I’ve been arguing with myself about buying a mobile base for my 14” Delta bandsaw. It’s the open base. I’m getting along fine for years without it but there are days I could use the space. My biggest concern is these saws are already top heavy. My concrete floor very level. Seems like a base that “drops” the saw to floor level would be best, but that would mean it would be tippy when raising or lowering it…. Does anyone have thoughts, experience, recommendations?
Any and all input appreciated.
Replies
I have two bandsaws on mobile bases. Yes, they are top-heavy. But unless you are very careless, it's not a problem.
I have a delta, open base. 20 years ago I put cheap casters on the legs through the existing holes. No issue with it being top heavy. One set has locks to stop it from moving around. A mobile base would be a better more elegant solution, but the casters work well enough that I’ve not bothered to do anything else.
I have the Griz 17" band saw. I made a base out of ply and good HF casters. You can make it wider than the saw base if you have concerns about stability but your saw is much lighter than mine. No issues about moving it around on a smooth floor. Take you time, push from under the table to move not the top. To tip I believe the center of mass has to be past the edge of the mobile base, you should be fine.
I have a 3 wheel mobile base on my 18" Jet. I bought it with the saw. It's not the tipping factor that is a problem it's the vibration.. Casters have a lot of slop built in. Movement and vibration are not helpful and the more you can eliminate the better I figure! The two front wheels are fixed ,don't swivel. They aren't too bad but the swiveling rear wheel has a great deal of movement even when locked down. I keep a crowbar handy and lift the base and put the base on plywood so that the wheels are off the floor and that takes care of most of the problem. It's one of those little PIAs that I put up with.
The base is on my list of things to replace and if I were to do it again I would have a base that had 4 swiveling casters ( i hate the backup and push that you have to do with fixed wheels to reposition the saw) that retact and permit the whole base to sit on the floor when in use.
Check out the “Bear Crawl” moble bases from Grizzly. I use several of these on my machines. They keep your machine very low to the ground and, if you have feet on your saw that you remove prior to installing, it may not raise you saw much at all. The footprint will be wider than your existing base so it will add to the stability. When you lift the levers it drops the two casters so the base sits on solid feet. The other two are fixed wheels. They even have one with four casters so you could drop all four onto solid feet when stationary.
https://www.grizzly.com/search?q=Bear+crawl
Thanks to all. Great info.
I know a number of people have already replied with similar answers but thought I'd toss in my $0.02. I've got a closed base 14" bandsaw with a 6" riser block, Powermatic if it matters. It's on a mobile base similar to the Portamate Universal Mobile Base. The base has locking levers that drop the saw down from two swivel casters on to rubber feet. No problem with shifting or vibration when sawing, even when still on the casters. It's not tippy either but is top heavy as you point out, especially with the riser block. Still, no problem with ever tipping and I have to move it just about every time I use it (been this way for a dozen years or so). Hope this helps.
Late to this one as I needed to get the photos from the new owner of my old saw. This was my redneck mobile solution for an open-stand delta using casters, piano hinge, and a couple of cutoff screwdrivers to lock the wheels in the down position:
I have the same setup on my workbench, for when I need to move it across the shop. That thing is getting heavier to lift and kick those wheels under there.
I have a 12" Delta bandsaw with a closed cabinet. I got a mobile base when I bought the saw 25 yrs ago. I don't have much space and all of the tools have to be stored against a wall and brought out to be used, so the base is critical. I sweep the floor before moving anything and take my time. Never even had a scare.
I have almost all my tools on mobile bases, including my work bench. The latter sits on its own legs but can be easily moved if I need access to all four sides for a project--for finishing, for instance. I even had a mobile base for my drill press but found that top heavy and scary. Plus it was easy to trip over--be mindful of that when using bases like the Portamate. As noted, they take up a fair amount of room. And any base should let the tool rest on its own feet when in use.