Locking casters with hidden release ideas?

[Innovate1]

Making a small island cabinet out of some used kitchen cabinets. Actually not a garage item but I figure the collective wisdom here would have some good ideas... Want to have some way to move it but want it stationary most of the time. So some sort of wheels/casters. Have seen setups that hinge the casters but that requires a lever that sticks out somewhere. Thinking of using fixed wheels on one end and lockable casters on the other and a removable baseboard trim that is held on with magnets for a clean look on the side with the locking casters. Seems like a simple solution. I might even be able to put an access hole to the casters under a drawer and skip the removable baseboard. Other ideas?

 

[pcmeiners]

For a kitchen you need something which looks decent and really keeps something in place.....they come in different capacity sizes.

CarryMaster AC-300F Casters | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for CarryMaster AC-300F Casters at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[wssix99]

Impress the neighbors (and Garage Journal) - build in an air glide system: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=air+glid...294104&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_6ii80jbfq4_e

 

[kbs2244]

I have seen air glide systems that use a vacum cleaner advertised

I have no links however

 

[Innovate1]

That would be pretty cool. Pull out a drawer and attach the vac and it glides across the floor. Probably not that much to it either. just a ton of small holes in the bottom. I'll bet someone has done it but a quick google search didn't find it.

 

[billconner]

Air casters are very dependent on floor. Sheet vinyl would be no problem, but strip wood is likely to be. Most of my experience has been with low pressure high volume, which use a blower - like a vac - but there are high pressure systems that use a compressor.

You can do the hinged casters all inside the base. Done with scenery for theatre a lot. You can even actuate it with compressed air - even a small tank that lives in the base and gets recharged every so many moves. You might find the hinged system with a small acme thread screw and a small cordless drill to be simpler.

 

[Innovate1]

Air casters are very dependent on floor. Sheet vinyl would be no problem, but strip wood is likely to be. Most of my experience has been with low pressure high volume, which use a blower - like a vac - but there are high pressure systems that use a compressor.

You can do the hinged casters all inside the base. Done with scenery for theatre a lot. You can even actuate it with compressed air - even a small tank that lives in the base and gets recharged every so many moves. You might find the hinged system with a small acme thread screw and a small cordless drill to be simpler.

Interesting. Have anything showing how the linkage would be set up? Most of the ones I have seen had a lever that extends to one side that has a long travel and wouldn't fit within the base. I have about 4" of height although I suppose I could raise it more and extend the baseboards to reach the floor. For limited use a standard thread would probably work ok in place of acme thread.

 

[billconner]

Well, we did it in college - 50 years ago - but everyone seems enamored with pneumatics today. Here's one bb posting on the issue: https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/retractable-casters.21439/

You could also leave it mostly on casters and use over center clamps - aka toggle clamps - to hold it in place or even lift the whole cabinet just enough to lift it off casters. You would need some space but might work in a cupboard base or a shortened bottom drawer.

XRPAOWA 4 Pcs Toggle Clamp 301AM Stroke Push Pull Action Hand Tool Light Duty https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074RYNVYM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Albeit, the base board piece would be off floor unless to "floated" and could slide on floor when moving. (Which made me wonder if someway to make baseboard raise - to move on casters - and lower - to hold in place. Hmmm.)

Go back to lever arm - the part that extends beyond cabinet could be removable. Might need a small slot - could cover with a piece of hinged trim or your magnetic or Velcro base.

 

[Zeke]

What you could do w/o a lot of trouble to meet your requirements is to use non-swivel locking casters on one end with the locking lever pointing in rather than out so it's easy to step on. OK, so that part is done, how do you operate the lever?

I can't do all the work for you! You have to come up with something that will push and pull the lever like a rod with a grip that you can hide when not in use.

What I have found in the real world is that locking casters don't necessarily arrest all movement. The bench or cabinet mounted on these does move back and forth some. Therefore, the idea of casters that lower for travel and retract for stationary are preferred. You can still conceal the operation getting clever.

 

[AffableCurmudgeon]

If I was doing this, I would have the island sit on a frame. The frame would have four casters, one on each corner. Casters would lift the frame a certain height, let’s say 3 inches. Next to each caster, on the narrow sides of the frame, there would be a leg. The legs would be a tad longer than the casters, lets say 3 1/4 inches. The legs would be affixed to the frame with a hinge oriented such that the legs could fold inward, or under the narrow side of the frame. Fully extended, the legs would be perpendicular to the frame bottom.

To make the island stationary, simply lift the narrow end up more than a 1/4 inches. Gravity would make the two legs on that narrow side extend outward until they are perpendicular to the base. Set that narrow end down on the extended legs. The legs being longer than the casters, will make that narrow side stationary. Do the same on the other narrow side. Your island is now sitting on legs.

To make the island mobile, lift the narrow side just a tad, kick the legs inward and set down the narrow end on casters. Repeat on the other side.

 

[goldtang]

I have not looked in the Cost, what the total set up would be like and money is not a problem , hospital beds use electronic braking casters and controllers

 

[Citation]

OP, what about using casters on a lever arm then use simple air bags to push the casters down. Most of the time the island would be supported by static feet. When you need to move it use those air wedges to push the casters down. The casters should be attached to lever arms that will be stable when absorbing the lateral loads associated with moving the island. I drew this sketch with the hing off to one side. It might be better to put a center line hing and use large panels for the arms. Each panel would support two casters, one at each corner of the island. The inflating pumps can be hand operated and hidden in the island.

 

[Citation]

Dublicate.

 

[tool_scrounge]

These Atlas adjustable height leveling casters are pretty cool if you have inside access to the adjustment screw

https://atlascasters.com/index.php/LCSX

 

[DGersic]

I’d do casters like these. You want that island stationary when it’s in place.