Mobile Bases: Why always two fixed/two swivel?

[jack forsberg]

just make some 45 cuts in ply like this. that what i use and there great

My only guess is,to stop the cart/base from going sideways (very much like Ikea shopping carts which drives me nuts),other than that ,I don't get it either,I have a small shop with a cracked floor,imagine going 7-8 times over the bumps back and forth so I can put a heavy jointer against the wall.

I just realized,another reason other than the higher cost of swivel casters,you will need 4 locking levers instead of 2.I would still pay the difference to get a comfortable mobile base .

[William C Rogers]

My MiniMax J/P is on a 3 wheel base. It is home made I guess as I bought it used. It is a very good base for a 700'pound machine. Only the front wheel swivels. Big 5" ball bearing wheels and is fairly easy to maneuver. There are screws behind the fixed back wheels (looks like he used a couple of large C clamp screws) to hold it in place. Made of heavy angle iron.

[Keith Weber]

I build my own mobile bases, all with four swivels. The worst factory mobile base was on the 25/50 SuperMax, all four straight line casters. Try locating that in the average space deprived shop.

Now that is stupid!

That depends! I'm actually building a mobile base for my widebelt sander just like that (4 fixed wheels, all pointed in the side to side direction.) I plan on keeping the widebelt sander up against the wall when it is not in use. To use it, I need to pull it out from the wall about 30" to clear the tools next to it along the wall. When I'm done using it, it will roll back against the wall. I really only want it to move side to side along that line perpendicular to the wall. If a time comes when I need to move it in a different direction (rare), I'll be able to move it will a pallet jack between the casters on each end.

My HF engine hoist has 4 swivel casters. That thing has a mind of its own when I try to move it!

[Jim Finn]

When I worked in construction we used four wheeled carts to move our tools, ladders, and material around the work sites. (Industrial, in-plant work) I found that if I had three swivel casters and one fixed, I could turn very sharply and still not have the issue of the cart wondering to the side as it was pushed. Worked well for me.

[ken masoumi]

In my experience, Ken, I typically lock only ONE wheel under my Tablesaw or Jointer. On rare occasions I will lock two.

A piece of rope around the wheels, on the floor stops it from wandering.

Or an extension cord. . I make all of my moblie bases just so I can have all 4 wheels swivel. .

just make some 45 cuts in ply like this. that what i use and there great

The timing of this thread is perfect,I have 4 medium duty swivel wheels that I bought to make a mobile base but wasn't sure how to stop it from rolling temporarily,I like the ramp style chocks ,.or I can buy 2 lockable casters now that I know it will do the job.