homemade jointer mobile base questions

[Zachary Hoyt]

I have ordered more sets of 5" casters from Surplus Center after seeing how well the first set works on my new shop cart. I am planning to use some 3" angle iron I got at an auction years ago to make mobile bases for the table saw and 6" jointer so I can move them around in my new shop building next year. Now while I still have a 50 amp line for the welder seems like the time to do it.

I have never had a mobile base under a jointer before and am wondering how wide it needs to be at the bottom to be safe from tipping over. The jointer is a Jet jj6csx. If I could put the casters under the corners of the current base that would seem ideal, but the caster will raise it up 6" or so, and I don't know if I should be planning to extend the width of the base. This would seem more stable against tipping but the casters would stick out right where I like to walk when using the jointer, so that would be a bit of a nuisance. If anyone has any advice I will be very grateful.

[Marc Fenneuff]

You're going to want to use outrigger mounting to keep the wheel track wide and the jointer bed down low. Something like the Rockler Base (https://www.rockler.com/rockler-all-terrain-mobile-base-holds-up-to-800-lbs). There are quite a few shop-made examples around too. I have the Rockler base on mine and it works well. I got it used for significantly less than $250, but I've since bought a couple more, new.

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[Zachary Hoyt]

I should have said that aside from the convenience of being able to roll it around I would like to have the jointer bed higher anyway. I am just over 7 feet tall, so the jointer sits a bit low for me now. The outrigger idea is interesting. In the picture it looks like the casters don't stick out past the front of the machine, where you stand to use it.

[Bill Dufour]

Front casters even with base. Rear casters move the fence as far back as it goes then mark that distance from the back of the base. The back casters get set that distance back from the base. probably 6-8 inches wider then the base.
Make the base a little longer on the left end to support a chip box or dust hose
Bill D

[Robert Hayward]

Something else to consider is maneuverability. If your shop is tight on space like mine is four swivel casters allow the machine to be moved latterly in any direction. You would want total locking swivel casters to do this.

[Tony Shea]

I should have said that aside from the convenience of being able to roll it around I would like to have the jointer bed higher anyway. I am just over 7 feet tall, so the jointer sits a bit low for me now. The outrigger idea is interesting. In the picture it looks like the casters don't stick out past the front of the machine, where you stand to use it.


Holy crap, just over 7' tall!!!! I have literally never seen a 7 foot tall person in real life here in Maine. I've seen some tall people, 6'8" to 6'10" at most but 7' is another level. I'd say your jointer must be extremely low for you. I would still recommend building the wheels outboard of the base similar to the Rockler design but have the base lift your jointer up. Again, wow you're tall!!!

[Zachary Hoyt]

Thank you all for your help. Having the base wider in back makes a lot of sense, and adding a bit to the chip collecting end. The casters I have ordered are all swivel, and two of them in each set lock but the swivels don't lock. If I find this causes me problems I can always swap in more expensive casters if need be. I think on a jointer where all the effort is going one way that the casters should swivel that way and then stay, but I don't know for sure.

I haven't seen anyone as tall as me either, but I don't get around much. I came from Maine, but when I left there I was only 6'9", at 15 years old, and 165 pounds.

[Bill Dufour]

When I raised my drill press I raised it enough so I can put coffee cans of nut/bolts/nails and old motors in the base for ballast. More weight in the base makes it less tippy. I also removed the cast iron side belt guards since it was broken and too tall to reach the belts easily anyway. It still has the cast front 180 degree pulley guard since that is also the top bearing holder.
Bill D

[Robert Hayward]

Here is my home made jointer base made from 3X3X1/4 angle, and other sizes for the swivel offsets. This is using 4" wheels and an 850 pound 10" jointer can be moved with one hand. Had too much stuff in the way to get a picture of the entire base. I do not need the extra height so this base is made so the base is 3/4" off the floor raising the jointer only 1". A base like this would be much quicker to build by welding flat plate to the bottom of the 3X3 angle and bolting the wheels to the bottom of that plate. Raising the machine whatever the diameter of your casters are.

[Zachary Hoyt]

That's the same size angle I have, though my jointer is far lighter. I found out tonight that the casters I have do lock both the wheel and the swivel, and I just hadn't noticed before. I'll need to get some measuring done tomorrow and start making a plan. Right now the jointer is sitting on a gravel floor, so I can't use the base out there unless I put a piece of plywood under it or something. Adding weight to the bottom is an interesting idea, I have lots of things to store and something like a crate of ebony fretboard blanks can be pretty heavy in a smallish space.

