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Thread: 4 Caster base for G0490 Jointer or similar

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ronald Blue View Post
    For clarification you want swivel casters all the way around? I see the convenience of it but also the drawback to it. I consider a heavy machine with all 4 casters swiveling being a hand full to control if not downright dangerous. But that's just me. I can see where it would make parking a machine in a tight space where maneuvering isn't really possible a lot easier. I don't see where they make one in that configuration. I was looking at Shop Fox and this one while it doesn't have 4 swivel casters does look like it could have the straight casters replaced with swivels. The mounting pads look identical. There might be other similar options.
    That is the title of the thread. The G0490 has a built in mobile base, fixed on the left side and swivel of the right. Until you turn try to a jointer with a 76" bed 90 or 180 degrees in a 10' wide shop when you only have casters on one side you don't realize how long 76" really is.

    If I build my own, this is the concept I am working with. It is based on the design of an industrial mobile floor scale.

    jointer base.JPG jointer base 2.JPG

    The caster's are mounted to a plate witha solid rod welded to them. The rod is in a tube and the (DeStaCo) clamps push on the rod in the tube to make the casters raise the unit. This last part (lower wheels to raise the unit) is the only design parameter set in stone. How to accomplish that is still open. This is one idea.
    Last edited by Anthony Whitesell; 01-23-2021 at 8:07 PM.

  2. #17
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    Harbor freight has a good supply of casters of varying size and quality. Often cheaper to buy a four wheel furniture dolly then four casters of the same size. The dollys are often on sale. Can you weld?
    Bil lD.

    I have seen similar made of 2x6 side rails.
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    Last edited by Bill Dufour; 01-24-2021 at 12:14 PM.

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    Harbor freight has a good supply of casters of varying size and quality. Often cheaper to buy a four wheel furniture dolly then four casters of the same size. The dollys are often on sale. Can you weld?
    Bil lD.
    I can weld and have access to the tools to make the base as shown. I have been using their website to select the wheel size. I will need a 200-250 pound per caster weight rating.

  4. #19
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    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Fitzgerald View Post
    I considered them as an option, but the various versions I have are all slowly finding their way to Craigslist (ie., they work like ...). Maybe someone else will have better luck with them.

  6. #21
    I have built a ton of mobile bases. You can get 3” steel casters on Amazon that will support 700lbs each so unless your jointer weighs more than 2,800lbs those would work great. What I did for some of mine was to make a base out of 2x4’s and 2x12’s. I am tall so it was nice to have some of my machines be at a more comfortable height. On others I used steel angle and had a buddy weld it together for me. I used recessed pods for the casters mounting points I guess you could say that way I could use larger 5” casters without going up in height more than a couple of inches. I have built mobile bases for a lot of machines that weigh over 1,800lbs without issue.

  7. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ronald Blue View Post
    For clarification you want swivel casters all the way around? I see the convenience of it but also the drawback to it. I consider a heavy machine with all 4 casters swiveling being a hand full to control if not downright dangerous. But that's just me.
    I am of a like mind through experience. In a cramped area where you may only nudge the machine a small amount, all swivel casters can be helpful. In a larger area where you are going to move the machine several feet, one set of fixed casters allows you to steer heavy machines more safely. All swivel corners mean you either have to muscle the machine in the direction you want it (unlikely with a 500 lb machine) or place yourself on the side opposite the direction you want it to go and push (not always possible even in larger shops).

    The raising and lowering caster idea seems cool but, I think you could simplify your design by lowering the feet instead. This could be a simple, non-swiveling mechanism that just takes the weight off the casters. I see this as easier than a "plunge-able" caster post that still has to swivel freely under load. Just food for thought.

