Best casters for Router table??

[Jerry Olexa]

Setting up a router table and want to add casters on bottom (for portability but also want stability) . I've seen standard casters w/ locking etc (have some old ones now) and have also seen (somewhere) casters with a sideways extension that firmly locks the cabinet to the floor and prevents sideway movement. Also seen some forms of levelers...What's been your experience as what's type best for this usage and source?? Thanks in advance...:confused:

[Allen Bookout]

Jerry, Here is one of my post on another thread. There may be better options but works well for me. I guess that if your floor is really not very level that some sort of leveler would be in order.

"I have 4" double locking casters on my table and it is solid. No particular reason for the 4" ones except that I had four of them left over that I had ordered from Grizzly for a good price (the gray ones). The ones from Hartville Tool are good also. I have one unit on HD locking casters but they are no better than the Grizzly's or Hartville's and cost a lot more. The larger the caster the easier it is to roll around but a router table is not very heavy anyway so I do not suppose that it really matters.

You were planning on using only two locking and two fixed but I have four double locking casters on all of my moveable stuff. I like it that way because it is very easy to rotate the tables in a small space and is solid when they are locked. I even have my Delta floor model drill press bolted to a plywood base with four double locking casters and it is also very stable, believe it or not.

In this post is a little bit of information about the castors and a picture of some of my stuff on four double locking casters:"

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...hlight=casters (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=31489&highlight=casters)

[Bob Noles]

Jerry,

Allen has given you some very good advice on the casters. After using many brands, I have found the Hartville one of the best to be had. I recently replaced all my old casters with Hartville for better performance.

[Thomas Canfield]

You should also look at the doublelocking casters at Highland Hardware in Atlanta. I think they are 3" but I used a set on a small stand (at least 250 pounds or more on the stand now) that holds my Jet oscillating spindle sander and storage under and it is very movable but locking makes it very stable.

[Jim O'Dell]

Jerry, if you've already built the table, and IIRC, you have, then this won't help. But I'm going to design mine with a big enough opening at the bottome to use one of the Rigid Herc-U-Lifts under it, and just have a door that opens to get to the step control. Rolls very smoothly, and then sets down on the cabinet for stability. If you need to use casters, do they make ones that lock the wheel and the pivot? If so, that might help. I'm at work right now, but seems like there was some discussion over on the Mini Max forum and a link to some really nice casters. I'll try to remember to look for it when I get home later. Jim.

[Larry Cooke]

What's been your experience as what's type best for this usage and source??Jerry,

Here's a good source for information, I've not ordered from them yet so I can't speak for customer service.

http://www.castercity.com/

Larry

[Allen Bookout]

If you need to use casters, do they make ones that lock the wheel and the pivot?
Those are the double locking casters that we have been talking about. Sometimes they are called total locking casters.

[Mark Rios]

I have to roll my big tools around on the ground and in and out of my trailer. I took a note from my big Snap-On rollaway and use 5" casters. I have to adjust for the height but I can roll over most uneven surfaces including the transition from ramp to trailer floor, without thinking about it.

[David Croteau]

I'm just about to build some tool bases, so I was very interested in this topic. Maybe I'm missing something, but it looks to me like the casters at Hartville are being discontinued and I couldn't find any double-locking casters at Grizzly, only casters with a brake. Anybody have an item number?

[Larry Crim]

I used the heavy duty ones from woodcraft, not sure what brand they have the red wheels and I think rated at 500 lbs double lockers, I use 3 so the table will not rock. I originally used the standard black wheels but when they sat for a while they developed flat spots and didn't roll too easy. My table is very large and heavy.

[Bruce Benjamin]

Jerry, others have already suggested the Hartville Tool casters so add me to the list. Nearly all of my major tools are on casters and the majority of them are on the 3" casters sold by Grizzly. But I now really prefer to do my business with Hartville Tool so when I built my mobile base for my 8" jointer I found what they had to offer. Both are red urethane wheels with a double locking mechanism. The urethane wheels have held up beautifully on some very heavy equipment in my shop and sitting in one place leaves virtually no, "memory" flat spot in the wheels. What I like better about the Hartville Tool casters, (other than the fact that they aren't from Grizzly) is that they are much wider than the Grizzly casters with a 66Lb higher load rating, (154Lbs versus 220Lbs). Also, the foot lever that locks rolling and swivel is more beefy and larger so it's easier to get my foot on it. The locking mechanism is more effective too. And if that wasn't enough, using the 15% discount available using that code from the, "Other" big woodworking forum lowers the price to $1 cheaper per caster than the lesser quality casters from Grizzly. Easily the best caster of it's type that I've ever seen or used and the price is the best too. Before I bought the Hartville Tool casters I was very happy with the Grizzly casters. Now that I have the Hartville casters I wish I'd bought them for my other tools since they not only have better function but they are predictably going to last longer. Being from Hartville Tool and the cheaper price is just gravy.:cool:

Bruce

[Allen Bookout]

I'm just about to build some tool bases, so I was very interested in this topic. Maybe I'm missing something, but it looks to me like the casters at Hartville are being discontinued and I couldn't find any double-locking casters at Grizzly, only casters with a brake. Anybody have an item number?

