Replies

1. 
   RANGERP75R | May 04, 2003 06:58pm | #1

   dave

      Have been please with the HTC's. I have nearly everything heavy on them along with the exceptions of TS and DP. Those stay stationary in my shop. I like the quik-kick levers and your "on the road". ha...

   sarge..jt

   
1. 
   davearnone | May 06, 2003 03:14am | #6

   Thanks for all the input everyone.

   Not sure yet what i'm gonna do, but its all helpful thinking.

   dave

1. 
   SCFrankland | May 06, 2003 05:06am | #8

   Here is one I made for my jointer.  It is a heavy beast and the base is a very tight fit.  The jointer sits about a 1" off the floor when in the base.Scott C. Frankland

   
2. 
   AlanTurner | May 06, 2003 08:12pm | #9

   I have the Agazzani 20", about 475#, and bought for it a mobile base by Vega, which was less than the HTC.  It uses the Johnson bar, and works well.  I would not recommend 4 wheels.  My guy does not move at all, unintentionally.  When a move is needed, it is easy to do.

1. 
   fdampier5 | May 08, 2003 12:39am | #10

   The shop fox only raise your center about a 1/2 an  inch,  still plenty stable..  I used to move my bandsaw around with a two wheeler but  when I'm finished sawing the buttress braces for my timber frame I'll probably order a shop fox for it too!  (I have them under every tool now except the lathe and the bandsaw..  The band saw because I brought it up into the great room to saw the buttress braces and the lathe because it's table mounted one that is clamped to my work bench when I use it and stored on end when not in use..  

2. 
   Jamie_Buxton | May 04, 2003 08:16pm | #2

   Every other manufacturer of this class of bandsaws offers a mobility kit.   Typically it is two wheels at the rear, and a Johnson bar at the front.  It works much better than mobile bases with pivoting or locking casters.   I'd poke Minimax to see if they've got a mobility kit for your saw.

1. 
   davearnone | May 06, 2003 03:12am | #5

   Jamie, thanks for the input.  Surprisingly it turns out minimax does not make a mobility kit for my saw and like you i'm hesitant about putting my nice new high mass center machine on a htc type base. 

   not sure yet what i'm gonna do.  thanks for the thoughts.

   dave

1. 
   Jamie_Buxton | May 06, 2003 04:59am | #7

   Minimax doesn't sell a mobility kit for your saw?   That's not very customer-friendly.   I suggest you make your own.   I did that for my bandsaw because I'm cheap, and it wasn't difficult.   Mine is very similar to the one pictured on the Laguna page for the LT16HD (http://www.lagunatools.com/lt16HD.htm).   There are two wheels on the left end of the base (as you face the saw when you're feeding wood into it), and a pick-up point at the right end.   A (removable) Johnson bar picks up that pick-up point.  A Johnson bar is a bar with wheels near the bottom, a long handle, and a point that fits up into the pick-up bolted to the saw.  You push down on the long handle, which picks up the saw a little bit -- just enough to rest the weight of the saw on the Johnson bar's wheels.   Then you tow the saw around with the handle  The Johnson bar can be made of hardwood, as can the pick-up point on the saw.  When the saw is in normal use, its weight rests on the wheels at the left and the base on the right.

3. 
   BG | May 04, 2003 09:37pm | #3

   Dave,

   One of hte WW magazines did a study last year on bases...I think HTC was rated highly and Shop Fox a best buy.  I have the Shop Fox on my Griz TS. The one suggestion I would have is buy a base that will accomodate 4 360 degree wheels and, of course, put 360 wheels on all 4 posts....it makes it much easier to handle.  I can buy the wheels from Griz quite reasonably and build my own base...another alternative.

4. 
   RANGERP75R | May 05, 2003 12:46am | #4

   dave

      I agree that you need a heavy duty base for that particular BS. The pic I posted was just a lightweight base for a 100 pound tool to show an example. I agree to pay the extra and get a heavy-duty with a bar for that much weight.

      No matter what brand, the 360* casters will give more flexibility. If your shop-space is small, especially. It takes a couple of extra feet of space to turn a big tool with fixed casters on one end. If you got the space, it won't matter that much.

   Luck..

   sarge..jt