Casters on my Rikon bandsaw!

Now Dick, is that a new disquise you have or are you under cover, LOL. I guess it’s something to do with name conflicts on the site. Great job on the wheels.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

That’s cause I’m always chipping & cutting.<:O)#

Thanks for the comment Grumpy.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Makes it handy to move around now, I bet.

-- It’s not so much what we know that causes the trouble, it’s what we know that’s not so.

Thanks, WoodMosaics

I don’t move it very often, but in my cramped up shop, you have to for some set ups.

The big plus with this, is the table height increase.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Good idea, wish I thought of it earlier, it woulda saved me $90.00 !

-- Bob Schilke

Dick, A good idea, but be careful – you are now putting a different stresses on the base, for which it was not designed for. You may find that the base strength is also weakend, because it is now capable of flexing.

Try mounting the wheels on some 3/4 MDF or plywood and then attach the base to the mdf/plywood – this way the whole of the base of the band saw it supported as it would be mounted on the floor.

-- Tony - All things are possible, just some things are more difficult than others! - SKYPE: Heron2005 (http://www.poydatjatuolit.fi)

Thanks for your concern Tony,

but I think the heavy gauge base plus the reinforced cross members,

tied in with the same gauge steel sides of the cabinet are quite strong enough.

I don’t believe a 3/4” sheet of plywood would add very much to its strength.

I’ve worked around, & have made things of steel, so I’m going by my own experience.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

I cheated and went to harbor freight and bought the large $15 dolly and put my band saw on it. I should probably bolt it down to the dolly but it is pretty stable so far and at the time I was not sure how I liked it.

I would give some thought to what tony said about stress on the base that it was not tested for. The plywood sheet would not add strength but it would more evenly distribute the weight. But what do I know :) We can look back in a year and see how it worked out.

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

Snowdog, good thinking on the dolly.
I had recently bought a dolly, but I planned on using it to move some of my other equipment around, but mine cost me $30. If I had used a dolly, I’d have to shorten it up so I wouldn’t be tripping over it in my small shop.

As you say, ”time will tell”, but I’m not worried about it.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Good idea, Dick… I splurged on a mobile base when I bought my saw, and I love being able to move it around. You’ll enjoy that feature.

-- As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) †

That’s about all I did with my BS. I added some t-nuts and leveling feet to lift the front casters off the ground and stabilize it when in position. That addition makes it much more stable on uneven flooring, otherwise it can rock depending on location on my non-flat garage floor. For quick cuts I don’t usually set the levelers, but for resaw or stuff I care about the added stability is nice to have.

-- Doug, woodworking in Alabama

Dick,

Where did you get the casters at such a great price? Woodcraft has some with the 1/2” thread but they are almost $17 each.

Lenny

-- On the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop! Lenny, East Providence, RI

I bought my casters from a local store that has ties with Northern Tool, & Equipment.
I couldn’t find the 4” here, but they have 5”. They are rated for 275 lbs.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

Hi Dick, I wanted to show you my bandsaw base with the casters added. With no offense to you, I liked Tony’s suggestion of using a 3/4” piece of MDF to span the entire bottom of the base. I attached the MDF to the base and the casters to the MDF. As I was eyeing my work, I noticed a can of green spray paint in my shop. Well, the 2nd picture tells that story. My casters are from Rockler. They are 3” locking type. They cost me $50 plus shipping and handling. Plus the cost of a 2’X4’ piece of MDF. Still a far cry from the cost of a good quality mobile base. I am struggling to learn this photo posting technique so the photos are off center but you will get the gist of it.

Be well,
Lenny

-- On the eighth day God was back in His woodworking shop! Lenny, East Providence, RI

Hi Lenny,

Thanks for your input, & it looks great.

Now we’ll have to have a drag race or something to test test them out. LOL

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1