Here is the starting page. Look toward the bottom. Actually Grizzly calls them "double brake".

http://www.grizzly.com/products/searchresults.aspx?q=caster&submit.x=0&submit.y=0

Here is the 3 inch one.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/h0686

Here is a 5 inch one.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/h0685

There are probably more. This is just a quick lookup.

Like Bruce said, I like the Hartville casters very much also.

Allen

[Stan Cope]

I'm just about to build some tool bases, so I was very interested in this topic. Maybe I'm missing something, but it looks to me like the casters at Hartville are being discontinued and I couldn't find any double-locking casters at Grizzly, only casters with a brake. Anybody have an item number?
Dave,

I cant speak for Hartville but at Grizzly they are called "Double action braking" and can be found here (http://www.grizzly.com/products/searchresults.aspx?q=Red+Polyurethane+Swivel+Caste r&submit.x=12&submit.y=10). I recently bought the 4" version of these from Amazon(sold by Grizzly under the Woodstock International name) for my Performax drum sander. They worked great to raise the table a few inches, roll effortlessly and were less than half the price of the ones Performax sells for their units.

[glenn bradley]

Here's another vote for double lockers (locks the roll and pivot functions with one lever). You pay a little more but, worth it. My work table with single locks still shimmys when all four are locked and its HEAVY. My fliptop workstation has one pair of double lockers and one pair of non locking and does fine. It holds a planer and miter saw.

Afterthought; if I chock one wheel on the work table I stop the shimmy.

[Bruce Benjamin]

I'm just about to build some tool bases, so I was very interested in this topic. Maybe I'm missing something, but it looks to me like the casters at Hartville are being discontinued and I couldn't find any double-locking casters at Grizzly, only casters with a brake. Anybody have an item number?

For the Hartville Tool casters look here http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/11883 and for the Grizzly casters look here http://www.grizzly.com/catalog/2006/Summer/77 . Looking at the specs between the two show that the Hartville casters are better and having used both of them everyday in my shop I can say with certainty that the Hartville casters are definitely better.

A correction to my previous post regarding the price of the Grizzly casters; I went back to the Grizzly site and found that in their, "Summer Catalog", the page I linked above, they list the sale price for the 3" locking swivel casters as the same price as Hartville's casters with the 15% Woodnet discount. Regardless of price, the Hartville Tool casters are superior in every way in my experience.

Bruce

[Dan Lyman]

I also recommend the hartville tool casters, good stuff. I would go 4" (or larger) double locking on all 4 wheels. Makes it real easy to maneuver the table.

Dan

[David Croteau]

Allen, Stan, Bruce....Thanks so much.

[Jerry Olexa]

WOW!!! Good info Guys...It looks like the Hartville ones are the pick with Grizzly a close second. I do have one concern: this is for the NYW router station which is a pretty heavy bulky cabinet (pic below). Will the wheels add much height so that it looks spindly and unstable that high off the floor, esp if I go with 4" wheels. Norm used small levelors only (screw in type) on his which raise the unit only about an inch, but being able to move it around is important to me. LMK your thoughts. I'm ready to place the order. THANK YOU again, guys!!!

[Bruce Benjamin]

WOW!!! Good info Guys...It looks like the Hartville ones are the pick with Grizzly a close second. I do have one concern: this is for the NYW router station which is a pretty heavy bulky cabinet (pic below). Will the wheels add much height so that it looks spindly and unstable that high off the floor, esp if I go with 4" wheels. Norm used small levelors only (screw in type) on his which raise the unit only about an inch, but being able to move it around is important to me. LMK your thoughts. I'm ready to place the order. THANK YOU again, guys!!!

Jerry, the 3" Hartville Tool casters will add approximately 4-1/4" to the height of your cabinet. With a rating of 220Lbs per caster I see absolutely no reason to go with 4" casters at all. How heavy is that router table??? I've used the 3" casters on my 8" jointer base for a while now with no problems and it gets moved around my shop every time it gets used. The 4" casters will be more expensive and make the cabinet potentially more unstable. That was my reasoning for going with the 3" on the jointer. No one corner weighs even close to 220Lbs and I doubt that they will even temporarily if I hit an unexpected obstacle while rolling it around. Unless you have a very rough floor and need the diameter to, "Go four wheeling" with your router cabinet, I'd consider the 3" as plenty for your needs. Spend the $12 you save on something nice for me. ;)

Bruce

[Allen Bookout]

Jerry,

My router table base is 24" by 28" and have one caster at each corner and it is really stable. I have a 2" overhang all the way around with the top so the top is 26" by 30" and is 35 1/2" tall which is about right for me and I am 5' 10". It is hard to tell the size of the NYW table but it looks to be about the same. I do not know what it would look like to you sitting on casters but would look OK to me. What you could do if it was going to be to high to the tabletop is build it flat across from where the bottom of the bottom drawers are and the casters would raise it up to about the origional heigth and give room for your feet just as the origional did with the indent. My 4" casters raise it up about 5 1/2 inches.

