammer video is used. It's amazing the leverage you can get.

[Phillip Gregory]

We must have different models because mine has steel casters. Welding your own base and getting quality casters would be ideal, but I am not much of a welder. It's been sufficient for the little moving I need to do. I would love to build something like the casters and base arrangement in Bill's second photo. The similar casters in
Al's link look like a pretty good deal, though they are the "overseas" copied version.

There are two nearly identical models of the Shop Fox base. I have one of each and they appear to only have different casters. The D2057A is the 700 pound rated version with the rubber-tired casters, which I have on my bandsaw (~350 lb G0513X2.) The D2059A is the steel-castered version good for 1300 pounds, which I have on my 600 lb Shop Fox W1820 (aka Grizzly G0691) cabinet saw, along with the extension rail kit due to the long fence. The tablesaw and its base has worked very well for me as I have a small 20x21 shop and have to put everything on wheels and roll it around to get enough space to work. I just got the bandsaw and the lighter D2057A base, so I can't say much beyond out of the box it works fine. My bandsaw does not feel tippy on the base even though I put the casters on the short edges of the base. I had to do that due to the lower door hitting the caster support if I put the caster support on the long edge. Pro tip: If you have a Grizzly G0513/G0514 saw and put it on a mobile base, the casters have to be on the short side and you will need to swap the two 25x6 mm rail clamping bolts with two of the 15x6 mm bolts used for casters. Otherwise your saw's lower door will hit the caster base and the rail clamping bolts. The salesman at the Grizzly showroom in MO mentioned this and I found he was 100% right after I assembled the base per the manual instructions and then had to redo it.

The worst parts about these mobile bases is that they make you pick a movement direction due to two fixed and two swivel casters and that the bases always are a touch too big in one direction, so you have to take out the hacksaw and cut two rails to length. I always seem to put the casters on the wrong "side," have them interfere with the machine in some unforeseen manner, and have to undo the base and rotate the fixed casters 90 degrees. Every time I get a tool putting it on the mobile base is THE most time consuming and frustrating part. Wiping off five pounds of Cosmoline, waxing everything, and spending a couple hours with straightedges pale in comparison. However at least the heavy duty one has been great once I got it set up.

[Rod Sheridan]

Julie, just drill two holes for an axle and buy a couple of good solid plastic or steel wheels, no need to buy anything from Jet.

Probably $30 would buy you all the parts.

Make your own tow bar, you must be able to weld up something simple of have some trades friends?

Best method going, it's what I alsways put on my machine, and it's inexpensive........Rod.

[John Sanford]

Part of the reason the setup on this particular HTC mobile base is so problematic is the amount of lift required for the cams to seat in the up position. The fixed wheels set the height of the frame 5/8" off the floor, from the bottom of the frame. When you engage the lift cams into their seated position, the bottom rises to a full 2". There's no reason I can see for that much height change to be necessary. All it needs to do is lift it maybe 1/4" or so, just enough to get the fixed feet off the floor, and enough for the feet to clear minor debris. To test that theory, I placed a 2x4 under the MB when in the up position. Then I tried to operate the cam and it was operable with normal foot pressure because it was only lifting it 1/2". It's just a poor design.

I'm going to throw another $25 at the mess. I found some 2" swivel casters to install in place of the 3" that came with the bases. Maybe that will work and I won't have to be left figuring out a safe way to remove the bandsaw from the mobile base.

The "high lift" is for people with less than perfect floors, or people who roll out to the driveway. A base with a lift of only a 1/4" presents it's own set of problems. For me, the transition from my shop (aka "garage") out to the driveway is such that I have to LIFT 3" casters over the transition, or come at an angle and do one wheel at a time. That's for my Rousseau Planer Cart (doing duty as a CMS Stand), which has 2" of clearance all around. I can only move my PM jointer, which is on a Delta Universal base, into and out of the garage out near the walls, because it high centers on the lip in the center. If I try to take it up the center, I have to shove it because the base is dragging.

All that said, I understand and agree with your dismay with the base in question as I have one of those under my Delta 14" bandsaw. I don't like raising or lowering the thing either, but it does get the job done. With a larger machine, I suspect it would get kinda scary in a hurry. I use my feet exclusively for operating the cams, and hold onto the bandsaw when doing so in order to keep it from getting any unruly notions. I know that I wouldn't buy one like that again for any thing larger than a benchtop machine on a stand, and even then I'd be far more likely to get another Delta Universal, or a clone.

[Julie Moriarty]

I use my feet exclusively for operating the cams, and hold onto the bandsaw when doing so in order to keep it from getting any unruly notions.