    If you still want to go all-swivel, the Bear Crawl All-swivel (rated to 900 lbs.) that uses this method is on sale right now. Four leveling feet that raise the wheels off the floor via foot pedals.
    Last edited by glenn bradley; 01-25-2021 at 7:41 AM.
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  8. #23
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    Since you can work with metal I would just work with what Grizzly sold you and modify it. By that I mean removing the jointer from the base so you can modify the base. Remove the two fixed wheels and replace them with casters. I would look for casters that not only lock the wheel but also lock the ability to swivel. That way you can position the jointer where you want to use it and then lock the swivel to help keep it from moving when working on it. If possible I would bolt the swivels onto the outside of the base. I think they call them double locking swivel casters.

  9. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by glenn bradley View Post
    I am of a like mind through experience. In a cramped area where you may only nudge the machine a small amount, all swivel casters can be helpful. In a larger area where you are going to move the machine several feet, one set of fixed casters allows you to steer heavy machines more safely. All swivel corners mean you either have to muscle the machine in the direction you want it (unlikely with a 500 lb machine) or place yourself on the side opposite the direction you want it to go and push (not always possible even in larger shops).

    The raising and lowering caster idea seems cool but, I think you could simplify your design by lowering the feet instead. This could be a simple, non-swiveling mechanism that just takes the weight off the casters. I see this as easier than a "plunge-able" caster post that still has to swivel freely under load. Just food for thought.

    If you still want to go all-swivel, the Bear Crawl All-swivel (rated to 900 lbs.) that uses this method is on sale right now. Four leveling feet that raise the wheels off the floor via foot pedals.
    Did you read the description? It's says 900 lbs and then lower down it says 1200 lb capacity, lol. Either way it's more than enough. The problem is that two of the connecting bars would need to be cut while the other two would need to be replaced with longer bars. Grizzly use to sell them but I didn't see them listed as an accessory. I wouldn't worry about the length and bending since the weight is so close to the casters. My Shop Fox base has bars that are 3/4" x 1 1/2" so you should be able to find something at a local steel shop.

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alex Zeller View Post
    Since you can work with metal I would just work with what Grizzly sold you and modify it. By that I mean removing the jointer from the base so you can modify the base. Remove the two fixed wheels and replace them with casters. I would look for casters that not only lock the wheel but also lock the ability to swivel. That way you can position the jointer where you want to use it and then lock the swivel to help keep it from moving when working on it. If possible I would bolt the swivels onto the outside of the base. I think they call them double locking swivel casters.
    You didn't look at or haven't seen a Grizzly G0490, have you? The mobile base is integral to the jointer base. The "fixed casters" are behind the sheet metal on the outfeed side. There is no "removing the jointer from the base". I hear you about using double locking casters. Any hand-fed stationary power tool (jointer, scrollsaw, tablesaw, router table) requires double lock casters. Self or power fed machines (planner) can get away with wheel brake or no brake casters.

  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by glenn bradley View Post
    I am of a like mind through experience. In a cramped area where you may only nudge the machine a small amount, all swivel casters can be helpful. In a larger area where you are going to move the machine several feet, one set of fixed casters allows you to steer heavy machines more safely. All swivel corners mean you either have to muscle the machine in the direction you want it (unlikely with a 500 lb machine) or place yourself on the side opposite the direction you want it to go and push (not always possible even in larger shops).
    Shop size is relative to tool size. In a 12' wide shop with a 2' workbench (now 10' wide), spinning a 6 1/2' long jointer 90 degrees is a pain. A large pain. As long as the tool is not in danger of tipping over, it is safe than the 19 point turn is take to move it without running into anything.

    Quote Originally Posted by glenn bradley View Post
    The raising and lowering caster idea seems cool but, I think you could simplify your design by lowering the feet instead. This could be a simple, non-swiveling mechanism that just takes the weight off the casters. I see this as easier than a "plunge-able" caster post that still has to swivel freely under load. Just food for thought.
    The caster will swivel quite freely on its own integral bearings. The added post is only for vertical travel. The difference between lowering feet and lowering wheels is in what the machine is sitting on when in use. lowering the feet means the machine is (a) raised from its normal base and feet and (b) is sitting on the lift mechanism. For me, neither are attractive benefits compared to lowering the wheels.