I hope that this is clearer than mud. Let me know if it is completely misunderstandable and I will try again. Meanwhile I will go out and take a picture of mine and get it on here to try to clear up what I am saying. Just be aware that it is pretty plain as it was built "as I went" - no plans. You will just have to overlook that it has not been finished yet as I started using it as soon as I built it and have just not gotten around to it yet.

Man, now that I take a look at it it is uglier than mud unfinished. I am going to paint it to match my Delta stuff. Anyway I hope that it helps you in some way.

Allen

[Jerry Olexa]

Jerry, the 3" Hartville Tool casters will add approximately 4-1/4" to the height of your cabinet. With a rating of 220Lbs per caster I see absolutely no reason to go with 4" casters at all. How heavy is that router table??? I've used the 3" casters on my 8" jointer base for a while now with no problems and it gets moved around my shop every time it gets used. The 4" casters will be more expensive and make the cabinet potentially more unstable. That was my reasoning for going with the 3" on the jointer. No one corner weighs even close to 220Lbs and I doubt that they will even temporarily if I hit an unexpected obstacle while rolling it around. Unless you have a very rough floor and need the diameter to, "Go four wheeling" with your router cabinet, I'd consider the 3" as plenty for your needs. Spend the $12 you save on something nice for me. ;)

Bruce

Bruce: I see your logic. I'll go with the 3's. Thanks. Good advice

[Jerry Olexa]

Jerry,

My router table base is 24" by 28" and have one caster at each corner and it is really stable. I have a 2" overhang all the way around with the top so the top is 26" by 30" and is 35 1/2" tall which is about right for me and I am 5' 10". It is hard to tell the size of the NYW table but it looks to be about the same. I do not know what it would look like to you sitting on casters but would look OK to me. What you could do if it was going to be to high to the tabletop is build it flat across from where the bottom of the bottom drawers are and the casters would raise it up to about the origional heigth and give room for your feet just as the origional did with the indent. My 4" casters raise it up about 5 1/2 inches.

I hope that this is clearer than mud. Let me know if it is completely misunderstandable and I will try again. Meanwhile I will go out and take a picture of mine and get it on here to try to clear up what I am saying. Just be aware that it is pretty plain as it was built "as I went" - no plans. You will just have to overlook that it has not been finished yet as I started using it as soon as I built it and have just not gotten around to it yet.

Man, now that I take a look at it it is uglier than mud unfinished. I am going to paint it to match my Delta stuff. Anyway I hope that it helps you in some way.

Allen

Allen, Thanks...Great job on your table. I like the dowels and the panel doors. My table is about the same size. I understand your idea to save some height. I may go w 3" casters and slightly recess them like your idea. That should work. Thanks a lot, Allen. Great pic!!

[Dan Lyman]

Jerry,
My first router table used 3" castors (non-hartville), and I wan't happy. A lot of weight on them and they handled the concrete seams rather poorly.. I recently made another RT and use hartville 4" castors. I just had to shrten up the body of the table a bit to compensate and I like them much better. They roll easier and handle bumps/ruts better. Then again I do like overkill :)

It'll work with either size, but I'll stick to the bigger size.....

Dan

[Matt Meiser]

I just saw some nice looking ones at Surplus Center this morning. 4.25" and they are double locking for $9 each. http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2006070210523255&item=1-2858-S

[Bob Marino]

Jerry,
My first router table used 3" castors (non-hartville), and I wan't happy. A lot of weight on them and they handled the concrete seams rather poorly.. I recently made another RT and use hartville 4" castors. I just had to shrten up the body of the table a bit to compensate and I like them much better. They roll easier and handle bumps/ruts better. Then again I do like overkill :)

It'll work with either size, but I'll stick to the bigger size.....

Dan

I made the mistake a while ago, using 3" casters for my mobile sheetgoods storage rack and should have used a good set of 4" or even 5" casters. Way too hard to move - now I will get the proper catses on this and any other mobile unit in the shop.

Bob

[Allen Bookout]

It is real hard for me to compare. I have my 14" bandsaw with a 2hp motor mounted with 3" HD casters and it is very hard to move but it is very heavy (will replace with 4" ones soon). Then again I have my 17" floor model drill press mounted with 3" Hartville casters and it is somewhat easy to move but not as heavy as my bandsaw. Everything else is on 4" Grizzly casters and can push them around with a finger but the units are a little lighter yet. I have a computer table on single locking 2 1/2" casters and it is a son of a gun to move. Too bad that I do not have two like units, one with 3" and one with 4", for a good comparison.

