# Looking for base design for mini pallet jack and cabinet saws



## Holbs (Nov 4, 2012)

With my evolving / ever changing 2 car garage woodshop and finding great deals on wood working machines… it's time to tackle mobile bases. I currently have my 8" jointer and 14" bandsaw on great mobile bases . My Jet 15" planer has it's own in-line OEM wheels, but I really dislike them. I have my PM66 with 52" rails and my Delta Unisaw with 52" rails. One of those extensions will be home to a Bench Dog Cast Iron Router Table Extension, the other will be home for my Porter Cable OSS. I can figure out pallet design & material for the jointer, bandsaw, planer, lathe. But I'm confounded by the 2 cabinet saws. As they sit now, neither tip to the right extensions unless I place 5-10lbs on the wings. So… I'm looking for ideas when it comes time to use my soon to arrive mini-pallet jack
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problem #1: I have to build torsion box or something under each cabinet, the length of the cabinet itself + rails. I plan to build storage under the extensions too. I have done some simple torsion boxes… but can torsion boxes handle 500lbs+?
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problem #2: this might be more engineer'ic than I can think of but I assume I have to slide the pallet jack under the center of gravity. Going to have to find out where that is  and how that affects deflection left & right.
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problem #3: when it comes time to lift, I assume I have to lift near center of gravity to the cabinet itself. The wings will tip over. Hmm… might have to toss some fold down wheels or something.


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

Using your 1st saw picture to go by…

If you can make the torsion box base so the pallet jack will slide in under the saw body ( I.E. It slides in from the LEFT in your picture) I believe the weight of the saw will counter balance the extended rails.

But if you make it so the pallet jack is gonna slide in from the FRONT you will need to slide it in "off center" to the right to be able to balance the whole shebang. It will take a bit of trial-and-error to figure out just how far to the right it will need to be.

Either way, the torsion box should be able to handle the weight, because most all of the weight will be on the saw end.


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## Holbs (Nov 4, 2012)

yea..that is what I was thinking Joe. Pallet jack under motor cover for the Unisaw and same area under PM66. Will find out. Guess that will be the next project… pallet jack stands for my machines. Surprising, I only know 2 people on the whole internet who has done such: Loren here on LJ and ""Woodnerd page. . Seems like a fantastic idea instead of spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars for mobile stands (I put in $90 so far for my jointer and bandsaw). The cabinet saw mobile stands would cost easily $150+ each. Just seems handy to have a "mini" pallet jack.


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## wichman3 (Sep 12, 2016)

So…. if you're using a pallet jack, why not use pallets with a plywood top (added by you)? Great idea by the way.


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## Holbs (Nov 4, 2012)

Wich… a full size pallet is way too large for my Unisaw / PM66 and other machines. I finished up a prototype last night of a front & side entrance pallet for my PM66. Will see how this goes tonite. It's only 24"x24" so only the base of the cabinet saw will work. Will see how "tippy" it is for the 52" rails and come up with solutions next.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Pallets are taller than you need. You don't need much more
than 3" tall feet and a 3/4" piece of ply underneath machines
in the under 500lb. class. I use scrap 2×6 short pieces 
sometimes. I also try to shape the base a little to make
it fit the machine aesthetically… I might add a little extra
for a storage rack of some kind under the wing of 
a unisaw for example.

For my heavier machines on wood bases I fill in everything
underneath the plywood except where the forks will go.
This prevents sagging. I don't think a torsion box is
necessary but it might look cool. Banding and/or painting
the ply and flushing the feet or insetting them equally 
could add a more crafty quality to the base. I do care
about such things but I often don't bother because I
just want to get the job done.


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