Removing Casters from US General 42". Thoughts on protecting it?

[tmp]

Install furniture feet on the bottom of the box. You could potentially use the same bolt holes for the casters if you can find feet with the same thread. Then you can drag it around to your hearts content without damaging the box or the floor.

Or pull the bench away from the wall, set your box in place without the casters, then slide the bench over it.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Thinking about what to use for spacers for the UHMW to get it exactly the right height led to the inspiration of 3D printing the spacer from PLA. PLA has a pretty good compressive strength around 50 MPa.

The next brain flash - why not print the entire pad from PLA? Maybe not. PLA doesn't have the best abrasion resistance.

Aha! PETG. Almost as good compressive strength as PLA but much better abrasion resistance. If I can't get UHMW here by tomorrow, printing the entire pad from PETG might be an option.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Or pull the bench away from the wall, set your box in place without the casters, then slide the bench over it.

Crossmember says no.

 

[niget2002]

I'd just use a few stick-on furniture pads. They'll squish down to nothing when you fill the box up, but it'll protect the metal while you slide it under the bench.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Aha! PETG. Almost as good compressive strength as PLA but much better abrasion resistance. If I can't get UHMW here by tomorrow, printing the entire pad from PETG might be an option.

Just remembered that I have several spools of ASA on hand also. Even greater compressive strength and abrasion resistance that PETG. This might be a solved problem if I can find time today to CAD it up.

 

[GeoBruin]

I had considered this also. Maybe using UHMW. However, I was hoping to get this knocked out this weekend and would have to wait for the UHMW or Delrin to arrive.

Delrin would be ideal since it is slippery and machines nicely, but as I mentioned, you could use almost anything. Hardwood hobby board from home depot seems logical since it comes in various lengths, widths, and thicknesses. You could probably get away with just cutting to length if you bought the right piece. My instinct tells me a 1 x 4 piece (3/4" actual thickness) would be just about right.

Edit: just saw that you have 3d printing capabilities. Seems like a slam dunk. 100% infill pad and you can even layout the bolt holes/slots where you want. No drilling required. Plus you can adjust the thickness to make the gap under the lip whatever you want.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

you can even layout the bolt holes/slots where you want. No drilling required. Plus you can adjust the thickness to make the gap under the lip whatever you want.

Exactly!

Edit. 100% infill probably not necessary, but I would up the wall thickness for sure. Thick 3D prints are amazingly strong. It took a surprising amount of force to break these numbers (you can see the infill in this pic).

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

To quote Hannibal Smith, "I love it when a plan comes together!"

Current options for getting this done this weekend:

1. Print 4 pads from ASA to lift the box a 1/16" to 1/8".
2. Use UHMW, Delrin, or cutting board and print spacers from ASA or PETG.
3. Use a combination of hardwood and a spacer (hardboard, masonite).
4. Use coroplast and some minor hot-glue for attaching.

Thanks for all the great ideas! Some successful rubber-ducking happening also.

 

[PoorUB]

I would not set it right on the floor. The paint will chip and it will rust away, slowly creeping up the box.
Remove the wheels, weld up a metal frame to fit the bottom ofvthe box and bot to the wheel mounting holes and screw strips of polyethylene to the bottom of the frame.

 

[RTM]

was hoping to get this knocked out this weekend and would have to wait for the UHMW or Delrin to arrive.

Use a plastic kitchen cutting board. Many are in the Delrin family. Steal one out of the kitchen, buy a new one to replace it, double win.

 

[Komet]

Roll it over a bunch of steel dowels and then pull them out with a little wooden wedge action?

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Use a plastic kitchen cutting board. Many are in the Delrin family. Steal one out of the kitchen, buy a new one to replace it, double win.

LOL! I actually ordered one today. Should be here tomorrow. 12" x 18" x 1/2" for $8.

If it doesn't work, I will print something. I do love my 3D printer, but there isn't much point in running it for 8 hours when I can cut something in 15 minutes.

Edit: I don't know how good the cutting board tolerances are. A true 1/2" would be about perfect.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Is this workbench just a work space or do you actually wail on stuff with a hammer on it n?

If it's just a work space, why no just pull the wood top off the frame and mount it to the HF box ?

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Going to beat on it. Maybe mount a vice on it also.

