Castor Depot/Great Lakes Castor, Leveling Castor Review...

[Derek Arita]

I've been asking a lot of questions about how to, etc., concerning leveling castors, so I thought I'd post the end result, as someone will probably have the same questions that I had about mounting this type of leveling castor to an MM16 bandsaw.
First, as I understand it, Great Lakes Castor is now Castor Depot. On earlier posts, there was talk that GLC had Zambus type castors that were a fraction of the cost of the Zambus. They did, but apparently no longer do as they were much less duty. Now they carry a very close match to the Zambus leveling castor, called Footmaster. After speaking with Jason Popma at Castor Depot, I ended up with Footmast Model GD-60S leveling castors. I'll spare you the specs, only mentioning that they are rated at 550lbs/ and have an M12 thread to mount with. These things are a little smaller than the size of my fist, very heavy duty and very nicely finished.
So, my main questions were about how to mount these suckers to the base of the MM16. The other example I saw was an MM20, but there seems to be a slightly different configuration of what's under the base. On the MM20, you simply have to use the existing M12 leveling screws and screw them into the threaded Footmaster castors...easy. Of course with my MM16, it's a bit more complicated.
You will see by the pics that I had to gain working access to the bottom of the base, drill mounting holes, then I could mount the Footmasters to the base. Using this method actually allowed me to get the castors mounted a bit further apart, so that added stability.
Now that the Footmasters are mounted, the saw rolls and turns so easily, it's amazing. I have a garage shop, where space is at a premium and every nook and cranny is used. Whenever I have to use the saw, I have to maneuver it out of it's storage space. With the OEM setup, that maneuvering was a real pain. Now, it's no sweat at all. Once in place, lowering the feet is easy enough to do with fingers...I was pretty surprised about that.
I'm glad I finally made the switch from OEM to these Footmasters. Hardest part by far, was laying the saw down to work on. Now I have to figure out which Footmaster castors to use on my FS30 Smart, Jointer/Planer. :D Thanks for looking.http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/derekarita1/IMG_0972_zpszmfqfud1.jpg (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/derekarita1/media/IMG_0972_zpszmfqfud1.jpg.html)
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/derekarita1/IMG_0968_zpsimcf4qor.jpg (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/derekarita1/media/IMG_0968_zpsimcf4qor.jpg.html)http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/derekarita1/IMG_0970_zpsemstiiuh.jpg (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/derekarita1/media/IMG_0970_zpsemstiiuh.jpg.html)http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/derekarita1/IMG_0974_zpspvnymxfa.jpg (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/derekarita1/media/IMG_0974_zpspvnymxfa.jpg.html)http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h151/derekarita1/IMG_0975_zpss5jjohre.jpg (http://s63.photobucket.com/user/derekarita1/media/IMG_0975_zpss5jjohre.jpg.html)

[Van Huskey]

Great post, will be very useful for a lot of people.

When I say the second picture this ran through my mind: "Bandsaw down, bandsaw down... No bandsaw left behind!".


Sorry, slow day.

[Matt Day]

Very nice setup there. I've been looking for a better solution than what I have now on my BS (an overloaded standard mobile base type). They were $47/ea? How tall are they? I'm close to my max height due to ceiling height.

Wonder how They'd do on a jointer?

Any quantity discounts?

Thanks for the post

[Derek Arita]

Thanks Matt. It was a great solution for me. $46 each and don't know about discounts, but who knows? They raised the saw about 3 1/4"...no problem for this saw, but I could see how it might pose as issue in your case. An angle bracket of some type might be the answer. I would have to do something similar for my J/P.

[Matt Day]

Assuming the existing holes on my jointer are sized right, all I'd need is to thread attach with a M12 bolt?

[Derek Arita]

Matt, far as I know, I comes with 4 M12 bolts about 2" long and also 4 nuts. Thought I read they also have adapter bolts as well that go M12 to whatever you need. Don't know that, but you could call for info.
Assuming the existing holes on my jointer are sized right, all I'd need is to thread attach with a M12 bolt?

[Ben Rivel]

Thank you very much for this write up. I have been looking at going with these casters for a Hammer A3-31 when I finally get one. They look amazing!

[Derek Arita]

Thank you very much for this write up. I have been looking at going with these casters for a Hammer A3-31 when I finally get one. They look amazing!
Ben, should work great on that Hammer. I've tried other castors on this saw, but these are really amazing. It's so nice to be able to maneuver this thing in tight spaces, then lower the feet and have it rock solid.

[John C Bush]

I have the original--smaller-- GLC leveling casters on my 1000# jointer, 600# BS, 800# planer, and 900# lathe and all have worked great for 10 years. IIRC they are rated @ 250# but could have been more.I made angle iron bases for the BS, planer and jointer and redrilled and thru-bolted existing foot levelers on the lathe. The concrete floor is smooth and level so that is a plus. I only need to engage the foot when milling larger, heavier stock and it is easy to scroll down the knurled wheel. I do have to get on my knees to adjust but I'm sure that after the yoga classes on my New Years resolution list I will be able to adjust from the barking dog position!!!
Back in the day I think these were <$15 per caster. When I was shopping I recall seeing a ratcheting style that was adjustable with a more easily reached handle but was more $$$. Not sure if they are still available but after these years of crawling on my knees I would reconsider. Good Luck. JCB

[Bruce Page]

Very nice Derek, it must've been fun laying the BS on it's back. I went with a Delta mobile base under my MM16. I installed the Footmaster GDR-60F ratcheting casters from Castor Depot under the table I built for my CNC. I don't move the CNC very often but they are nice casters and roll smoothly in my garage shop.