I guess that you can see by now that I am a caster kind of guy.

The router table will not be very heavy so may not matter. But if I was going to be on the safe side I would just go with the 4" casters as it only raises the table about 3/4 of an inch higher than the 3" ones and does not cost very much more.

From now on I will use 4" or larger casters on all shop units and nothing less than 3" on anything else.

Allen

P.S. I just came in from where I keep my tools and glanced over at my 2hp dust collector and thought, boy that thing is hard to move when I need to move it. It is on 2 1/2 inch wheels. Evidently SIZE DOES MATTER as they say. I am going to change those also.

[Bruce Benjamin]

I made the mistake a while ago, using 3" casters for my mobile sheetgoods storage rack and should have used a good set of 4" or even 5" casters. Way too hard to move - now I will get the proper catses on this and any other mobile unit in the shop.

Bob

Sure, with a very heavy rack I'd recommend a larger caster too. In fact, I did almost the exact same thing with my sheet goods rack and switched to large metal casters. But with something like a router table, just how heavy is it? Or maybe a better question would be how rough is the floor? With the exception of my wood rack, everything in my shop is on 3" casters and I've had exactly zero problems with that size. It's just a standard concrete garage floor. There's some sawdust and a cord here or there sometimes but I try to keep my floor clear of cords or wood scraps or anything that would cause me to trip. That's just common sense. For me the proper size for any of my machines has been 3" because of the weight capacity.

Bruce

[Jerry Olexa]

Hmmmm, now lots of votes for the bigger 4" wheels...I could still partially recess them in the foot kickplate area. I just want to be sure I can access the caster brake easily (if recessed). You'd have an extra 3/4 " of ply vertically between you and the casters. Good ideas...Good thoughts. Thanks..

[Bruce Benjamin]

I just saw some nice looking ones at Surplus Center this morning. 4.25" and they are double locking for $9 each. http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2006070210523255&item=1-2858-S

Did you notice the weight capacity of these? The price isn't bad until you compare the capacity to the Hartville or Grizzly casters that give you more for less $$. I wonder how the weight capacity is measured with any of the casters and what is the real determining factor for failure. Probably bearing failure is what limits it but for all we know it could be just a number they all made up. :confused: Hope not!

Bruce

[Bruce Benjamin]

Hmmmm, now lots of votes for the bigger 4" wheels...I could still partially recess them in the foot kickplate area. I just want to be sure I can access the caster brake easily (if recessed). You'd have an extra 3/4 " of ply vertically between you and the casters. Good ideas...Good thoughts. Thanks..

Jerry, since the weight capacity of the 3" obviously is way more than you'll need the only other variable will be how rough your floor is. if you have big cracks or gaps in your floor or regularly roll over chunks of wood I would agree that bigger is better. The floor of my garage is pretty standard and I don't leave wood on the floor because I feel it's a hazard. I have no cracks or gaps big enough to even notice in any way but I guess some floors might settle or crack or if the floor is large enough it may have been poured in sections. My casters go over a 12ga. cord on rare occasion without even noticing it's there so I'd guess it would go through a crack in the concrete the same way. The difference in height between the Hartville 3" and 4" is 7/8". Not huge but it might make a difference depending upon your design and if you had planned for a certain height. If a floor is so rough that a 3" wheel is going to have trouble rolling then I wouldn't just go up only another click to 4". How much of a difference will that make? I'd jump to even larger if you can find them. As I said earlier, the strength of the wheels isn't the question, it's the diameter and ease of rolling.

Bruce

[Bob Marino]

Sure, with a very heavy rack I'd recommend a larger caster too. In fact, I did almost the exact same thing with my sheet goods rack and switched to large metal casters. But with something like a router table, just how heavy is it? Or maybe a better question would be how rough is the floor? With the exception of my wood rack, everything in my shop is on 3" casters and I've had exactly zero problems with that size. It's just a standard concrete garage floor. There's some sawdust and a cord here or there sometimes but I try to keep my floor clear of cords or wood scraps or anything that would cause me to trip. That's just common sense. For me the proper size for any of my machines has been 3" because of the weight capacity.

Bruce

Agreed, a router table doesn't require 4" wheels. What about those metal casters though. I am not familiar with them.

Bob

[Bruce Benjamin]

Agreed, a router table doesn't require 4" wheels. What about those metal casters though. I am not familiar with them.

Bob

These metal casters are from a chain box store called, "Orchard Supply Hardware" and they're owned, at least in part, by Sears. These were the strongest casters they sell and after my cheap ones started to buckle I went for these. They are 4" all metal wheels with the standard swivel plate. No locking mechanism but I don't need that for a wood cart. They are machined with 4 holes in the center and maybe 1 1/2" wide. I don't recall for sure but I think the claimed weight capacity was somewhere up close to 1000 Lbs. We had casters similar to this in the large metal fabrication/machine shop I used to work in. I've seen them in other stores than OSH so they may be available in your area too. If not and you decide you just have to have these I might be persuaded to buy you a set and send them to you. Let me know.

