Mobile bases: Build or Buy

Michael – I’ve got three shop foxes that I want to get rid off. I’m just up the street in Arlington. I’d let them go for $25 a piece. If you took them and did not really like them you’d still have some very good casters for another project.

-- Like a bad penny, I keep coming back!

Good question…

• For heavier tools with a small footprint (table saw, bandsaw, drill press, etc.) go with a commercially made mobile base.

• Something with a larger footprint and/or less weight can have casters added. For example, my router table, planer stand, and scroll saw have casters.

I like using locking casters for the front two and non locking for the rear wheels. I hate it when casters lock themselves accidentally as they roll around and I can’t get my foot back in that corner. But for something like a router table, you need to be able to lock at least two wheels for stability.

-- Happy woodworking! http://www.blakeweber.us

I tend to make my own. I just use 2×4s for the base and add locking casters to it. I also have used universal mobile bases from Rockler that need hardwood stretchers. These are about $50 and can be customized to fit the tool.

-- Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful- Joshua Marine

Universal bases from woodcraft are good. I prefer to buy instead of make stuff like this. I look at how much my time is worth to me and find it cheaper to buy than lost valuable shop time.

-- making sawdust....

Commercial bases keep the tool about 3/4” to 1 inch off the floor. I make my bases if height off the floor is not a consideration. I haven’t figured our a way to build a base out of wood that doesn’t lift the tool at lease 5 inches off the ground. So, my shop made bases are usually under a shop made cabinet.

-- DaveH - Boise, Idaho - “How hard can it be? It's only wood!”

It looks like the base has holes drilled in the corners. Any chance of just using casters with stems?

I have a 14” Grizzly and I just took off the feet and screwed on casters. I like to use locking swivel casters on the front and fixed casters on the back of my mobile tools.

Or, if the base is formed (like an upside down cookie sheet) you can screw wooden blocks in the corners and then screw casters to the wooden blocks.

-- http://www.peteroxley.com -- http://north40studios.etsy.com --

I just put my band saw on the one on the link below and I really like it. Scroll down on the link too see other options. https://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=4828

-- Only the Shadow knows....................

Thanks everyone for your feedback! I’m going to follow up with Betsy with the commercial mobile base if it’s still available. Thanks again for your input. Always good to see how others have managed the same situation.

-- Michael, Fort Worth, TX. "I wood if I could!"

I got some of those mobile bases at discount from rockler and woodcraft not too long ago. I think the metal ones were only $29 or $39.

Mike: Harbor freight sells one that will do for that saw at least.
I doubt you could build one for less.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

I purposefully bought different kinds as needed to compare. I wish I had just stuck with the HTC 2000 (the one with the orange cam-action-foot-lever-thingys…

The HTC 1000, the same one Woodcraft calls their own is the second favorite, but aluminum cam-action-foot-lever-thingys don’t work as well as the big plastic ones (hence the improvement and new model version; everything else is the same).

The shop fox is my least favorite. Doesn’t roll as well as the HTCs and you have to bend to the ground to lock it in place…Feels more like a burden than a help at times.

Check out the HTC 2000! Looks like that’s what Blake had too…

-- Dorje (pronounced "door-jay"), Seattle, WA

I have the ShopFox mobile base recommended by Grizzly for their GO514 bandsaw. It first collapsed under the weight of the bandsaw. I reinforced the base to carry the load but the bandsaw is so top and front heavy it wobbles pretty bad and makes me think the saw could fall over forward. I will continue my modifications to the ShopFox base but I would not recommend the ShopFox mobile Base for this bandsaw. The saw works great by the way.

Bob

Yesterday I saw a photo on Lumberjack that suggested I should assemble by ShopFox base with the wheels in the front and back and not on the ends as I had done and had bad results. I had to grind out the weld I put in to keep the ShopFox from collapseing. I reorganized the corner pieces so the wheels are in the front and back and reassembled the base. The band saw turned out to be much more stable and when I screwed down the pads it was real stable. I was surprised. When I screwed down the pads one of the black handwheels broke off which didn’t surprize me. The band saw now much more stable and still mobile. I will still have to weld the base to help support the weight.

Bob

I second what Dorje said

-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/

I bought a big heavy duty one for my big disc and belt sander as I need to move it every time I empty my dust extractor bags .Yes things are that tightt I have a machine shop and could make one but it’s not worth the hassle or about fifty fifty so I bough this one very pleased with iot I prefer metal ones to wood and metal or just wood.Alistair ps sorrry typing abit shakeey todasy alistair

-- excuse my typing as I have a form of parkinsons disease