Which mobile base?Originally Posted by Edward Smith
Contributor
Which mobile base?
Member
#14 wire can legally be used for short internal distances on up to a 3HP single phase motor - say from the switch to the motor and inside the motor itself, but not for the relatively long distance from the machine to the service entrance. This is counterintuitive, but the manufacturers' (particularly the Taichinoise factories) work very hard to do the absolute bareass minimum required where machine electricals are concerned. They'll say of course that have to import EVERYTHING, including copper wire, blah-blah-blah.snip - The second has me baffled since they are still using #14 wire in their connection.
Enough of my carrying on. I'll call JET tomorrow and if I get anything useful I write more.
I digress
A 30 AMP circuit for a 3 HP motor is far less apt to throw the breaker shortly after you hit the switch and the the inrush of Amps (like say, 70 to 90) hits those poor little 14 gage wires and they heat up - in a BIG hurry. It's probably precisely BECAUSE of that minimalist's dreamworld internal wiring we have to triple the cross sectional area (and cost) of our supply circuit wiring to a machine with this wiring arrangement. If the motor could be disengaged from some or all ofthe load until it spun up you could maybe get by without overheating the circuit every time you start the machine. Fortis same reason It's a good idea to let any machine of this setup type to run for at least a few seconds before putting it under load.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by Derby Matthews; 06-18-2009 at 2:45 PM. Reason: typo
Contributor
So, if anyone is interested, I simply purchased four heavy-duty casters from the orange big box store. They were marked as replacement wheels for a Ridgid tablesaw, and featured a 5/16" threaded shaft mount. I stuck them through the holes previously used to bolt the machine to its crate, added washers and nuts, and viola! Works fine...
[OP]
Member
I was looking for a review of the new Helical Head Jointer Planer Combo by Jet. Can anyone provide a review or know of an online review?
Thanks,
Erech
Member
Hi Erech,
Sorryto say mine is still in the crate. I underestimated how busy I would be this summer getting married and buying a house and moving interstate at the same time (doesnt Help that SWMBO's cat has discovered the crate under the basement stairs and adopted the top for her bed) now I'll have to build a shelf above the machine for her to sleep (coma) on when the machine's not in use. Will post a report soon as I get the unit out for a wire-up and shakedown cruise.
Member
Bump. Anyone with a JJP12-HH have a chance to use it yet? Inquiring minds want to know with the 15% off sale that's coming!
Member
The best mobile base for 12" Jet Jointer Planer IMHO
I'm sure that works well, and I was going to do the same until I stumbled on this solution, as with the very limited workspace I'll have to move my machine out into the room every time I need to use it, and I work on some pretty hefty chunks of wood.
I installed an ultra heavy-duty caster set* purchased from Woodcraft in Newington, NH. These awesome wheels/bases bolt into the wide bottom plates on the machine base (drilling the 1/4" mounting holes was required, but no more difficult than tipping up each end of the machine to do so) and are not only sure-footed and sturdy enough to move the machine around smoothly and surely, but have nowhere near the wiggle factor of even a custom HTC heavy duty base - not only in caster mode, but also with the very cool built-in thumbscrew pad feet that one can apply with hand pressure (on a smooth level floor) or with a large pair of channel locks or a screw driver tip (to level and stablizes the machine on a slightly more uneven floor). No way any mobile base can do all that, at any price. These cost around a Benjamin a set, and are worth every penny and then some. Not sure if these are in the catalog but the store can get them for you and ship them to you at what I would assume is a competitive price. Talk to Don or George at 6034336116 and they can tell you how to get a set or sell them to you. I have no financial interest in Woodcraft or in pimping these. They'd sell themselves if more of us knew about them. In 2002 I had expensive custom-made HTC bases made for virtually all the shop equipment in my one-man shop (over a dozen in all) and would have instead incorporated these casters on a good number of my machines had they been around then. They're that good.
*1320lb/4 plate-top cast iron body/ non-marring phenolic wheel/ neoprene-faced footpad. Factor in a rise of around 2.5 inches with these. IMHO They made the jointer surface a more comfortable height for my 6 foot frame.
Member
Derby,
I was looking at a set of casters on Woodcraft's site, the WoodRiverŽ Machine Leveling Caster Plate Mounted 4 Pack. Are these the ones you're talking about? I'm taking delivery of my JJP-12 on Saturday, and am interested in this idea for making it mobile.
Member
I ordered the casters from Great Lakes, I believe they are the same as the ones from Woodcraft. Buying them direct should save you $30. I plan to put these on the JJP-12 as well...have to wait another 3 weeks before it ships
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The Woodriver does not look quite like the Great Lakes. I bought the Great lakes and actually am pretty disappointed. The mobility when the pads are up is extremely good, I didn't think they were all that stable when the pads are down - I put them on a table saw and the saw will tilt back and forth with a small amount of pushing. My main complaint is that the access to the turnscrew is very small and I found it took 5 - 10 minutes for me to move all 4 wheels up or down. I saw the Woodriver at a store and the access for the turnscrew looks much larger, and may be easier to operate. If you campare pictures, you can see that the opening in the Woodriver is continuous, the Great Lake has 2 separate and smaller openings. If the Great Lakes came with a wrench it would be easier, I found it hard to turn the screw with a screwdriver.