My cart is easily the heaviest thing on wheels in my shop when it's loaded with sheets of plywood and MDF and the like. Moving it with any caster wouldn't be easy and the metal isn't an exception. The hard part is getting it to change direction. Once it's rolling it goes fine. Obviously the metal wheels don't deflect at all when rolling over something like a urethane wheel will. But this thing is so heavy that it just flattens everything except small pebbles. The problem with changing direction is the friction caused when the wheel wants to rotate on the concrete. The previous wheels that were on there were hard rubber. They had even more friction. The metal wheels don't deflect at all so there is a very small contact patch that doesn't vary. Smooth machined metal doesn't offer much friction on concrete so I think it's better at changing direction than any urethane or rubber material that would have a tendency to grip the concrete. I haven't had too much of a problem with rolling over obstacles with mine since it crushes everything but if you have cords or rocks or pieces of wood thicker than your thumb then the urethane wheels might be better. I have seen some wheels like mine that had a band of some rubber material around them. These would help with small pebbles but I'm sure there will also be more resistance to rotating when changing direction than plain metal wheels.

A few weeks ago I was moving the rack from it's usual parking spot. I went to the backside of the rack and looked down where the rack had just been. It took me a few moments to identify it but there was a freshly flattened mouse that one of those metal wheels had just rolled over. It was so thin it was almost transparent. I didn't know you could make a mouse that large in diameter. Mmmm...Nice! I didn't even feel the bump!:eek:
Bruce

[Jim O'Dell]

Well, I did forget to look this up when I got home yesterday.:o Try this place. zambus.com/. Carrymaster is the brand. Some really neat looking casters. I don't have any personal experience with them, just that they were talked about over at the MM users group, and I though they looked like they would work well, with some novel ideas for casters. Jim.

[Allen Bookout]

Hmmmm, now lots of votes for the bigger 4" wheels...I could still partially recess them in the foot kickplate area. I just want to be sure I can access the caster brake easily (if recessed). You'd have an extra 3/4 " of ply vertically between you and the casters. Good ideas...Good thoughts. Thanks..
Jerry,

My thought was not to have the kick plate at all. Just shorten the cabinet by eliminating everything below the bottom drawers and having a solid flat plywood piece for the bottom of the case. Then bolt one caster to each corner using 1/4 inch lag bolts. I do not think that trying to recess them would work very well.

In other words, the base would be simular to mine but instead of the two doors you would have your drawers so that you could stay with the basic design of the unit that you want to build.

Allen

[Jim Becker]

These (http://www.leevalley.com/hardware/page.aspx?c=2&p=40133&cat=3,51976&ap=1) are what I highly recommend, both for the shop and other applications...I have them on our mobile kitchen island, too. Awesome casters. And double locking...that works.

http://www.leevalley.com/images/item/woodworking/powertool/00k2002g1.jpg

[Bob Marino]

[quote=Bruce Benjamin]These metal casters are from a chain box store called, "Orchard Supply Hardware" and they're owned, at least in part, by Sears. These were the strongest casters they sell and after my cheap ones started to buckle I went for these. They are 4" all metal wheels with the standard swivel plate. No locking mechanism but I don't need that for a wood cart. They are machined with 4 holes in the center and maybe 1 1/2" wide. I don't recall for sure but I think the claimed weight capacity was somewhere up close to 1000 Lbs. We had casters similar to this in the large metal fabrication/machine shop I used to work in. I've seen them in other stores than OSH so they may be available in your area too. If not and you decide you just have to have these I might be persuaded to buy you a set and send them to you. Let me know.

My cart is easily the heaviest thing on wheels in my shop when it's loaded with sheets of plywood and MDF and the like. Moving it with any caster wouldn't be easy and the metal isn't an exception. The hard part is getting it to change direction. Once it's rolling it goes fine. Obviously the metal wheels don't deflect at all when rolling over something like a urethane wheel will. But this thing is so heavy that it just flattens everything except small pebbles. The problem with changing direction is the friction caused when the wheel wants to rotate on the concrete. The previous wheels that were on there were hard rubber. They had even more friction. The metal wheels don't deflect at all so there is a very small contact patch that doesn't vary. Smooth machined metal doesn't offer much friction on concrete so I think it's better at changing direction than any urethane or rubber material that would have a tendency to grip the concrete. I haven't had too much of a problem with rolling over obstacles with mine since it crushes everything but if you have cords or rocks or pieces of wood thicker than your thumb then the urethane wheels might be better. I have seen some wheels like mine that had a band of some rubber material around them. These would help with small pebbles but I'm sure there will also be more resistance to rotating when changing direction than plain metal wheels.