[Marc Fenneuff]

I'm 6'1" and if I was 11" taller I'd want the jointer bed 11" taller too. With your 5" casters I'd build a torsion base 6" high and about 40% bigger in area than the jointer cabinet for stability. Put the casters at the extreme corners. I'm not a metalworker, otherwise I'd suggest welding up steel angle.

[Keith Outten]

You might consider a mini pallet jack to move machines around your shop. Probably cheaper then the cost of high quality castors when you consider how many you have to purchase. I have found it much easier to move very heavy machines on a pallet jack.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Thank you both for the suggestions. I am 11" taller, but my arms are also longer, so I don't have to raise it as much to get the same hand height on the machine. The pallet jack idea is interesting, but I think it would be overkill for my machines since they are both under 300 pounds. The casters I bought are rated for 880 pounds per set, and cost $12 for a set. I don't know if this link is permitted, if not I hope that a moderator will come and delete it. These are the nicest casters I have had the chance to use, but perhaps my standard of comparison is low.

https://www.surpluscenter.com/New-Arrivals/5-X-1-1-4-Round-Stem-Swivel-Caster-Set-880-lb-capacity-1-5685-SET.axd

[Jim Becker]

Raising the machine up is a personal preference thing so I'd not be concerned with that. What I do think is essential is that the machine, when parked...will. not. move. No shake, rattle and roll, no deflection when pushing material through, etc. This is one advantage to mobility methods that leave the machine actually on the floor when they are not engaged. So hopefully those casters have a double lock that is really solid!

[Paul Haus]

I made the mobile base for my 8" Delta with a pot belly base. Mine isn't as high as I'm 6'4", less than you might need. I used 1.5" 1/8" thick wall square tubing and 5" locking wheels. Being I was doing a lot of heavy and long planks on it, I made the base as long as the infeed-outfeed tables and it's as deep as the machine including the pot belly and bolted the jointer down to the base. It rolls around easily, locks up quick and solid and eliminates the tendency for the jointer to become tippy when doing long or heavy planks. This is what I did and I'm satisfied with the results.

[Zachary Hoyt]

Yes, I'll have to experiment and see if the casters are solid enough for the machine to feel safe. Having a long base and the machine bolted down makes a lot of sense for long heavy wood, but I have never power jointed anything over 50 pounds, as my jointers have all been short 6 inchers and didn't provide much table length. I have hand planed a few joints when the wood was too heavy, but 99 percent of my jointing is pieces weighing 5 pounds or less and under 3 feet long. I'll just want to be able to pull it out into an aisle for the occasional longer board, I think.

[Keith Outten]

My 5 hundred pound planner is on a steel pipe and angle iron stand I built, I used castors in those days. It takes a lot of effort to move the planner on the castors but I can move it effortlessly with my mini pallet jack and it can turn in its own length with ease. You can use 4 by 4's or 6 by 6's under your machine to get the most comfortable height, they are as stable as the floor is, nothing ever moves. When I installed my new FB610 band saw it was a snap and I can move it across the shop today with almost no effort.

When I bought the mini pallet jack based on a recommendation from a friend I had never used one. I was totally surprised how easy it made many tasks that I do frequently, like moving my welding table close to the roll up door and manipulating sheet goods to my panel saw.

[Keegan Shields]

Hi Zachary,

I have the 8" Jet Jointer and I used the Jet Mobile base here:

https://www.amazon.com/Jet-708118-JMB-UMB-Universal-Mobile/dp/B00006S7CE

It works great and is very stable even when jointing long heavy boards. I'm 6'3" and I like the height the jointer is at (mobile base + 2 layers of 3/4" ply wood + jointer)

It is important to screw a heavy plywood base to the mobile base corners and to bolt the jointer to the plywood.

The tools I have on mobile bases which aren't bolted down to the base certainly aren't as stable.

Hope that helps.

