Replies

1. 
   jackiechan | Sep 07, 2005 08:39am | #1

   Gary,

   The height of the cabinet in your plans is much too high.  A 200 pound machine close to three feet off the floor on any sort of unballasted base is a set up for disaster.  This is way too top heavy.  The bottom of the planer is at thirty inches, but the tables and motor are 8"+ above that.  Remember that sometimes the littlest chunk of wood, extension cord, etc... will stop a rolling caster dead in its tracks.  Add two hundred pounds to the top of that - and you'll end up with a small moon crater on the shop floor.

   Set the machine up on something low and wide.  The tables should be no more than 20"+ from the floor, inclusive of the casters.

   Birch plywood is a good choice for this construction.  To keep the top from sagging or buckling, consider building a torsion box top.  This will have the strength to support such a heavy machine.

   Before hoisting the machine onto the finished cart, test it out by laying 200 pounds (dumbbell weights perhaps) on top, and push it around some.  It's better to have any structural problems show up before sacrificing your machine to the floor.

   Dan Kornfeld, Owner/President - Odyssey Wood Design, Inc.

2. 
   JohnH | Sep 07, 2005 04:10pm | #2

   Unless you are determined to build it out of wood, you might want to consider the all-steel Modular Shop Stands from Rockler. I have been using two of them for about a year. They are STURDY and easy to assemble. And if you want portability too, get the locking casters, as I did. And if you change your mind about dimensions, just disassemble them and re-assemble with some new parts.

   BTW I have a 100 lb lathe sitting on a Rockler and caster stand that is 36" high by 18" deep and absolutely rock solid.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 9/7/2005 9:12 am ET by JohnH

3. 
   danfromsaskatoon | Sep 07, 2005 07:48pm | #3

   built mine 29" from the floor to the bottom  of the planer, overall hieght is 50" (king 13" with top mounted motor) wieght is about the same used 4" wheels ($65 don't scrimp) the base is 24X24 very easy to move around because of the wheels dosen't seem to be top heavy to me have to move it outside at times and have had no problems.

1. 
   webdesigner | Sep 07, 2005 08:20pm | #4

   Thanks everyone.I built my router table out of Birch plywood so ideally I would like this cart to match it.To clarify, I have a 100 lb sanding station and 100 lb planer, has anyone designed a cart to hold these kind of items vertically or stacked? Having to stoop over to plane or sand a piece of wood might be a pain in the back, literally. Any suggestions? A pull-out shelf to hold the sander on the bottom shelf? Seems awkward to me.Having a low center of gravity is critical I know...Will listen to any advice. Thanks.

1. 
   Walker1 | Sep 07, 2005 08:57pm | #5

    webdesigner; I agree the low center of gravity is important.

            I put mobile bases under every machine in my shop, even if I build a my own cabinet to mount them on, which I must confess I often just buy the universal steel bases to mount them on.

          The universal mobile bases give you the low center of gravity you want, they drop down and have leveling feet, and they can be expanded later if you find your still to top heavy, and buying four good quality wheels to mount on the cab. isn't much cheaper than a mobile base on sale.

                           Cheers.                                  Walker1

2. 
   bangon | Sep 08, 2005 07:22am | #9

   I built a mobile cart to hold my planer and sander, top height about 34 1/2" to match my bench, 26" deep, 52" long.  Both pivot and stow below the top so I have a work area when they are not in use.

   Materials;  plywood floor & torsion box beams, melamine, MDF, screws &glue.

   2 years old, no problems. 

1. 
   webdesigner | Sep 08, 2005 09:40am | #10

   Hi Craig,Can you please send me or post a photo of your cart? Sounds very interesting.Thanks, Gary

1. 
   bangon | Sep 08, 2005 07:22pm | #14

   Sorry, it's in storage buried under abunch of boxes.  Probably can't get it out until spring. 

4. 
   nikkiwood | Sep 08, 2005 04:07am | #6

   I disagree with others on the height issue. My own planer is on a stand that is about 20-22" off the floor, and a long planing session is literally a pain in the back.

   However, I emphatically agree with everyone who has counseled you about the importance of a low center of gravity. Normally, this would be a problem only with a heavy board (say 8/4 stock), but it is possible to tip the whole cabinet over (toward the outfeed side) if you don't adequately support the stock as it is coming out.