Bruce,

Thanks for the info. Would it matter that the concrete floor will have a vinyl "coin" covering?

Bob

[Jerry Olexa]

More great info, suggestions, ideas...To boil it down, here are actual conditions:

1. Shop is in basement. Concrete floor. No bumps. Two sections covered w anti fatigue flooring.
2. Router cabinet probably max weight of 200 lbs.
3. I won't be moving the cabinet much. Only to maximize an operation, light source etc but I do like to have ALL my tools mobile for cleaning, accessibility, etc.

So, maybe I'm making too big a deal of this but I'd like to do it right the first time. Thanks much. The trigger is cocked...:) :D

[Art Davis]

Well, I had never heard of "double locking" casters. I have a Woodpeckers commercial router table and (I suppose) it has "single locking" casters. I am completely disappointed with it because it rolls back and forth when I feed a workpiece through the router---even with the casters "locked."

Hope you have better luck.

[Allen Bookout]

Art,

That is one problem with any caster that I have used. They all have a little bit of play and to minimize that you need to buy good ones and have the double locking type. My table moves just a little but not enough that I notice when working on it. But the movement is there.

I just took a look at the new Woodpeckers tables and they have a set up like the Delta cabinet saw moveable bases and the Grizzly GO490 bases with two fixed wheels and one foot push down type rotating caster. It sets on two non castering wheels and two solid feet when it is not being moved. May be Woodpeckers had the "moving" problem and decided to change their set up to be more stable. Sounds like that you got in on one of the earlier designs. To bad!

You could fix the problem by welding some nuts to the angle iron and using threaded rod but would be a bit of a pain to reset every time. Better than having the problem I suppose. It seems to me that the best solution would be to take off the wheels and set it on an HTC mobil base. They are very stable and do not move.

Allen

[Allen Bookout]

Jerry,

Since we are talking about mobil bases another option for you is to build your cabinet and set it on an HTC mobil base. When I had my Ridgig jointer I had it on an HTC mobile base and it worked great. I could not rotate it 180 degrees in one spot but was very easy to move and it was solid.

Allen

[Bruce Benjamin]

[quote=BOB MARINO
Thanks for the info. Would it matter that the concrete floor will have a vinyl "coin" covering?

Bob[/quote]

I think I know the stuff you're referring to. I believe that the wheels would roll as easily as anything else that would hold that kind of weight. The real question is, how durable is the vinyl floor? Is it more durable than the mouse I flattened? ;) I would think that anything really heavy might eventually possibly tear or gouge the vinyl if it's too soft. Since I've never used that stuff I couldn't say for sure. Seems to me that a softer wheel might grip the vinyl a little more and possibly stretch or tear it but maybe not. Your call on that one for sure. All I can say is that the wheels are smooth and flat.

Bruce

[Jerry Olexa]

Stumbled on this in my FWW Archive CD. Article for "Ultimate (then 2001) Router table" using only 2 casters semi hidden w wood offset at other end. Good compromise of not showing but available for few times you need it. Is this practical? Pic below...

[Allen Bookout]

That would certainly be the most stable of all the options except would be about equal to the HTC mobile base. It would also be the most difficult to move around but since you are very seldom going to move it could be the best option.

My table is very heavy and I would not like to move it around very much with that set up. If the moving proved to be difficult you could always use the hook and wheel on a stick method for the end without wheels.

[Jerry Olexa]

Alan and the many others that contributed ideas, etc: THANK YOU. I feel I'm well informed. Ran to Rockler today to pick up some t-bolts, switches etc to return home to find a leaking strainer in the kitchen sink and a non operative 7 day auto timer that controls our outdoor lights from inside. So back to the big box to buy supplies. Got one corrected tonight (lots of plumbers putty:Dand reseat ) and tommorrow Am, tackle the wiring before the cookout. So the RT is temporily on hold but will get it done in a few days. THANKS, guys. You've been a huge help!!

[Frankie Hunt]

If you purchase good quality castors you are within $10 to $15 of the Delta 50-345 mobile base from Amazon. (sorry I cant seem to paste a link) They are super stable, and very easy to use. Plus, you dont have to modify / design around castors very much. You just build your base however you want, with the exception of an extremly low drawer. Then if you want mobility, use the Delta base. They add a minimal amount of height too.

I don't like for my machines to budge even a little. Although I have never used the double locking castors, I dont see how using swivel castors in general would be stable enough on a machine that you push stuff through. Don't they allow some movement of the cabinet/machine even if it is small? It looks to me like it would be even worse if you have all 4 as swivel vs having 2 fixed and 2 swivel. You would want the 2 fixed wheels running perpendicular to how you apply force to your cabinet, cross grain so to speak.

What about using a toggle clamp on the end of the cabinet with the swivel castors? The Grizzly G1776 toggle clamp (again, sorry for no link) positioned so that it would come down and meet the floor? It looks like that would be a way to better lock down the cabinet.

