I have two Unisaw’s in my shop/garage. The one that I use the most was built in 1958 and the second was built in 1989. Some years back I had a friend weld up some 2″ square tubing for the base and welded some 3″ casters in three different p[aces for mobility. The trouble is with the 52″ extention on the saw it is very hard to move the saw. I wonder if I should spend the money and buy an H T C mobile base or remove the casters and replace them with new rubber casters. Also is there a better case available than a H T C ? Any imput would be greatly appreciated.
Tom
Cypress Calif.
Replies
Woody,
I bought the HTC for my Powermatic66. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT! Wrong hardware supplied, so I had to make a trip to hardware store 20+ miles away,horrible directions, and end result was the extension part of the base didn't really work, very flimsy, so the saw is on the mobile base and I deep 6'd the extension part of the base. I would definitely try another manufacturer.
Lee
Go to the original equipment manufacturer - pricy but you won't be disappointed.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000022346/qid=1152672945/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/104-4107816-5403107?%5Fencoding=UTF8&s=hi&v=glance&n=228013
Dang, it's up another $60 or so since I bought mine. Recommendation still stands!
I used HTC for my Delta Contractor with 32" fence, drill press and bandsaw.
I had to retap the holes for the screws that are the wheel brakes for the Tsaw unit. The lock for the swivel caster is, for all practical purposes, not 'reachable'. The drill press, to be fair to HTC, is on an HTC base made for something else, but it was the only thing that fit the base of the drill press. It's pretty wiggly. The bandsaw one seems fine.
I recently acquired a Unisaw, and purchased a Delta base for it. The saw has the ~ 30 B fence. I had no problems assembling the base, and the swivel caste.r lock is easy to operate.
Since I have the 52" fence I didn't want to risk a flimsy setup; nothing else looked substantial enough. IIRC, some discussion here helped me out as well - steering me away from some of the other brands.
I have the Shop Fox heavy duty base on the 8" jointer. It gets moved around a lot, and works great. Haven't tried HTC's bases.
Thank you for your insite. I should have thought to go to Delta in the first place. I guess since all of the recent aquisitions with Black and Decker , Delta etc some of the quality has slipped. My old Unisaw is built like a tank and also in the U S A. I know a lot is being made in a foreign land and not built as well as in the past. Hopefully the new base will be made better. Again thank you for your interest and also the quick response.
[email protected]
i have one on my general with extension fence,works just fine. Also have it on my 8 in jointer, no problems with either.
I have a 3 year old Unisaw with the right hand extension. It is mounted on the HTC mobile base and works like a charm. I have added a cantileverd outfeed table/router table so the entire package is 5' x 5'. I can move the entire unit with an easy one-handed push.
Jerry
Used to work for a dealer and sold both the Delta and HTC bases so I got to see a lot of them and got the full array of pros and cons from customers. We sold more HTC bases by far. I always recommended the HTC and could show side by side comparisons of why to buy the HTC. Delta used to use the HTC base but Delta wanted the whole pie so to speak. I think the HTC is a better base by far. A few complaints about hardware is minor. The pedal lift on the Delta is so lame. It bends and flexes too easilyu and is in an awkward spot. The HTC is rock solid and much easier to make moble quickly. Frankly all mobile bases could be improved but they are built on a cost basis.
You will find that steel casters, or casters with a very thin tread on a steel wheel move a heavy object much easier on concrete.
Rubber compresses, so you are always rolling the load 'uphill'. I've got a couple tractors and a whole bunch of attachments which I keep on dollies for easy storage. The first dolly I made used super heavy duty rubber casters and was a bugger to move. Then I made a dolly for my backhoe (over 1000 lbs), and I can move that across a flat surface with one hand.
I have a Uni with the shorter fence. When I bought my Uni, about a year ago, I was going to buy the HTC base, then the sales guy walked me over and showed me the JET mobile base. I don't know if it is currently being sold, but it is a single piece welded unit much like the one your buddy made for you (except I have no complaints about the casters).
If I had to do it over again, i would buy the same mobile base. It's easy to move around my small shop and has absolutely no flex. Lock the wheels, and it's like it's on the ground.
I bought the Shop Fox base with the extension for my Grizzly and it moves great. Also, the casters can be set up to move the saw in the direction of the length or across its width. I move it all the time and have had zero issues. Adjustable, strong and I haven't tightened or adjusted anything in three years. I have their mobile base for my jointer, too.
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