Anyone use castors on work bench?

Re: Anyone use castors on work bench?

Thomas Dunlap

All of my workbenches and power tools are on four way swivels. Most times I don't chock them, they're heavy enough to stay put. Being on castors allows me to 'Tetris' everything and use the floor space efficiently

Re: Anyone use castors on work bench?

Jesse Cloud

I use these: https://www.rockler.com/rockler-workbench-caster-kit-4-pack

When retracted, the workbench sits flat on the ground. When you push down on the lever (with your foot and body weight), it rises up and locks with the bench just a bit off the ground.

The wheels are quality and they swivel well. I can move my very heavy bench with one hand and steer precisely.

This lets me make room in the garage for an actual car during the winter, then I reconfigure in the spring to use the whole garage for workshop.

Its important that you have some serious wood at the point where the casters need to be screwed on. If you are considering these, read the install instructions and you can plan your bench to fit. Its a pretty reasonable distance up, but I can see how some benches might have a bolt or something in that position.

Re: Anyone use castors on work bench?

AZ in Colorado Springs

I have something very similar to that from woodcraft on my contractor saw. Wonderful!

But my bench sits on the floor. Those casters would be OK for a bench. But not simply "locking wheels." (BTDT)

Re: Anyone use castors on work bench?

William Duffield

I've never encountered another mobile base that works as well as the one that SawStop supplies for their industrial cabinet saw. Of course, it is sized for a cabinet saw, not your workbench, but the principle would work for something the size of your work bench. You would need to do some metal fabrication. You can raise and lower the bench with one toe. You can easily move the SawStop, which weighs almost 800 lbs, including the mobile base, in any direction with one hand. When you lower the base, the saw (or the bench) sits on 1/4" thick steel plate, which sits directly on the floor. All four swivel wheels are lifted completely off the floor. There is no wobble and no movement of the saw.

https://www.sawstop.com/images/uploads/manuals/ICS%20Mobile%20Base%20Owners%20Manual%20(Dec%2007).pdf

Last time this was brought up, I thought  *LINK*

Keith Newton

about this simple option. I have several benches that I bolted heavy casters on the sides, not on the bottom of the two legs on one end. The wheel is touching the floor when all four legs are on the floor. However when I lift the other end, its on the wheels and can be rolled like a dolly.

Since I have a tool shelf and 3 drawers under fairly thick tops, they are too heavy for me to lift without unloading all the tools. I've been considering installing a swivel boat trailer jack on the other end. The price is cheap and there should be plenty of lift.


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Reese-Trailer-Jack/15125801?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227010358688&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40839216632&wl4=pla-78315040249&wl5=9025792&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=15125801&wl13=&

Re: Anyone use castors on work bench?

Jim Dillon

I have retractable casters on my mini-lathe bench and they work well. Been so long ago, I don't remember where I got them. Jesse is right - provide a good support for them. Jim

Just so you know,

Keith Newton

I needed a new jack on my car-hauler trailer, so went to get one for it, and also got one like in my link above. It took about 5 minutes to install on my bench, and it works great.

Re: Anyone use castors on work bench?

Yonak

Unless I have to use a vice, all of my bench work is done on mobile carts. That gives me the ability to roll my work around from station to station.

Does any one have suggestions on type.

Stephen Roth

I have been thinking about this also, for a welding table and a large planer. But every time I look at Grainger or McMaster Carr for casters, the size and wheel type get overwhelming.

Let's assume most people have a 300-1,000 pound thing that needs to be on 4 rollers, to move over a typical concrete floor that is not bowling ball lane smooth, but is not a gravel driveway either.

Regardless of attachment method (stud, plate, bolt, etc), which seems just to affect how it is installed, does anyone have real world experience with the difference between Monoprene; Neoprene; Nylon; Phenolic; Polyolefin; Polypropylene; Polyurethane; Rubber; Steel; Thermoplastic Rubber; and I guess gold-pressed latinum (jk).

I know HF and HD sell stuff, but it seems that after spending months building a roubo bench, or thousands of bucks on a aircraft carrier jointer, a few more bucks on casters shouldn't matter.

I had some of the Rockler ones noted here, but after a few years, the wheels cracked.

I assume 6" rolls easier than 2", but for the same material and load capacity, is there a huge difference or is there a sweet spot, such as 3 or 4?

Thanks!

Re: Does any one have suggestions on type.

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Nothing is tougher than urethane and it does not cold flow in my experience.

I have 2.5" locking casters on various midsized machines. I got them from Harbor Freight. When locked they do not move. Urethane moves well on a hard surface with irregularities, but a 1/4" sick will stop rolling, for better or worse.

I tried steel rollers on a large heavy blower and they did not roll well at all.

Re: Does any one have suggestions on type.

Barry Irby

I started this post and am still struggling. I have the Rockler All Terrain Mobile base. Rated for up to 800 lbs.

I believe I have one under my TS. I will have to go look. I got it at and auction several years ago. Put under the TS just because I had it. I am thinking I may move it to my work bench.

As an aside, I like wheels to be over rated. Much rather have 800 plound wheels on a 300 pound bench than 400 pound wheels. Same thing with drawer runners. 100 pound rated runners work much better than fifty pound ones on a forty pound drawer.

I like larger diameter wheels also. They will roll over a little saw dust or even a cord. (not a good idea, for the cord) Little wheels will stop if they hit a dime.

We had a 6' long bar with one super wheel in it. It was a pallet jack. You could lever up one side and drag the pallet around. Whatever the wheel was made of crumbled away. I hope Bill is right about Urethane.

Check on Amazon. A bewildering array of castors.

It just occurred to me I could use some of those Magic Sliders as seen on TV. I only want to move my bench about two feet.

Re: Does any one have suggestions on type.

AZ in Colorado Springs

Larger diameter wheels will span wider cracks in the floor or other gaps. They'll also be taller, so that must be accounted for.

I had a woodcraft mobile base under my table saw (it's now under the bandsaw). This base has two fixed wheels and two swivel wheels. Moving the TS reminded me of an Air Force TDY where I was provided a six pax pick up truck and I had to park in a parking garage in downtown Las Vegas. Lots of back and forth.

The TS now has a set of swivel wheels on all four corners and it's much easier to turn 90° to line up with the work bench for out feed support. With one push of the toe for each wheel, it can be retracted, then one more push with the toe and it's back dwon so the TS can be moved, as described in an earlier post.