Mobil Bases 'bring your A game'

[Tom Bender]

If you move your machines around you might want to try Air Skates instead of wheels.

You might have to upgrade your floor and make slight mods to your machines but then you can move ANY machine safely with one hand, your kid could move it, even your dog.....

[Bruce Volden]

I've used "air bags" to move LARGE machinery around at my previous job. I'm talking machines 80' long, 16' wide' 12' tall that had been "waxed" to the flooring over
a couple decades!!! It was a hoot! Once the wax popped loose from the equipment about 20 people would push it into it's new home------no way could it be done with one hand though
as stopping it was almost as hard as getting it going.
It's amazing how quiet and effortless it was to move once freed, very low air pressure required. Had to learn the manifold adjusting on the fly!

Bruce

[Matt Day]

Do you have a link or picture to clarify what you’re talking about? Those that would be applicable to the size of machine that most of us have.

[ChrisA Edwards]

Do you have a link or picture to clarify what you’re talking about? Those that would be applicable to the size of machine that most of us have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCGUjuj7NTo

[Tom Trees]

The Holmgren design is hard to beat
https://i.ibb.co/4Jnt6Vj/SAM-1821.jpg
https://i.ibb.co/PGYK73V/IMG-20170421-101613.jpg

The axle under the saw could be a bit closer to the edge, I went on the safe side in order not to foul it against the angled chute of the saw.
It seems the closer you can get those swivel castors to the edge, the less they will fight you if you change the direction whilst moving it.
A spring could be utilized instead of needing a big plate for the gravity catch.

On the bandsaw is Bob Minchin's lever design, only changes I made to the lever design was to have more surface area of the underside of the foot lever, so the lever doesn't drop past horizontal
when engaged.
I had thinner gauge 40mm stock than Bob, so the lever was sharp enough to damage a nice pair of boots, so I welded a strip onto the edge to thicken it up on this second iteration.

Here is another good design for something smaller, the catch could be improved with a spring.
https://i.ibb.co/FsLXSLy/EB-315.jpg

[Matt Day]

Do you really think that’s applicable to woodworking machinery?

[Halgeir Wold]

Purely as an oddity - bacon rind - or rather the hide and fat side of bacon works great as a one-time solution on a coated floor. Some 30 years ago we reorganised the machine shop at work, moving the big lathe out of the way to make room for a new mill.... a good piece, 4x4 or so, under each corner, fat side down.. and push away...
Bonus part: lots of bacon sandwiches for lunch the next day....:)

[Frank Pratt]

Purely as an oddity - bacon rind - or rather the hide and fat side of bacon works great as a one-time solution on a coated floor. Some 30 years ago we reorganised the machine shop at work, moving the big lathe out of the way to make room for a new mill.... a good piece, 4x4 or so, under each corner, fat side down.. and push away...
Bonus part: lots of bacon sandwiches for lunch the next day....:)

Okay, this definitely wins as the most original mobile base ever. Not sure I'd want one of those bacon sandwiches though.:eek:

[Steve Mathews]

I have 4 different types of mobile bases on woodworking machines. By far the best is the Industrial Mobile Base by SawStop. A few pumps of the hydraulic lift and it moves effortlessly in any direction wanted. It has a 1000 lb. capacity. I'd like to build one similar for my Northfield 12" jointer weighing a little over 1100 lbs.

[Frederick Skelly]

The JET mobile bases work well for me. LINK (https://www.amazon.com/Jet-708118-JMB-UMB-Universal-Mobile/dp/B00006S7CE/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Jet+mobile+base&qid=1573347714&sr=8-4) The small one handles 600# and costs $89 and the heavier duty one handles 1200# and costs $149. Amazon sells both.

I have a couple of each and they work well for me.

Fred

[Brian Backner]

As an alternative, just mount all of your machines on a base of PT 4x4s or 6x6s and use a pallet jack (you may to need to create a bearing surface for the "legs" of the jack with crosswise 2x4s). I have several of my heavier machines (including a 4,000# Crescent P24 planer) set up like this and it works well - just remember to drill the ends of the PT bearing members for 3/4" bolts (I set captured nuts on the underside of the PT and bedded them in epoxy and used 6" long carriage bolts as levelers). Using the pallet jack, it would also be easy just to use shims at all four corners to get the machines level after they are moved.

[Rod Sheridan]

My favourite is still the semi-live skid with tow bar.................Regards, Rod.

[Tom Bender]

Have a look at airsled.com
I have no connection to them, just one of many sites to choose from. Might inspire some shopvac powered DIY solutions.

[Robert Chapman]

I have 4 different types of mobile bases on woodworking machines. By far the best is the Industrial Mobile Base by SawStop. A few pumps of the hydraulic lift and it moves effortlessly in any direction wanted. It has a 1000 lb. capacity. I'd like to build one similar for my Northfield 12" jointer weighing a little over 1100 lbs.
I agree with Steve - the SawStop Industrial Mobile Base is the best. I have been using mine for many years now under my SawStop table saw and it works great.

[Frank Pratt]

I have 4 different types of mobile bases on woodworking machines. By far the best is the Industrial Mobile Base by SawStop. A few pumps of the hydraulic lift and it moves effortlessly in any direction wanted. It has a 1000 lb. capacity. I'd like to build one similar for my Northfield 12" jointer weighing a little over 1100 lbs.

I agree wholeheartedly. I'd love it if they'd offer a modular version of it that could be customized to fit different machines.

[David Utterback]

I have 4 different types of mobile bases on woodworking machines. By far the best is the Industrial Mobile Base by SawStop. A few pumps of the hydraulic lift and it moves effortlessly in any direction wanted. It has a 1000 lb. capacity. I'd like to build one similar for my Northfield 12" jointer weighing a little over 1100 lbs.

Aye! The SS industrial saw base is much better than any other mobile base in my shop. But it is not in my shop yet. Ten days ago, I bought the mobile base along with the pcs saw on it and drove it home :). The assembly still sits in my garage, though :(. The base is a little too large, at 30", to fit through both the backdoor to the house and the interior basement door to my shop. Both are 29 1/2" with jambs :rolleyes:.

My plan is to separate the base and move the saw with a 2-wheel truck. That can be done when my recent back injury improves and I have my son and SIL are here for T-day. Then I'll be able to join the other happy SMC woodworkers about its excellent performance in the shop.