Which is exactly what I was expecting. Problem is, the force required to move the cam at all, bends the cam lever. I placed a short piece of pipe over the cam arm to see if it was at all possible to raise the wheels without damaging the arm. The wheels didn't raise a fraction of an inch before the aluminum cam arm began to bend. If I raised the stationary feet to their highest, I might be able to operate the cams but the table of the bandsaw would be seriously out of level.

[Lee Reep]

Julie,

Does your bandsaw manufacturer offer a mobile base? I have a Powermatic, and really need a mobile base. I am going to order the Powermatic base, which is expensive, but I've read good things about it. I have heard a lot of negatives about HTC, and the replies here certainly support what I've heard.

Drill presses are a completely different beast. Most mobile bases on them look too small to me, and look like a disaster waiting to happen. :) Maybe you could build a big footprint platform with a low center of gravity (4X4s for rigidity, maybe a double-thickness plywood deck, heavy-duty locking casters at all corners)?

[Julie Moriarty]

Lee, the outlook of having a stable mobile base on the drill press is looking bleak. A drill press is more top heavy (proportionally) than a bandsaw. From what I've seen so far, I can't imagine this base ever being safe for a drill press.

I bought the HTC mobile base for my table saw 15-20 years ago. Things were made better then. I don't remember what I paid but whatever it was, it was worth it. I was thinking I could do the same with the bandsaw but so far, it seems I am mistaken.

After reading your post, I went to the Jet website and it appears they only sell a universal mobile base. In the Internet searches I've done it has looked like Jet and Powermatic were linked and that got me to wondering if one bought out the other. I've seen the PM bases and they look very sturdy.

After the last post, I went back to the shop. I had a small project I was going to start before I decided to put the newly arrived HTC MBs to work. Anyway, I had some resawing to do and when I went to change the blade, I couldn't open the bottom door. The problematic wheel had become more problematic. I had placed the operational wheels front and back, for stability. Bad decision.

There's a book I want to finish. I think it's calling me...

[John Sanford]

Which is exactly what I was expecting. Problem is, the force required to move the cam at all, bends the cam lever. I placed a short piece of pipe over the cam arm to see if it was at all possible to raise the wheels without damaging the arm. The wheels didn't raise a fraction of an inch before the aluminum cam arm began to bend. If I raised the stationary feet to their highest, I might be able to operate the cams but the table of the bandsaw would be seriously out of level.

Not surprised that they bent, what with a big honkin 18" BS on there, as opposed to my leetle 14" w/ open stand. Wish I could tell you I had a fix, but other than finding/fabbing some steel cam levers that would fit, I got nuttin'.

[Rod Sheridan]

Julie, you really need to go with a semi live skid design.....Rod

[Tom Howarth]

This is what a buddy of mine and I welded together out of angle iron. There is a piece of 3/4" ply under the saw.
I wanted the wheele to be splayed out a bit as I was worried about the saw being top heavy.
the taller wheels bring the table up to a better working height, easier on my back.

[Robert Engel]

I have a several, some Grizzly (very well built but piece of junk tires shredded off), an HTC under my TS which I never move, and a couple shop fox bases.

I'm pretty happy with the Shop Fox. Bear in mind, tho, I don't move my equipment around too much.

I think they ALL cheap out on the tires, though.

I would try a Grizzly and upgrade the wheels to a bigger size, and better quality.

[John Sanford]

This is what a buddy of mine and I welded together out of angle iron. There is a piece of 3/4" ply under the saw.
I wanted the wheele to be splayed out a bit as I was worried about the saw being top heavy.
the taller wheels bring the table up to a better working height, easier on my back.

Tom, do you find the wheels getting into your feet's way?

[Tom Howarth]

John-No, they don't get in the way and I'm pretty clumsy. The table and the fence rail protrude more than where the wheels are attached. I've never bolted the base to the band saw to the mobile base, (yet). The weight of the band saw keeps it in place. The whole thing moves about quite easily even with the big expansion grooves in the garage floor.
sorry for the upside-down pictures, by-the-way...

[Ryan Mooney]

Heres one of mine. Some 1 x 2 square steel tubing, eight bolts, and four zambus leveling casters. Simple & bulletproof.
310081

Same, I shamelessly stole the idea off of someone on here. Exceedingly happy with this design, it actually made the saw MORE stable because its wider than the original base. Can't recommend this design enough, simply fantastic. I usually only lock down the two front wheels (facing the saw from the side) unless I'm pushing something heavier than I strictly ought to be through it.

The HTC1000 is - imho - completely useless for everything. I have it under a couple of machines because I bought two before I figured out what a n absolutely horrible design it is.
The HTC2000 is just as bad.
The HTC3000 is actually usable and doesn't require tipping everything to precarious angles to move it. I was originally going to put that under my bandsaw until I saw the above design. I do have one under my one drill press with a fairly wide base made out of three layers of glued and screwed 3/4" plywood. Its pretty stable and moves fairly easily.

