Mobile base with leveling and swiveling capacities

[Justin Choi]

Have my TS on a rockler mobile base (2 wheels/foot pedal caster design). I'm thinking about reconfiguring my workshop though. My basement has a built in L-shaped workbench anchored on the concrete bases that anchor two load bearing metal I-beams. I'm planning on moving my saw so that it's in the nook to make the L into more of a rectangle. I'm having two problems:

1) the two wheel system is pretty much impossible to move the TS close enough to the bench so that the motor doesn't hit the bench on angled cuts.
2) The TS mobile base is just slightly off-center of my basement drain. So the slopes are kind of pronounced. Right now, the 32" right wing is about 1" above my workbench, the 22" left wing is about 3" under the workbench, and the saw itself rocks on the ground.

I'd like an off-the-shelf mobile base that has adjustable leveling feet with swivel casters so that the whole unit can be positioned closer to the corner of the L. Any ideas?

[Kent Adams]

I'm not aware of any aftermarket mobile base with leveling feet, though one may exist. Its very easy though to build one and buy swiveling casters with leveling feet (though they can be pricey). What type of TS do you have?

[Mike Cutler]

Justin

If you find one, please let me know.
I looked for exactly what you are looking for, and could not find one. Why no one makes a mobile base that levels at each corner, I don't understand. The Jet bases I have are pretty nice, but they only has levelers on the swiveling caster side. The fixed casters have no levelers.

[glenn bradley]

Bases I've seen (and own) with levers are looking to compensate for small variations. Also, bases for heavier machines don't seem to come with all four corners swiveling probably due to control issues. I think you will have to make your own to get what you describe. Just think of it as a woodworking project and go to it. My dad's DP base (until he realized he never moved the DP and disassembled the base) used 1/2" carriage bolts (head down with roll-pinned nuts at the end for a socket wrench) as levelers. This or threaded rod could give your levelers with quite a range.

[Justin Choi]

I'd be all for building a base except that the cost of the swiveling leveling casters is hideously high, I have to keep the saw pretty close to its current height (the workbench I'm trying to use as an outfeed support is level and pretty much fixed), and I'm not excited about separating it (Delta 34-444) from the original metal stand. The other issue with leveling casters is that I'm not even sure that they have enough vertical adjustment for the area I'm working with. I think the slope is too steep for shims to stay put too.

[rudy de haas]

Two thoughts:

1 - the quick fix might be a sheet of plywood to level the floor.

2 - About a month ago I needed to use a tile saw that's fairly heavy and, having no room in the garage, wanted to make it easily mobile. A flat furniture cart rated at 1,000 pounds cost me $29.85 at the local princess auto dealer. The wheel height is easily adjustable because they're just mounted via bolts through the platform - not a great design for a cart, but easy to abuse to get what you want out of it. Only two wheels swivel and the thing raises the saw by about 6 inches, but it's easy to move, cheap, and I just chock the wheels when using the saw.

[Jamie Buxton]

.. I think the slope is too steep for shims to stay put too..

I'd be thinking about making the floor horizontal. You don't need to make the whole floor horizontal, you just need to make it flat at the four places where the casters hit. And you need to make it easy to roll the standard base on to it. Maybe you use 1x6 on the flat, tapered down to nearly zero so the wheels roll on to it easily. Put spacers under the downhill end to get the 1x6 level. Maybe you put flanges on the sides of the 1x6 so you can't drive the base off it. Stick the 1x6 to the floor with tapcons, or if you don't want to drill the floor use construction adhesive.

[James Zhu]

This thread http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?200340-Heavy-Duty-Mobile-Bases&p=2078583#post2078583 talked about the DIY mobile base with swivel caster.

I am also thinking to build a base with zambus caster for the bandsaw. The sloop on the garage floor is 7/8" along the base's length of 32", pretty steep. I am also not sure if the Zambus AC-300 (http://www.zambus.com/product/ac300.php) has the enough vertical adjustment to make the base level.