Member
Hi Barry, Dont know anything about the Great Lakes Casters, though I see from the link provided that they have only an 880 lb. capacity /4, whereas the Woodcraft set provides well over 1300 lb. of load. The Woodcraft Caster / feet are also adjustable with either a wrench provided with the set (or from your tool chest), a screwdriver (etc.), or just hand pressure if the floor is reasonably level. While they do allow a tiny fraction of lateral movement when the feet are fully engaged, it is infinitessimal compared to any other caster arrangement or even mobile base I've ever used. I suspect also that the motion I describe relates more to the slight flexing of the planer/jointers steel base plates than anything to do with the casters/ feet. I'm pretty sure you'd have to bolt the machine to the floor to significantly improve the planers stability beyond what these provide, and that is simply not an option for my shop. IMHO you simply can't do better than these if you're looking for the best of both worlds.
I feel pretty well qualified to make this statement, as I've been a strong proponent /user of machine mobility bases for about 3 decades and have over the years spent thousands on HTC custom & ultra-heavy duty bases , often modifying them afterwards to improve their stability. If you want to see these Woodcraft casters in action, they have them set up with a large machine (I think a Powermatic 12" aircraft-carrier jointer) at the Woodcraft store I mentioned in my earlier post. That's how I discovered them. George should post a vid of these on their facebook page or something. As for saving the $30.00 buying a cheaper brand somewhere else I don't know about that. I buy most of my supplies and equipment at this Woodcraft store now, and feel blessed that I dont have to spend hours looking elsewhere online and/or pay tax or shipping somewhere in Boston or wherever. The service and selection in the store is top notch. Again, I write this review with no financial interest in pimping these casters or the store.
Last edited by Derby Matthews; 11-21-2009 at 8:25 AM.
Member
Hi Chris, I posted a reply on the forum and will cc it here: Good luck with the planer delivery, a suggestion is to be careful not to let the crate tip too far in any direction. The center of gavity is pretty high on these machines and they can get away from you whle still in the crate. Personal experience here and some new gray hairs as a result...
Hi Barry, Dont know anything about the Great Lakes Casters, though I see from the link provided that they have only an 880 lb. capacity /4, whereas the Woodcraft set provides well over 1300 lb. of load. The Woodcraft Caster / feet are also adjustable with either a wrench provided with the set (or from your tool chest), a screwdriver (etc.), or just hand pressure if the floor is reasonably level. While they do allow a tiny fraction of lateral movement when the feet are fully engaged, it is infinitessimal compared to any other caster arrangement or even mobile base I've ever used. I suspect also that the motion I describe relates more to the slight flexing of the planer/jointers steel base plates than anything to do with the casters/ feet. I'm pretty sure you'd have to bolt the machine to the floor to significantly improve the planers stability beyond what these provide, and that is simply not an option for my shop. IMHO you simply can't do better than these if you're looking for the best of both worlds.
I feel pretty well qualified to make this statement, as I've been a strong proponent /user of machine mobility bases for about 3 decades and have over the years spent thousands on HTC custom & ultra-heavy duty bases , often modifying them afterwards to improve their stability. If you want to see these Woodcraft casters in action, they have them set up with a large machine (I think a Powermatic 12" aircraft-carrier jointer) at the Woodcraft store I mentioned in my earlier post. That's how I discovered them. George should post a vid of these on their facebook page or something. As for saving the $30.00 buying a cheaper brand somewhere else I don't know about that. I buy most of my supplies and equipment at this Woodcraft store now, and feel blessed that I dont have to spend hours looking elsewhere online and/or pay tax or shipping somewhere in Boston or wherever. The service and selection in the store is top notch. Again, I write this review with no financial interest in pimping these casters or the store.
In Memoriam
I just put a set of these under a Hammer A3-31 2 weeks ago and so far, so good.
http://www.clevelandcaster.com/produ...&idcategory=15
I'm really liking the ratcheting feature. The Zambus set under my BS can be a bit stiff to turn at times.
Use the fence Luke
Member
Those Cleveland casters look great, but are they really worth $55 each?
- Kirk Simmons
- Eagan, MN
In Memoriam
I think that's something only you can decide but that's $220 for a set. A standard mobile base would run around $150 or so and not give you the 360 degree steering or leveling pads on all 4 corners. It's also less $$ than getting the equivalent Zambus caster which dont have the ratchet feature, tho more than the equivalent Great Lakes casters (also w/o the ratchet). So I tend to look at it as about a $70 premium rather than focusing on the per caster price. In the 3-4 times I moved and re-lowed the pads on the J/P it's a darn nice plus to have have that ratchet built in. There have been times with my Zambus set that I need to grab a scrap stick to push against the star knobs to raise/lower the pads. The Footmaster ones let you get a bit of torque on the adjuster so any stiffness isnm't noticed.
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