This is just thinking out loud for me because I have never used double locking castors. My experience has been with the the plain (single?) locking versions, and I don't like them. I am partial to the Delta mobile bases.

[Allen Bookout]

Frankie,

I pretty much agree with just about everything that you had to say. All of my stuff is pretty heavy which keeps the movement to a minimum and if it is something that I have movement with I turn the castors crossways before I lock them. I do like the HTC and Delta mobile bases unless I need to rotate the tool 180 degrees in one spot.

That is a great idea about using toggle clamps. I will have to look into that. I have always used threaded rod but the toggle clamp idea would be much faster and easier to use when set up right. Thanks for the idea!

Allen

[Bruce Benjamin]

If you purchase good quality castors you are within $10 to $15 of the Delta 50-345 mobile base from Amazon. (sorry I cant seem to paste a link) They are super stable, and very easy to use. Plus, you dont have to modify / design around castors very much. You just build your base however you want, with the exception of an extremly low drawer. Then if you want mobility, use the Delta base. They add a minimal amount of height too.

I don't like for my machines to budge even a little. Although I have never used the double locking castors, I dont see how using swivel castors in general would be stable enough on a machine that you push stuff through. Don't they allow some movement of the cabinet/machine even if it is small? It looks to me like it would be even worse if you have all 4 as swivel vs having 2 fixed and 2 swivel. You would want the 2 fixed wheels running perpendicular to how you apply force to your cabinet, cross grain so to speak.

This is just thinking out loud for me because I have never used double locking castors. My experience has been with the the plain (single?) locking versions, and I don't like them. I am partial to the Delta mobile bases.

Make that within $20 comparing to either of the caster brands I listed in the 3" range. With the Hartville/grizzly casters you need to buy screws or nuts and bolts and with the Delta base you need to buy the wood. I couldn't tell how tall the casters themselves were on that mobile base but from the picture they didn't look much bigger than 2". Hard to tell though. If anyone had a problem with the diameter of the 3" wheels they obviously won't want them any smaller. The problem I have with those mobile bases is the opposite of what you liked about them. And that's the lack of 4 swiveling casters. I've moved equipment with two fixed/two swiveling casters and for me it was a real PITA in tight spots. My garage/shop is a tight spot. For some this won't be a problem but if you're putting your tools on a mobile base there's a good chance that you're dealing with too many big tools in too few square feet.

You say that you've never used double locking casters. No offense intended but I don't really think you're giving a very informed opinion about double locking casters. Single locking casters behave very differently than double locking when locked down. The casters I have on mine are very stable. If you are holding a caster in your hand and lock it you can get a small amount of swivel. But when combined with 3 other, (5 other on my TS/RT Combo) and the heavy weight of the tool I get practically no movement at all. I don't usually even bother to lock more than two casters and that limits the amount of movement but still allows a tiny amount. But this isn't a problem for me at all. Locking all casters removes that small movement. If I were doing brain surgery I guess you wouldn't want even the slightest movement but whether I'm pushing a piece across my TS or over my jointer, I'm moving around myself so if the tool happens to move 1/2" I don't even notice it. But usually I don't get even that much movement unless I'm really pushing or the workpiece is very heavy. I frequently don't even lock any casters on either my planer or jointer because the small amount of movement has zero effect on my ability to properly complete the task. I guess it just depends on what you're comfortable with.

I have a brand new, unused Sunhill mobile base for my jointer. (for sale, by the way...$50 +shipping) It's the beefiest commercial base I've ever seen and it uses two fixed casters on one end and one swivel with a foot lever on the other end. I didn't use it for two reasons. One, it wouldn't put my jointer nearly as high as I wanted it but more importantly, it wouldn't allow me to maneuver the 8" jointer around the shop and into it's tight storage spot. For someone who's shop isn't quite as tight the maneuverability wouldn't be an issue. The base I made is stupidly over built using 5"x3"x3/8" angle and 5"x3/8" flat bar all welded together and placed on top of the Hartville 3" casters. That is one strong base that has a capacity of 880 lbs based on the ratings of the casters. Were it not for the casters I'll bet I could drive a semi truck over the base and it wouldn't bend. Why use such heavy steel? I had a little of it already and when I went to the steel supplier and went through their scrap bin that's the thinnest that was the dimensions I wanted. In other words, "Cheap!". I can spin that jointer around with one finger within it's own length and easily direct it into a spot that's about 2" wider and the same length as the jointer. Try that with a commercial base.

Bruce

[John Keane]

I just ordered a set of four 3" swivel casters from Hartville based on this thread. I am going to use them under my 15 1/2 Hitachi DP. I will provide an opinion after a trial.

[Allen Bookout]

John,

Do let us know please. It will be real interesting to see what a "new user" has to say.

