Bandsaw mobile base

[Mudbone]

I just bought a secondhand Jet 12" and my shop is small. My intintions were to just move the bandsaw around as needed. Now that I have it in there, is one heavy cus and I'm not young anymore. I need a mobile base but cant swallow paying 75 to 100 bucks for one when all it is is 4 rails and 4 castor wheels. I would like to make one or recycle one from say an industrial site. Has anyone ever built one? I dont care about pretty, just functional. My idea is 4 - 2x4's made into a square with gussets for strenght and 4 castor wheels screwed into the 4 corners. Any advice?
Tom

[RUssL.]

Depending on what you think your time is worth and how well you think you can build your own base you might reconsider the purchase.

A set of wheels alone, that lock when you want them to, will set you back nearly as much as some of these bases... and they're on sale! ;-)

Grizzly.com® -- Online Catalog

If it was me I'd fine the coin for a commercial base and spend my time carving. But that's just me.

Good luck.
It sounds like a great little saw.

Russ

[Claude]

The bottom one on that page looks pretty good - just build a 2x2 frame that's tall enough, cover with 1/2 inch plywood, with one side a hinged door, and put a couple of shelves in it. Bolt the saw down to the top of the wood "box". Great storage area and will support the band saw high enough to use comfortably. Critical item: must have locking wheels - you do not want to take a chance that the saw can suddenly move across the floor when you have your hands on a small piece of wood that is being cut.

Claude

[fpace]

Woodcraft has a very reasonably priced mobile base. Buy WoodRiver? Adjustable Mobile Base, WoodRiver? Adjustable Mobile Base,

I put one on my bandsaw and one on my table saw... works great!

[Ed Redwine]

My 14 inch Delta is very heavy. So.... I built a quick frame from 2x4's, added four wheels, bolted the saw to the frame and Eureka... it rolls, and inexpensively at that. (I'm no spring chicken either!)
Ed

[Mudbone]

You folks are great! Thanks for the ideas! I really like Claude's thinking. I am very limited on space and just putting that thing on wheels is a waste of space so the box cabinet idea it is! Lord knows another area to hide tools or what not is what I need. Secondly the locking wheels; my lame brained self probably would have went to the store and bought 2.99 castors and had them bolted in and trying to saw before I realized I needed locking wheels. I didnt even think of the obvious. Thats why I have new freinds like you... I'm gonna check prices on Locking wheels vs the premade base and decide. I will try to upload pics of the contraption when I get her done, maybe sometime this week. I have a black bear cub started for a co-worker that I have roughed out just need to finish, then I will put somthing together after that. Should rename this thread- "Conversion of the space waster"
Thanks folks!
Tom

[Claude]

Tom:
If cost is important, you might look at Harbor Freight Tools . They have several casters with brakes for under $5.00 each. I haven't bought any of these, but they might be worth checking out.

Claude

[Mudbone]

Thanks Buddy! Although I've heard about HF's tool reputation, they are worth a look. I even have a 10% coupon for them to boot!

[RUssL.]

Or how about this as a compromise between buying and building?
I might must go this route with the 12" Craftsman band saw I got off Craigslist.
I have some leftover ash that would work great.

Russ

[mpounders]

Not sure if it applies well to band saws, but here's my two cents worth: I have an old Delta table saw, contractor's model, and I built a mobile base to go under it. It is basically a plywood box. I put a drawer directly underneath the saw to collect sawdust. I extended it out to one side quite a bit, since I built my own table extension and t-square fence. It has a couple of additional drawers that hold blades and such and a cabinet door on one end that holds my routers (the extension has a hole that I mount my router in). I have two wheels on one end that only go straight and then I have two swivel casters on the other end. This allows me to swing out for ripping longer stock and it's easy to move when I point the straigh wheels in the direction I want to go. I don't have any locking wheels, but it may be pretty stable just because of the weight. You could possibly do something similar, or might add adjustable feet that would screw down to level the saw and raise the swivel casters a little off the floor. I bought decent large casters with rubber wheels, but the straight ones desintegrated after about 8 years, probably because of weight. I replaced them with all metal wheels, but it sure was a pain to raise the saw up high enough to remove and replace the old ones. I like it and the casters were probably about $30. I definitely have more than that in labor, so the $60 store-bought one doesn't seem like a bad deal.