Mobile Base for Floor Standing Drill Press

[porphyre]

Hey guys, I'll be acquiring a large floor drill press this weekend. It's being given to me by a family friend. Although I've used it in the past, I don't remember any specifics about it. My memory says it's a good sized, 8-10" throat, 150lbs-ish press. My friend says it's actually every bit of 300 lbs.

If it's really 300 lbs, I don't want to damage myself, my floor, or the press by manhandling it around the shop. So it's got to go on a mobile base until I can clear a permanent place for it.

Could y'all post up what you're using for mobile bases on floor standing drill presses? My main worry is drill presses are often rather top heavy....

Pics of the press will come Sunday.

Pics of your bases are most appreciated.

 

[geologist]

Is there any way of bolting it down? Most of the press carriages I've seen are kind of low slung. The casters are usually the highest point, then the actual area where the press sits is much lower (almost dragging the floor).

 

[Outlawmws]

NOT recommended! (Sorry...)

 

[DavidB]

I move mine around with a two wheeled dolly. Since its just temporary that might be easier.

 

[Kenwc]

 

[DekeT]

I use a small mobile base for my press. I put weights on the base and keep the table low on the column so the drill press will be less top heavy. Just raise the table to the correct height. I have to change the table almost every time I use the drill so raising it from down low is no problem.

 

[Tunger]

At my old ranch shop we had a large rigid drill press that we quickly got tired of manhandling. So we welded 2 casters to the back of the base that you could tip it back on and wheel it around with. It was basically like having a built in dolly. Worked well and only cost a few bucks. Wish I had some pics but haven't been there in better than a year.

 

[woody 73]

For the life of me I could not understand why my salesman tried talking me out of a mobile base; he said the drill press would fall over and kill me...

I bought a HTC base and that drill press has never fallen over,not saying he is wrong but I just use caution when I roll it around.

If you want to save a ton of money buy the kits that you use lumber to make your own size base,each kit comes with 4 brackets and casters you just cut some wood to your dimensions.

 

[Packard V8]

As they say, "your results may vary," but I'm on the don't do it side. There's a good reason DPs don't commonly come with wheels on them. If you've been successfully moving a DP on wheels, it's probably not very large or tall, you're exceptionally strong or the accident just hasn't happened yet.

jack vines

 

[porphyre]

Thanks for all the valuable insight guys. Many of those bases look pretty good... the kink here is that it would probably take me as long to build a base like that as it would to just sit down, figure out where it's going, then move the shelves/junk/other machinery so I can just put it there to begin with.

I've been doing some brain wracking and researching DP's on the net. Unless I'm thinking of the wrong machine, I really don't see how it'll weigh over 150. 150 is a weight I'm comfortable moving around. Guess I'll see...

Pics in a couple days...

 

[srmofo]

Ive got shop fox mobile base on my drill press and band saw....Im not sure I would of paid the asking price for these bad boys, but since they came with the tools when I bought them on craigslist, Ill take em.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DD6B9/?tag=atomicindus08-20

IMHO they are kinda janky since they are more of a "universal" fit type of thing, but they serve their purpose well and I havent had any problems with them.

 

[stripped]

I have found that a standard two wheel dolly works. When I was working we moved nearly every piece of equipment we could using a dolly, otherwise we used a crane. I have moved my drill press around quite a bit and as long as you are careful there shouldn't be a problem.

 

[PCO6]

I have a Sears universal mobile base which is fine for what I need. It travels about 2' straight out from the wall then 2' straight back so it doesn't have a lot of miles on it.

 

[Outlawmws]

SNIP

If it's really 300 lbs, I don't want to damage myself, my floor, or the press by manhandling it around the shop. So it's got to go on a mobile base until I can clear a permanent place for it.

SNIP.

FYI I have a small Clausing V. Mill (About 900 lbs) when I brought it home, after reassembling the mil to the factory base, My son and I "walked" it the 6-8 ft from where it landed, to the spot it now resides. at the time my son was about 12... no real issue to the mill, us, or the floor. YMMV

I agree, its not likely 300 lbs unless it is one heck of a big industrial DP.

 

[dwm]

I would not be surprised at all if it weighs ~300 lbs, assuming the throat depth really is 10". Jet JDP-20MF = 288 lbs. Delta 20-950 is 286 lbs. Grizzly G7948 shipping weight is 331 lbs, I'm guessing about 30 lbs. of that is packaging.

If it were me, I'd build my own platform using these:

 

[lilredex]

My Delta is mobile and has worked out just fine. Mine acassionally travels out onto the driveway and have never had any stability issues.

