Wheels or Casters for Bandsaw, Planer etc

[aesmith]

Hi,

I'm a bit short of space at the moment, but the good think is that the floor is flat concrete. I'm trying to think of cheap and easy ways to make the planer thicknesser, bandsaw and maybe router table all mobile so I can wheel them out when needed and tuck away when not needed.

The other machine that I use, the Triton saw bench, already has retractable wheels ...

I think I could fit these to the legs of the planer/thicknesser, but they wouldn't really suit the bandsaw where the legs are pressed steel and splayed in two dimensions, or to the router table which is based on an old kitchen cabinet carcase. Also if I can do it on the cheap then that's so much the better.

So has anyone come up with cheap and clever ideas for this sort of thing? I wondered about fitting ordinary casters onto a flat base, then just chapping wedges underneath the take the weight off the wheels when it's in place.

Tony S

 

[Alexam]

Try this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZVj3AY9rJw

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I've made dolly's out of 2 skins of 3/4" ply before now with lockable castors and a little lip to prevent the machine sliding off the dolly. Its as cheap as it gets but make sure the castors are rated for the correct weight. It will also of course inevitably raise the height of the machine's table by a few inches. If you're tall that's no problem.

 

[John15]

I have my P/T on a homemade trolly. 3/4" ply and 2" dia steerable and lockable wheels - 3" wheels would have been better though.

John

 

[cusimar9]

I don't have time to make fancy shop gear so its cheap and cheerful for me. This will be filled with drawers when I have a free weekend, £6 for the (lockable) castors and £15 for the wood.

This comes in around 30kg, the castors seem quite sturdy so they may be good for quite a bit more weight. If your machinery is > 100kg maybe fit a few more castors to spread the load?

 

[Ed Bray]

I used pocket screws to make a square frame with 3x1 PAR pine, I then mounted some lockable polypropylene castors across the corners and sat the bases of the machines on that, works great for my Planer/Thicknesser, heavy 14" Bandsaw and the Kity 419 Tablsaw with Sliding and extension tables. Took an afternoon to make them all.

 

[brianhabby]

I made a frame from old bed angle iron, no welding just bolted together with a frame that my jointer sits in. Casters were bolted to the underside and it works fine. The only thing I wish I'd done was put 4 steerable castors instead of just 2 steerable and 2 straight but this is easy to fix when I get round to it.

regards

Brian

 

[razornut]

I would suggest using the same casters as those on the legs of mobile tower scaffolds. Strong and lockable.

 

[wizard]

4 small castors bolted to two oak planks on my heavy cast iron table saw, and on my anvil they are from a supermarket cage.

 

[WoodMangler]

I use these http://www.rutlands.co.uk/sp+woodwo...stors-machine-mobilty-castor-set-dakota+dkmmc on my planer-thicknesser, my morticer bench and my tablesaw. I remove the v-shaped bracket at the back and bolt them direct to the machine legs. They're not cheap, but they do work very well. All my woodworking machines (except the lathe) are on castors of some kind, so I can line them up against the wall of my too-small shed, and just pull out each one as I need it.

 

[Finial]

I've made dolly's out of 2 skins of 3/4" ply before now with lockable castors and a little lip to prevent the machine sliding off the dolly. ... It will also of course inevitably raise the height of the machine's table by a few inches. If you're tall that's no problem.

Not necessarily. You can put the wheels outside the footprint of the machine, although it may take up a little more space. If you hang the platform from the wheels instead of standing it on them you can have it as close to the floor as you wish.

Terry

 

[Benchwayze]

It's a case of deciding how stout a timber frame must be to support the weight of a machine. My Planer/Thicknesser is coming in at 350Kilos. So I think metal might be the way to go. I am looking at making a trolley from Uni-Strut and bolts. Otherwise I shall have to use 1-1/2" ply and 3x3 timbers reinforced with long coach-bolts.