[Bill Dufour]

With a good welder and some geometry skills it is not hard to shorten a pallet jacks forks. Start with a narrow one and take 16" off the forks and they get much more maneuverable.
Bill D

[Tom Trees]

If you're welding up a base, then I think something like this can't be beat.
Obviously you might need beef it up a wee bit, and maybe put a spring latch instead of a gravity latch, which works better for the job,
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It is a bit tippy as I was trying to conceal the wheel, and didn't want to go to the very edge to stop that,
as I was concerned with the paddle for the wheel fouling the dust chute when deactivated.
I could have gotten the axle closer with some flat bar stock rather than the angle iron.
I didn't expect it to be tippy when designing it, or when having another bash at it. (butted the axle tight to the angle iron this time round, still not enough.)
That might explain the smaller angle iron bit, as I had no more square stock to extend the arm.
I think I have a wip on this in the description.
https://youtu.be/Lnooql_zWH4

Tom

[Michael Drew]

I have the same Jet 6" jointer. It came with Jet's mobile base. The base itself is kind of a POS with two rear casters and one in the front. They are all 2", and the rear kinda-sorta lock. On my "to do" list is to make a better mobile base for this thing, but the Jet base works well enough that I'm not terribly irritated, so there is no hurry. But anyway, regarding stability, the jointer seems stable enough on this POS base, so if you build one with casters that are not inside the jointer's footprint area, I think you will be just fine. Position them outside the jointer's case external dimensions, but not too much or you'll be tripping over them.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Zachary, I much prefer the semi-live skid design which doesn’t use casters and is more stable and easy to use.

My jointer is approximately 600 pounds and I used 1 1/2” X 3/16” angle for the base.

Regards, Rod

[Tom Bender]

Jim's comment is good, keep it very stable. And Kieth's suggestion to use 4 x 4 or 4 x 6 wood under it and a palette jack seems good. The wood will sit well on whatever floor and take out some vibration. And Bill's encouragement to modify a jack to your need should complete the trifecta. Do this to multiple machines.

[Bill Dufour]

I hope it is okay to add this link for to how to shorten a pallet jack. Never done it my self.
Bill D.

https://ctmprojectsblog.wordpress.com/2014/06/17/shortening-my-pallet-jack-by-18/

[Bill Dufour]

You can find a used pallet jack that does not pump for very little money. I turned down several for under $20. They make a good mobile base even if the pump is no good. They can be rebuilt if you can find seals.
Bill D

[Lee Schierer]

I have an old 6" Delta Rockwell jointer mounted on a home made stand. The stand is 26" long x 18" wide x 28" tall. It has two fixed and two swivel 2" casters. It has been moved many times in my shop and in my Father's shop in the 40+ years it has been on that base. It has never threatened to tip over. To lock the jointer in place when it is used there are two toggle clamps on the feed end of the cart that lift the swivel casters on that end slightly off the floor..
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[Zachary Hoyt]

Thank you all for the continued input. I bought some M8 bolts yesterday to fasten the casters, and found a piece of 3/4" pipe to make the caster holders. Today I found a piece of 3" angle iron that looks about right, and I am hoping to get something welded together tomorrow. I had hoped to do it this afternoon but ended up making a batch of 7 banjo armrests instead since tomorrow is a finishing day.

[Zachary Hoyt]

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I am resurrecting this thread since I finally made the mobile bases today. I had been going to do it before Christmas but my back began giving trouble and I put it off for a couple of weeks till it was feeling better, and then it got cold. My welding table is made of gravel, and is both spacious and fireproof, but it is rather low. Today I was able to get down on the floor without too much trouble, and it was the first day we've gotten up to 40 in weeks, so it seemed like a good opportunity.

The empty stand will be for the Delta contractor's saw, which is still sitting on the gravel for now. The jointer is now on its stand, which is parked on a piece of sheet metal that was handy. I think the gravel would be hard on the tires, and the casters would probably sink in. Once I build the new workshop at the new old house I will have a plywood floor and will be able to move the jointer and the saw quite easily. The angle is some 3x3x1/8" that I had on hand, which seems plenty strong for these lightweight tools. The casters have 3/4" stems and I have welded short pieces of 3/4" pipe to the bottoms of the frames to hold them. There is a bolt in each caster to pull them up tightly to one side of the pipe and to keep the casters from falling out when I lift the bases.

I did the cutting with an angle grinder and cut off wheel, and the welding with a Lincoln 225 AC welder and 1/8" 6011 rod. The welds are ugly but strong, and I ground the rough corners off the ends of the frames. I may even go so far as to paint the metal in the spring when the weather warms up more. Thank you all for your helpful suggestions for this project.