   I think your two compartment box made from 3/4" ply will support the load, but I would urge you to think about this center of gravity issue. The simplest solution would be to design the case with a sub-comparment (maybe four or five inches high) on the infeed side, that you could stuff with sand bags if necessary.

   At 200 lbs, this is not a portable planer; what is it?

   ********************************************************
   "It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."

   John Wooden 1910-

1. 
   webdesigner | Sep 08, 2005 09:45am | #11

   Hi Nikkiwood,As I mentioned in my response above I actually have a sanding station and planer which equals to 200 lbs. I can split them up, put one on top of the other, but then I would have to bend over to sand or plane. Ideally, it would be nice to have the sander high enough so I can work standing up. Yes, I can lower the whole cart by a foot, that should help a lot right?Thanks, Gary

1. 
   BArnold | Sep 08, 2005 01:40pm | #12

   Hi Web,

   Check out the carts I built.  Here's the link to my Shop Tour page: http://www.bbarnold.com/shoptour.html

   The carts are about 32" high by 24" deep by 34" wide.  The offset on the sander cart is 8.5".  Construction is 3/4" oak veneer plywood.

   Neither has ever come close to tipping over.

   Regards,

   Bill Arnold - Custom WoodcraftingMensa Member Click Here if you're interested in a good, inexpensive website host.

   Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

1. 
   webdesigner | Sep 08, 2005 08:29pm | #15

   Hi Bill,Thank you for the images, they great!In fact, I was sketching out a cart design much like your sanding station, with the step configuration. What are your cabinet measurements? My plan is to put my planer on the lower area and sander on top, just to lower the center of gravity. Therefore, the top shelf for my sander would be at about 30" from the floor. Is that about the height of yours?Maybe I'm over-thinking it, with tools and stuff in the lower shelves the center of gravity should be fine. Right? Forget the sand bags and dumb bells.Also, did you trim all around or just the front edges with rabbit joint for the back panel?Thanks again, Gary

1. 
   BArnold | Sep 08, 2005 09:24pm | #16

   Gary,

   As I stated in my original post, the overall dimensions are 32" high by 34" wide by 24" deep.  That includes edge-banding where applicable.  I attached a graphic to show all of the dimensions.

   I store a variety of things in the drawers of my carts.  The sander cart has sandpaper in the smaller upper drawers; ROSs and other items in the lower drawers.  With things stored in the drawers, the center of gravity is low enough that I've never had any feeling that a cart was going to to tip over.

   My planer cart is identical in dimensions with the obvious exception that the top is flat; no offset.  I've run 8' to 10' boards through the planer without it moving a bit; although I usually rough cut boards to length prior to jointing and planing for ease of handling.

   Regards,

   Bill Arnold - Custom WoodcraftingMensa Member Click Here if you're interested in a good, inexpensive website host.

   Food for Thought: The Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

   
2. 
   nikkiwood | Sep 08, 2005 03:53pm | #13

   I guess I'm confused; does the cart you drew up have a top big enough to accommodate both the planer and the sander (without moving them around to use one or the other)?If so, I still think the cabinet you showed will be strong enough, but you should really think about designing it so you have the flexibility to provide counterweight if necessary. A compartment across the bottom big enough to hold a few sand bags is just one possibility.********************************************************
   "It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."

   John Wooden 1910-

5. 
   Steinmetz | Sep 08, 2005 06:31am | #7

   Web,

   Splay all four sides to taper to a wider 'footprint'. Shorten up on the height and place sand bags on lower shelf. Use only two swiveling casters and two stationary casters. All with locking levers. Bigger is better.Steinmetz.

6. 
   mikegagne | Sep 08, 2005 06:54am | #8

   Gary, I cant imagine you would need to have the machine so high. Have you considered lowering the machine for a safer center of gravity. You could reduce the table size so that the planer just fits and then make the support legs stick out 1/3 or more on the outfeed and infeed side of the machine to reduce the tipover potential when longer boards are fed through. Also ball bearing casters with locking capacity rather than fixed pin (hard to roll) type. Finn ply is awesome material for this use and incredible strength is possible with 2 pieces laminated together at the caster level. Have fun. aloha, mike