Allen

[Bruce Benjamin]

I just ordered a set of four 3" swivel casters from Hartville based on this thread. I am going to use them under my 15 1/2 Hitachi DP. I will provide an opinion after a trial.

My drill press is the one major floor tool that I have that's still not on casters. Mostly because it's footprint is small enough that I don't move it too often but also because I was concerned about the tall DP being unstable. I have an Old Craftsman DP and the base isn't very wide. Not that different than most other DP's though. Are you going to attach the casters directly to the DP base or are you going to make some sort of sub-base for it to widen the stance? I like the narrow base of my DP because I can more easily use the space under the table for squeezing other tools together but if I were going to put it onto wheels I considered making the base about as wide as the auxiliary table that I made for it.

Bruce

[Frankie Hunt]

You say that you've never used double locking casters. No offense intended but I don't really think you're giving a very informed opinion about double locking casters.

Single locking casters behave very differently than double locking when locked down. The casters I have on mine are very stable. If you are holding a caster in your hand and lock it you can get a small amount of swivel. But when combined with 3 other, (5 other on my TS/RT Combo) and the heavy weight of the tool I get practically no movement at all.

but whether I'm pushing a piece across my TS or over my jointer, I'm moving around myself so if the tool happens to move 1/2" I don't even notice it.

I guess it just depends on what you're comfortable with.

Bruce
Bruce, no offense taken. I stated twice that I had no experience with the double locking casters so that no one would think I was giving opinions about them. I even asked if they allowed movement. "Don't they allow some movement of the cabinet/machine even if it is small?" Perhaps I should have worded it "Don't the double locking castors allow some movement of the cabinet/machine even if it is small?" Sorry for any confusion.

I do have experience with the single locking castors and they aren't for me, especially when used on the larger equipment.

Thanks for your thoughts about double vs single locking swivel castors.

I have enough room that I prefer the Delta style mobile bases. I don't like for some of my equipment to feel "mushy" or move any at all. I prefer "no movement" to "practically no movement". On some things it really wouldn't matter to me (such as a 6x48 sander, or a clamp rack). On others it does matter.

It would be totally unacceptable for my table saw to be able to move 1/2 inch while using it. Same for my router table. I really dont want them to move at all. Different strokes for different folks.

Yes, the Delta mobile bases have smaller wheels. I have a concrete floor and find them perfect in size. This could be an issue for some folks. Most things in life are a compromise. Smaller wheels = more stable but harder to roll over uneven surfaces. Larger wheels = rolls over uneven surfaces better but less stable.

Thats why things come in different colors, not everyone likes (insert color here).

[Mike Kelly]

I bought two fixed and two swivel locking from Woodcraft. I think they are 3 inch gray ones. I never have bothered locking them. The fixed ones are on the end that would move the easiest under load, but they are in oposing direction. The table is about 250 lbs loaded so it is real stable.

[Allen Bookout]

My drill press is the one major floor tool that I have that's still not on casters. Mostly because it's footprint is small enough that I don't move it too often but also because I was concerned about the tall DP being unstable. I have an Old Craftsman DP and the base isn't very wide. Not that different than most other DP's though. Are you going to attach the casters directly to the DP base or are you going to make some sort of sub-base for it to widen the stance? I like the narrow base of my DP because I can more easily use the space under the table for squeezing other tools together but if I were going to put it onto wheels I considered making the base about as wide as the auxiliary table that I made for it.

Bruce
Bruce and John,

Look at the first post in this thread. I am real happy with this set up.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=31489&highlight=casters

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Wheeled power tools give me the willies.

I use outrigger wheels that come all the way off the floor when the machine in is place. It's sort of like a wheelbarrow when I'm moving a machine. A couple pull outs or handles and I lift and roll. When I set it down the wheels aren't touching the floor.

This is clearly not a workable solution for a 500 - 700 pound table saw but it's just fine for most all shop built machines and light tools under 150 pounds.

[Bruce Benjamin]

Bruce and John,

Look at the first post in this thread. I am real happy with this set up.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=31489&highlight=casters

Allen, your mobile base is very much like what I will build for my DP if I decide to make one. Much more stable than just adding casters within the same foot print of the DP base. Having both Grizzly and Hartville casters in my shop, I really believe the Hartville casters are superior in at least 3 or three ways. The Grizzly casters would've easily done the job for your DP with respects to weight and durability but the locking mechanism of the Hartville casters are easier to use and I believe they lock a little more securely than the Grizzly casters. Good job.

Bruce

[John Keane]

I installed the Hartville 3" casters with brake on my Norm version router table. These replaced HD casters of the same size. The improvement in mobility was immediate and substantial. Jerry they are the way to go. Hartville come through again with a great product at a fair price.

[Allen Bookout]

I just moved my workbench that is on small HD double locking casters and am having a hard time locking them. Have not had this problem with the Hartville's or the Grizzly's. Live and learn I suppose. I just wish that the learning didn't cost money.