[Julie Moriarty]

Julie, you really need to go with a semi live skid design.....Rod
I know... I'm still trying to make this thing work. :o

I got the new wheels yesterday. They are much better than the ones that came with the MB.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Woodworking/Tools/BS_MB_02_zpsgqpovsvj.jpg
They roll better and don't raise the front up so much. I had to apply a generous portion of grease to the cams to get it to work but it's still not easy to change height positions. At least it's possible now. And I love the way it rolls now. The wheels were only $6/EA but light years better than the originals.
http://i867.photobucket.com/albums/ab233/jules42651/Woodworking/Tools/BS_MB_01_zpski3iwqqn.jpg
The originals with the bent cam. This was the problem corner.

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Hi Julie, in a semi-live skid design the bandsaw doesn't tilt side to side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Nhq5swos8 Please have a look at the above video, at aproximately 50 seconds you'll see the saw being moved. The semi-live design keeps the saw from moving without locking wheels, and only raises the saw a fraction of an inch above the floor. There's a reason so many bandsaw manufacturers provide that mobility kit from the factory...........Rod.
Rod's description for this is very accurate. I have 8 or 9 large mobile tools. My Laguna bandsaw with its semi skid design moves more easily than any other
and doesn't feel like its going to tip at all

[Steve Gojevic]

I just bought a used Sears BAS 350 bandsaw from a fellow sawmill creek member.

I needed a mobile base so I could roll it against the wall when not in use. After checking the available commercial models, I decided to build my own. I found a design I liked on youtube, and built it last night. it only cost me 4 HF wheels ($4 ea). I had the galvanized pipe, hardware and plywood already. It uses wooden cams to raise and lower the wheels as needed.

Here is a picture of the wheels raised up, so the bandsaw sits fully on its legs:
310479

Here is a picture of the wheels lowered so it can roll around:

310480

A side view picture of the pipe "handle" that raises and lowers the wheels:

310481

Finally, a picture of one of the two wood cams:

310482

It works well, and almost all the hardware is inside the base (except for the handle) to keep me from tripping over it or banging my ankle on it.

Here is the link to the youtube original post of the idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMdKdglWMHo

Steve

[Dan Hintz]

For my 18" bandsaw (Jet JWBS-18QT-3), I used the Jet Heavy-duty Mobile Base. I attached the bandsaw to 3/4" ply about 2'x2' in size, then dropped it into the base. It is solid during working and rolls easily when I need it to.

[James Van Vleet]

For my 18" bandsaw (Jet JWBS-18QT-3), I used the Jet Heavy-duty Mobile Base. I attached the bandsaw to 3/4" ply about 2'x2' in size, then dropped it into the base. It is solid during working and rolls easily when I need it to.

Right on. I have a monster Delta/Rockwell 20" with cast iron variable speed gearbox and optional blade welder. This saw weights between 900-1000 lbs. The Jet Heavy Duty is the only commercial mobile base that gets the job done. I was amazed at how effortless and safe it was to push that sucker around my shop on that base.

I was so happy I picked up two more bases - one for my powermatic mortiser and used another on my parks planer. The outboard locking wheels work much better than that foot lever design on the cheaper models.

[Rob Holcomb]

Steve, How is the saw working out for you? Did it make the trip back home ok?


I just bought a used Sears BAS 350 bandsaw from a fellow sawmill creek member.

I needed a mobile base so I could roll it against the wall when not in use. After checking the available commercial models, I decided to build my own. I found a design I liked on youtube, and built it last night. it only cost me 4 HF wheels ($4 ea). I had the galvanized pipe, hardware and plywood already. It uses wooden cams to raise and lower the wheels as needed.

Here is a picture of the wheels raised up, so the bandsaw sits fully on its legs:
310479

Here is a picture of the wheels lowered so it can roll around:

310480

A side view picture of the pipe "handle" that raises and lowers the wheels:

310481

Finally, a picture of one of the two wood cams:

310482

It works well, and almost all the hardware is inside the base (except for the handle) to keep me from tripping over it or banging my ankle on it.

Here is the link to the youtube original post of the idea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMdKdglWMHo

Steve

[Steve Gojevic]

Rob:

I made it home pretty fast, there wasn't much traffic.


I love the bandsaw. It makes my old 12" Sears seem like a toy.

I already used it to resaw some 2x4s into angled backers for mounting crown moulding in several bedrooms. I had to cut about 100 linear feet and it went fast.

Steve

[Rob Holcomb]

Glad to hear it Steve! My new band saw arrives tomorrow Grizzly G0513X2BF. I can't wait!