Mobile Workbench

sawmill · Post by **sawmill** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 10:04 am

On my radial arm saw there are 4 casters with the front 2 being able to raise the front of the saw to move it around. This unit has a wheel and a leveling pad and is raised by stepping on a lever which locks in the saw in the raised position. I don't think they would be heavy enough for what you want but it may give you some ideas

Cavediver · Post by **Cavediver** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 11:54 am

rlkeeney wrote:I've been searching for the internet since Sunday. Here is the simplest solution I have found so far. However I can see a problem if the bench is to heavy to lift the end.

Make mechanical advantage your advantage

Here's a link to a shop-built mobile tool base. It uses a cam-shaped crank to lower the castors / raise the tool base off of the floor. You'll have to modify things to suit your needs, but it ought to work.http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/showthread.php?7841-cam-action-mobile-base
The other easy answer is one that's already been mentioned: use a johnson bar on one end and castors on the other.

benush26 · Post by **benush26** » Wed Oct 02, 2013 6:42 pm

Cavediver wrote: The other easy answer is one that's already been mentioned: use a johnson bar on one end and castors on the other.

If it will need to be both stable (4 large legs resting on the floor) and still portable, I agree wholeheartedly with using a Johnson lift. It may not be as simple as attaching 4 wheels is some fashion, but you gain a compromise that gives both stability and mobility.

Just my 2 cents

Ben

rlkeeney · Post by **rlkeeney** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 5:16 am

Cavediver wrote: Here's a link to a shop-built mobile tool base. It uses a cam-shaped crank to lower the castors / raise the tool base off of the floor. You'll have to modify things to suit your needs, but it ought to work.http://forum.canadianwoodworking.com/showthread.php?7841-cam-action-mobile-base

I had one of these some one else built. It worked so bad that I got rid of it. It was on a jointer and the weight compressed the wood to the point where it was practically unusable. It might work well if made of something like hard maple. However this would be out of my price range. It was built from cypress.

rlkeeney · Post by **rlkeeney** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 5:20 am

sawmill wrote:On my radial arm saw there are 4 casters with the front 2 being able to raise the front of the saw to move it around. This unit has a wheel and a leveling pad and is raised by stepping on a lever which locks in the saw in the raised position. I don't think they would be heavy enough for what you want but it may give you some ideas

Got a photo you can post?

I have a radial arm saw that I like very much. It just has casters on a 2x4 frame. The cheap casters roll so bad that I don't bother to lock them.

rlkeeney · Post by **rlkeeney** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 5:31 am

This looks like it might work. I got the idea from Bill's post describing his heavy bench. If I mount the caster in just the right spot place I could run the levellers down to secure the bench when needed and up I think these have a allen socket so I could do it with a drill. They are relatively inexpensive ($7 each) and 440lb is certainly strong enough.

Amazon description: Perfect for cabinets, tables, or shelving units, these levelers feature a lipped mounting bracket that works to lift, support and create more stability. Wide foot leveler, 2-3/8" diameter, is sold individually. Made of heavy gauge, plated steel. Use a #5 hex wrench for adjustment. 440 lbs load capacity.
[ATTACH]22918[/ATTACH]

http://tinyurl.com/pb6juvu

rlkeeney · Post by **rlkeeney** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 5:59 am

I can get these for about $20 each. They look promising but I sure would like be able to put my hands on them and see how they work. There is a blog posting on Popular Woodworking about these.

[ATTACH]22919[/ATTACH]

There are a bunch of different ones. You can see some of them here.

They are not designed to lift. It's more like a brake. I might be able to get away with using two of these.

rlkeeney · Post by **rlkeeney** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 6:19 am

I found the blog posting that goes with the video.

[ATTACH]22920[/ATTACH]

I saw some mention that these could flip if you hit something while rolling the bench around. In my shop this would most likley be an extension cord. I really need to do some wiring.

algale · Post by **algale** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 7:26 am

rlkeeney wrote:I found the blog posting that goes with the video.

[ATTACH]22920[/ATTACH]

I saw some mention that these could flip if you hit something while rolling the bench around. In my shop this would most likley be an extension cord. I really need to do some wiring.

I would think that could easily be prevented by adding a hook and eye to this set up. Although it might take more time to secure the hook than to move the extension cord or other obstruction.

sawmill · Post by **sawmill** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 7:46 am

rlkeeney wrote:I found the blog posting that goes with the video.

[ATTACH]22920[/ATTACH]

I saw some mention that these could flip if you hit something while rolling the bench around. In my shop this would most likley be an extension cord. I really need to do some wiring.

If you have as much weight on them as you say I don't think they would flip unless you were going super fast and it would take more than a cord to do it. I have a welding table that has a 1 inch thick steel top on it and is 3 foot by 8 foot long and I have it on 5 inch casters. It will rol over so big thing and you don't even know you hit them

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