It is made from 1/4 X 2" angles with junk yard wheels (4 X 3/4"). Eyes, front and back allow it to be pulled with a handled long hook to help in the maneuvering.

 

[porphyre]

Whew. It's only 160 lbs. My buddy must be getting old! It's small enough that I can move it around w/ the hand dolly, so it's not getting a permanent mobile base.

12 speed, 3/4 hp, 13" swing, Taiwan from 1985. Looking at specs, it's basically the same as a Ridgid DP1550, except the quill travel is only 3 1/4" Table is clean, everything's actually pretty damn clean for a free press that's been sitting in a garage for 7-8 years.

I just need to re-wire the plug and buy a chuck and I'm good to go. Oh, and the stupid rack for the table raise/lower mechanism is broken. Only about a 3rd of it there. Dunno how I'm going to find a replacement part.

 

[John11]

i like the aluminum extrusion idea, thanks for the post

 

[river1]

This is the one I'm thinking of using

later jim

 

[Steven67fr]

I just used the frame of a McLane edger. cheap and easy to acquire. It just sits at the back of the press and the press sits on its own original base. When it's time to move, just tip it back up onto the wheels and roll it wherever you want.

 

[John11]

Great 8020 base build, thanks for an idea.

John

 

[lilredex]

Bump....updated pictures that performed a disappearing act. Post #16

 

[kwschumm]

I bought a grizzly mobile base for my Jet drill press. The quality seemed good and I was happy until one day it caught on something and tipped over. The press fell to the floor and the cast iron case was cracked. So, no, I wouldn't recommend one. Instead I'd put the money toward a nice hand truck with built in moving straps.

 

[2oolhound]

The wheeled base is usually wider than the original base so it should be more stable unless you're moving it on uneven ground. My wheeled base has levelling feet at each corner so you normally keep it level on the feet and off the wheels. When moving you lower the table and stack a few hundred lbs of steel on the base and it's hard to tip specially if the levelling feet are only up 1/4" or so.

You have to be careful moving something like that but I'm happy with mine although I haven't moved it in about 4 years.

 

[plouf]

Hi,

Sorry to revive such this old (but interesting) post. I'll take some inspiration from this design for a mobile stand for my drill press. But I have a couple of questions.

1) What's the optimal height of the wood planks (I will use two, side by side and glued). My drill press is about 158kg. Is 18mm hard wood a correct choice?

2) I can't really guess the sequence of operations to set this up. I'd like to bolt the drill press to the planks of course. But then, how to put the whole assemblage on the stand? It may look silly but I'm a bit puzzled here.

Thanks for your clues!

Plouf

 

[dscheidt]

Hi,

Sorry to revive such this old (but interesting) post. I'll take some inspiration from this design for a mobile stand for my drill press. But I have a couple of questions.

1) What's the optimal height of the wood planks (I will use two, side by side and glued). My drill press is about 158kg. Is 18mm hard wood a correct choice?

2) I can't really guess the sequence of operations to set this up. I'd like to bolt the drill press to the planks of course. But then, how to put the whole assemblage on the stand? It may look silly but I'm a bit puzzled here.

Thanks for your clues!

Plouf

that is almost certainly a piece of plywood (3/4"/19mm probably). My drill press is bolted to a piece of plywood, for stability, not mobility. I'm pretty sure I used carriage bolts. To put it on, I took the press part into head, column, base, and put the plywood on, and then put it back together. I've since had occaision to take the head off, which I did by tipping against a big stable work bench at roughly the balance point, and lifting the base off the ground. (and then removing the head). Help is desirable. or just lift with your crane or whatever.

 

[no704]

Harbor freight moving dolly should be fine.

 

[Jim_No_Garage]

I added a rolling base to my Delta floor height drill press. I built it as an "outrigger" setup.


The base is encapsulated in and bolted to a wooden framed box. The casters are top mounted to the box and the bottom of the box is 3/4" off the floor. All 4 casters are double lock casters so it doesn't move when they are locked.

I don't roll it around much but it allows me to pull it out of it's hole in the corner when I need clearance to drill longer items.

Cheers

Jim

 

[plouf]

Sorry to come back again to this old post. There is something in the picture which is not quite clear for me: if the plywood on which the drill press is bolted touches the ground (I mean in the picture I quoted in #25), it's certainly a pain to move the whole thing when the casters run free, won't it?

 

[GeoBruin]

Sorry to come back again to this old post. There is something in the picture which is not quite clear for me: if the plywood on which the drill press is bolted touches the ground (I mean in the picture I quoted in #25), it's certainly a pain to move the whole thing when the casters run free, won't it?

The plywood doesn't touch the ground.