mounting a 3 in 1 sheet metal machine on a rolling tool chest

[BTL-A4]

Has anyone here ever mounted one of those Harbor Freight 3 in 1 sheet metal machines (cut, roll, bend) on a tool chest? I have mine mounted on a table with a butcher block top with metal legs. There are wheels on it. I need it to be mobile.

I was thinking this tool box would work. It's 36" wide by 18" deep and 38: tall:


I plan on loading the drawers with material that I currently have elsewhere. It's mostly aluminum chunks with some steel pieces. It's all pretty heavy, but I think the drawers could handle it and it would weight the tool box down to keep it from tipping. The 3 in 1 is about 250 lbs, I think.

The current table works. It's about 36" wide and about 24" deep.

Anyone done this? Anything I haven't considered?

Thanks!

 

[kabinenroller]

I have a similar tool, it is mounted to a steel plate that is mounted to cast iron legs. I would think having it on wheels would not be the preferred way to mount it. It would move when using it and might be top heavy. Having the tool able to move around would make using it a chore.
My option.

 

[isb cornbinder]

Just do it and then come back with a review of your work.

 

[txvwnut]

I have mine mounted on a mobile stand, when doing heavy work you have to chase it around shop. I do have it setup where I can unlock and pivot the casters up so it sets flat on the floor but sometimes I’m kinda lazy.

 

[BTL-A4]

Here's my current set-up:

This is the 3 in 1 mounted on a table. It's actually 39" wide x 32" deep. I can lock the wheels.


Here's the material storage:


I could fit it underneath, but then I'd have 2 pieces to move. I also thought of taking the wheels off and mounting it some way to the table. I'd also like to get some garage space back by combining these two.

I wanted to see if anyone had used a tool chest to mount a 3 in 1 and if they had any issues.

 

[BTL-A4]

I have mine mounted on a mobile stand, when doing heavy work you have to chase it around shop. I do have it setup where I can unlock and pivot the casters up so it sets flat on the floor but sometimes I’m kinda lazy.

I've used mine in place most of the time. I'd like the option to move it out of the way of the car I keep next to it. I could also move the car.

What type of mobile stand do you have? Got a photo?

 

[txvwnut]

Home built stand, my only complaint about it is with the casters in middle it feels kind of tippy when moving it around.

 

[BTL-A4]

Nice! I'm thinking the tool box won't by quite as tippy-feeling, but I thought I'd asks and see what others have done/experienced.

 

[finn]

I had to add outrigger legs to the rolling table I have my HF pF brake and bead roller on, otherwise it wants to tip when I lean into it to bend metal.
That shallow toolbox will have the same issues. You need something considerably deeper or some sort of stabilizer that’s retractable.

 

[ItsNemo]

Won't work worth a sh*t...toolboxes are just too wobbly for machine tools to be on top.

 

[The Cobbler]

I'm thinking for a tool of that nature a solid heavy base would be needed, even anchored to the concrete floor probably would make working with it easier.

 

[BTL-A4]

I had to add outrigger legs to the rolling table I have my HF pF brake and bead roller on, otherwise it wants to tip when I lean into it to bend metal.
That shallow toolbox will have the same issues. You need something considerably deeper or some sort of stabilizer that’s retractable.

Do you have a photo? I'd love to see what you did.

 

[BTL-A4]

Won't work worth a sh*t...toolboxes are just too wobbly for machine tools to be on top.

I was thinking I'd mount plywood on top and bolt the machine thru the wood and metal. I did it with a mini mill and it worked fine. The mini-mill was about a third of the weight, though. But the tool box was also smaller. I was hoping to hear from folks who have done this or tried to do this and see what experiences they had.

 

[BTL-A4]

I'm thinking for a tool of that nature a solid heavy base would be needed, even anchored to the concrete floor probably would make working with it easier.

Same here. I'm still a bit worried about how I currently have it mounted, even though I've used it several times. I thought mounting it on a heavily-laded tool box would add stability.

 

[finn]

Do you have a photo? I'd love to see what you did.

No postures. The bench is simply an old oak, I think, table someone converted to a workbench. It has shelves, and came to me with an Econoline tabletop abrasive blast cabinet. I repurposed it, but it Wes tippy, despite being maybe three feet deep.

I simply bolted on a stake pocket sized to fit a 2x4 leg that’s pinned with a retractable 2x4. That side is against the wall when the brake isn’t being used. Kind of tacky, but it works.

Another option is to use a HF side cabinet on a welded angle iron frame, with wheels mounted outside the envelope of the cabinet. My welding cart is made like that. The idea is to get the wheels away from the cg in the plane you’re applying torque to the bender.

 

[cvairwerks]

Adapt the stand you already have it on, to use a pallet jack for moving..... Gives the best of both, stability while using the tool and mobility via pallet jack.

 

[landrover bodger]

mine is mounted on a 72 inch stainless steel toolbox, its on wheels but is screwed to the garage wall. dont give any problems.

 

[landrover bodger]

Like this

 

[BTL-A4]

It's done:


$20 for bolts (I have lots of 1/4" and lots of 3/8", but no 5/16"), $22 for 19/32" OSB. I had everything else. I used some old toolbox wheels, painted the OSB with some rattle-can gray that is the closest match to the legs, screwed and glued two pieces of OSB together using up all my wood glue and the last of some screws I had from another project, and used some 1/4" bolts to attach the tool box to the base.

It's 41" high to the top of the wood table. It feels pretty stable, especially with the tool box loaded with metal. I can lower the legs another 1.5" if needed, but for now I like the space on top of the toolbox to store metal.

The tool box would have been $450 and probably been not deep enough to catch metal being cut.