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Anthony Whitesell View Post
    You didn't look at or haven't seen a Grizzly G0490, have you? The mobile base is integral to the jointer base. The "fixed casters" are behind the sheet metal on the outfeed side. There is no "removing the jointer from the base". I hear you about using double locking casters. Any hand-fed stationary power tool (jointer, scrollsaw, tablesaw, router table) requires double lock casters. Self or power fed machines (planner) can get away with wheel brake or no brake casters.
    It was the jointer I was planning on buying until I found a used PM882. Not being close to Grizzly means I had to buy it sight unseen. I couldn't tell from the pictures if the two came apart or if the base has skins that can be removed. I thought I read that the Grizzly jointers from China came in two boxes, the cabinet and the jointer while the Taiwanese models came bolted together. If it can't come apart easy but does have skins you should still be able to remove the fixed wheels and bolt a plate to hold the caster to the side of the cabinet. I believe it's a 3 caster design so you don't even have to worry about having one of the casters being slightly too high or low causing it to rock.

  13. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by glenn bradley View Post
    I am of a like mind through experience. In a cramped area where you may only nudge the machine a small amount, all swivel casters can be helpful. In a larger area where you are going to move the machine several feet, one set of fixed casters allows you to steer heavy machines more safely. All swivel corners mean you either have to muscle the machine in the direction you want it (unlikely with a 500 lb machine) or place yourself on the side opposite the direction you want it to go and push (not always possible even in larger shops).

    The raising and lowering caster idea seems cool but, I think you could simplify your design by lowering the feet instead. This could be a simple, non-swiveling mechanism that just takes the weight off the casters. I see this as easier than a "plunge-able" caster post that still has to swivel freely under load. Just food for thought.

    If you still want to go all-swivel, the Bear Crawl All-swivel (rated to 900 lbs.) that uses this method is on sale right now. Four leveling feet that raise the wheels off the floor via foot pedals.
    I'm seriously considering going the Bear Crawl route. But first I need to locate two pieces of rectangular steel tube 1 5/8" x 3/4" x 46" (according to Grizzly rep). Their extensions are (a) too short and (b) out of stock "for the foreseeable future". Any ideas? The 1 5/8" dimension has me stopped.

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Alex Zeller View Post
    It was the jointer I was planning on buying until I found a used PM882. Not being close to Grizzly means I had to buy it sight unseen. I couldn't tell from the pictures if the two came apart or if the base has skins that can be removed. I thought I read that the Grizzly jointers from China came in two boxes, the cabinet and the jointer while the Taiwanese models came bolted together. If it can't come apart easy but does have skins you should still be able to remove the fixed wheels and bolt a plate to hold the caster to the side of the cabinet. I believe it's a 3 caster design so you don't even have to worry about having one of the casters being slightly too high or low causing it to rock.
    The side of the cabinet is the sheet metal skin. By the time I fiddle with making it work (reinforcements, brackets, etc), I would have less time involved in just making one from scratch as pictured earlier.

  15. #30
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    I had a need/desire for four swivel caster bases for several machines. Was not able to find ready made ones that suited me. I have welding and cutting tools and a steel supply business a few miles from me. The main frame is made using 3 X 3 X 1/4 angle. The elevation offset caster mounts were made using steel on hand. The elevation offset was done to keep the machines close to their normal height. The casters are four total locking swivel for each base. Considerable overkill on the sizing of the metal. Lacking structural design knowledge I made it too strong to fail.

    The machine pictured is a 10" jointer that weighs ~800 pounds. It can be moved easily with one hand and steered into tight quarters with no backing up or three point turns. Does exactly what I wanted. In fact it worked so well I have since put similar bases under every heavy machine in my shop. Even my PM2000 table saw that came with built in swivel casters. These had to be cranked up and down with what seemed like a two hundred threads per inch lead screw.
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