Pallet compatible tool stand

[ajs]

No, not using pallet wood for a tool stand but building a tool stand compatible with a pallet truck to make it easy to move.

It seems such a obvious idea I can't believe it hasn't been thought of before but web searches don't turn anything up, although the results do get polluted by an infinite number of articles on reusing pallets.

It's the lack of results that is making me hesitant. As I said it seems obvious so is there some reason against it I am missing? It would seem to neatly solve the dilemma between "I want it rigid and stable" and "I want it to be easy to move". New trucks are expensive starting at around the £250 mark but used they come up regularly at a tenth of that and are usually good for 1.5-2t. I can also see it is something else taking up space but that can be largely mitigated by leaving parked (but lowered) under one of the items equipped to accept it.

The first thing I am looking at is a scrollsaw stand. A permanent stand for my bench drill would follow that.

Any thoughts?

 

[Lazurus]

Simple castors ?

 

[Sideways]

Absolutely.
2 lengths of C section hot rolled channel, on edge under the left and right ends of your machine.
Bolt the machine to the tops, drill the bottoms and put screw adjustable feet in each corner.

It'll raise your machine about 4" to make space to get the forks underneath.
Take note of the outside width of the forks. Some trucks are wider than others. A pallet jack doesn't have a super high lift so your stand wants to make just enough clearance to get underneath.

 

[rogxwhit]

Bet someone's done it! Not everything's on the internet, you know. The space requirement would put me off - the tines are quite long, and what happens to the handle?

 

[robgul]

How big and heavy are the machines/tools you're looking to have mobile? As suggested up-thread a platform with castors is the obvious - you can get some pretty heavy-duty wheels, with locks . . . .


I have, admittedly small-ish, machines on wheeled platforms/stands : drill press, planer/thicknesser, table saw, band saw - and in a different sphere a workshop bike stand. All enabling me to maximise my limited workshop space.

 

[ajs]

Simple castors ?

That's the usual solution but it does compromise stability. For something like a drill or table saw not an issue but consider damping the vibrations of a scrollsaw. A fixed base is far preferable to even braked wheels.

A more minor consideration is cost. Even for medium duty wheels you tend to be looking at best part of £50 a time.

 

[robgul]

That's the usual solution but it does compromise stability. For something like a drill or table saw not an issue but consider damping the vibrations of a scrollsaw. A fixed base is far preferable to even braked wheels.

A more minor consideration is cost. Even for medium duty wheels you tend to be looking at best part of £50 a time.

Either you are looking at diamond-encrusted wheels at £50 - or at the wrong shop! Loads of trade suppliers with heavy-duty wheels starting at less than a tenner - Screwfix has some that I used for a very heavy truck a few weeks ago (built to take about 300kg).

 

[Ollie78]

Just find a really top quality pallet and stick it on that.

Ollie

 

[sawtooth-9]

Good thinking
I have a 3000 Kg pallet truck and have mounted the machines I need to move around the workshop. The most useful was to make a pallet to suit the Wadkin radial arm saw - so I could move it around to gain the in feed lengths I needed.
Making a suitable pallet is easy and you can bolt down yore equipment to keep it nice and stable

 

[gmgmgm]

I have my big table saw bolted down to a good quality pallet, and I use a pallet truck to move it around (or just rotate it). I think it's a pretty common solution for bigger equipment, but is maybe too "easy" for people to write about on the internet.

Smaller equipment is on castors for ease of use, but a pallet is more sturdy.