Putting a table saw on wheels?

[Andy F]

I have a Makita MLT100 on a trolley which I am thinking of giving to my son to start his own workshop. That would leave space for me to upgrade to a larger, more solid, and accurate cast iron table saw.

The thing is that I will still need to move it around.

If I put it on some kind of trolley, or use those foot operated castors, will I risk upsetting any set up of the machine, necessitating having to reset the bed/fence/other bits etc each time?

Thanks

Andy

 

[artie]

I put my jet on castors two locking swivel and two fixed Makes it very handy for moving, but unstable at other times. I put it up on a fixed base when in use and drop it down on castors for moving, which is very seldom now that I am better organised.
There are some good ideas for retractable castors on a well known video tutorial channel, that's what I would use if I needed to move it regularly.

 

[TheTiddles]

I have a Makita MLT100 on a trolley which I am thinking of giving to my son to start his own workshop. That would leave space for me to upgrade to a larger, more solid, and accurate cast iron table saw.

The thing is that I will still need to move it around.

If I put it on some kind of trolley, or use those foot operated castors, will I risk upsetting any set up of the machine, necessitating having to reset the bed/fence/other bits etc each time?

Thanks

Andy

Only if you then pushed it down a hill!

 

[Cabinetman]

Hi Andy, my Sedgwick saw has a steel fabricated base box and cast-iron top and cast iron gubbins that move underneath. I think I could dangle it from a crane by one corner and it wouldn’t affect it at all. So fairly obviously it depends what you buy and the quality. Ian

 

[Ttrees]

Something like this maybe?

Its very effective at lifting this 210 kg machine, like using a foot pump for a bicycle, no strain whatsoever.
Could be improved though.
That plate could be spring loaded instead of using a gravity induced hefty plate.
(if you have a suitable spring handy)
I would do this now, as you would hope to get an audible click.
I could either use 75mm castors, instead of those 55mm ones, which I believe might be the solution, must try that soon to see if it works better
or...
Moving the axle that is under the machine a bit closer to the end of the base,
(I was worried that the design might damage the chute of the machine and erred on the cautious side by placing the axle more towards the middle)
I think I can get away with a larger wheel as he chute is around 45 degrees, but it will lift the pedal higher, which is no problem if not in the way.

Why I'm saying so is to stop the feet bottoming out and damaging the floor, as
the height of the machine will depend on the swing of the swivel casters.
As it is, I have to retract the feet which is annoying.

Another one which may or may not be up for discussion...
Making the pedal on the front of the machine would be nicer if in a confined space...
That introduces a whole other kettle of fish to think about,
If the long arm was made of box metal, you could have another 90 degree
bend/joint to bring the pedal around the corner of the machine and put the latch there instead somehow, spring loaded of course.

I would save you having to walk or climb around the machine if you happen to have boxed your self out and share an outfeed table with another machine.

Some food for thought maybe?
Tom

 

[Mike Jordan]

I think these are pretty self explanatory. Mine holds a mortiser and has served for years without problem.
Pulling the lever rotates the castors into contact with the floor. The rear castors are straight line and the front ones swivel. The only difficult part was getting the machine in there!

 

[Mike Jordan]

Here is the table saw and cross cut. The table saw is moved by inserting a piece of timber under the table to lift the front legs of the floor. The steel for all of them came from the steel stockholders scraps and off cuts bin.

 

[Doug B]

Personally I don’t like having any part of the frame sticking out as it’s a trip hazard which is the last thing you want when using sharp spinning blades.
I’ve all my machines on simple bases & never found any problems with the set up of the machines but I guess that could also be down to how flat the floor is. Each base is made from angle iron with the frame made to fit the machine, the only thing that can stick out is the caster but with care even that can be eliminated.

 

[Lazurus]

I simply put a castor in each corner of my Sheppach TS4010 each capable of being locked, there were even holes in the appropriate places. It did come with a raising frame but that made the whole thing very unstable. Never had a problem with the castors in place.

 

[Lons]

I'm not a big fan of individual castors so have several machines on mobile bases which I prefer though you do need a flat floor however my SIP 01332 has a wheel kit which works very well and is rock solid when lowered and none of the fittings get in the way, it wouldn't be too difficult to knock up something similar with moderate metal working skills.
Remember that whatever you use will lift the working height of the saw and might well be a problem.

 

[Andy F]

Ok, thanks for all your replies. It looks like I can move it around carefully without upsetting the levels. I don't want to push it far, just slide it off to one side to make room for other things or to get my bike in and out.

Now I just have to choose which one to buy. Axminster seem to have sold out of everything. I suppose it will take China a while to catch up.

Ta

Andy

 

[Ttrees]

WHY IS THE EDIT FUNCTION DONE AWAY WITH????
I will continue this on the original thread, which is probably more appropriate.

Doing a bit of tidying up and possible re-arrangement of the workshop, as the tablesaw hasn't seen any work in a long time, something needs to be done on this.
Going to try and fix this tonight.
I had a go yesterday at stacking 19mm shims on top of the 55mm swivel casters and it has highlighted the problem further...
Although leveled feet dosen't bottom out anymore, scratching the floor if you don't retract the screw, it is possibly even more boat in rough water like (for want of a better sentence)
You can't be sure where it's going to move if you change direction, and it is even more prone to tipping up a bit, as the weight of the saw wants to throw the casters to the far side.
I will take some piccys which will explain this later.
Will have to make that axle closer to the corner.
On the plus side I won't have any issues with the caster nuts bottoming out on the chute of the saw, so I can move the axle to its most furthest point...

Tom
.

 

[Inspector]

Saw Stop makes the best mobile base you'll ever find for their biggest saw. There is a foot pump that works a small bottle jack to lift the saw off the floor and onto the casters. When you have it positioned there is a foot peddle to step on to open the valve on the jack and down she comes to settle on the base again. The hydraulic bottle pushes on a frame within a frame, parallelogram fashion to do the raising and lowering. If one had the tools and welder it wouldn't be too difficult to fabricate. https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/sho...-base-for-sawstop-industrial-saw?item=95T0410. I would love some to fit my milling machine and metal lathe in addition to more of the wood shop tools.

Pete