The bench top is 25" x 72" - a decent size. I have 3 more scattered around.

I already have a reasonable amount of tool storage: A USG 56" bottom and top, a Kobalt bottom and top (20 year old stainless back when they were decent), a 5 drawer cart, and a 1 drawer cart.

But... It is a few steps from the bench to the cabs so it would be nice if there were some drawers under the bench. I was all set to buy some cheapo Home Depot kitchen drawer base cabs for the purpose but decided more and smaller drawers would be better. Decided to put a
Yukon cab under it, but hated the way the drawers racked when pulling on them.

So, one things leads to another and here I am trying to wedge the USG under the bench.

 

[i84x]

If you are concerned about scratching and rust on the bottom you could put a piece of wood or perspex under it so its not directly touching the floor.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

I am going to go make some pancakes on this cool and rainy Saturday morning. Hungry Jack extra light and fluffy topped with a dab of Kerry Gold butter and some maple syrup.

Then, even though I am probably going to use cutting board for this, I am going to go ahead and CAD up some pads to possibly print. I have become intrigued with the idea of printing friction fit nubs where the bolts would go. No bolts needed, just lightly tap the pads into place. Need to print one to see how much force is needed to breaks the nubs off.


Edit:

 

[Jayman17]

^^^^ Needs blueberries

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

I have become intrigued with the idea of printing friction fit nubs where the bolts would go. No bolts needed, just lightly tap the pads into place. Need to print one to see how much force is needed to breaks the nubs off.

Something like this:

 

[NUTTSGT]

Ok, so you are going to beat on it and need to be a bench first rather than a bench top.

Got a buddy ?

Take the casters off, set it on a thin piece of PT lumber or plywood to keep it off the floor where you want it. Set the workbench up and over it. No reason to slide the box across the floor.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

It is always a cool feeling to CAD something and then see it come into the real world. The small piece is a corner I printed in PLA to check for fitment.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Success. Probably.

 

[Model A Fan]

Why not place the box where you want it and then drop the work bench over it? Then if you still have to shimmy the box around, you just do a few CM instead of dragging it across cement...

 

[mike93lx]

Success. Probably.

Definitely worth the work. It should last 80 years instead of 70 with those feet

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Why not place the box where you want it and then drop the work bench over it? Then if you still have to shimmy the box around, you just do a few CM instead of dragging it across cement...

I definitely considered it. Bench only weighs 130 lbs which is no problem for two people but access is tricky without setting off a chain reaction of moving stuff. Then I will need to move it again in a few months to install some welding curtains.

As it is, it will have to slide about 4'. Then, in a few months, 3' out and 3' back in.

 

[rsanter]

Personally I would use wood, metal, or plastic that I cut into squares and make the thickness 1/16-1/8 thicker than the recess under the box ( so keeps the box 1/16-1/8 off the ground.
then I would raise the table bench to accommodate that.

i did almost the same thing at work years ago but I left the wheels on the box.
i unscrewed the feet of the bench and had the machine shop make me steel spacer that are drilled and threaded through the center.
i used all thread in them to hold them to the bench and then screwed the foot into that raising the bench about an inch to make it the height I needed.
worked great

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

Sounds like it's done, but I was wondering about those feet for either a washer/dryer/compressor, with some UHMW tape on the bottom, covering a hole where you thread them into the caster spots, so they stay in place.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Yep, pretty close to done. The other 3 pads are printed and I will put them on sometime this afternoon and try to get it into place.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Final installment of this little project.

The pads work far better than I could have hoped. The cab was easy to slide. There were no traces of any abraded ASA on the floor. The bottom edge of the cab clears the floor by about 3/32". Approximately 5 turns of the leg screws allowed the workbench to clear the cab by 3/32". There is room on the right for a small filing cabinet. The workbench is close enough to level for me.

 

[whateg01]

I guess it's a little late now, but I forgot to suggest making it so the front of the toolbox is about 1/8" taller than the rear. If it's tipped back slightly, the drawers won't have a tendency to want to open themselves.

 

[Farmall450]

Option: keep them separate, nearly double your work surface (with the top of the box being its own workbench).

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Option: keep them separate, nearly double your work surface (with the top of the box being its own workbench).

I wish I had that kind of room! I only have 21' x 21' for a workspace right now. Painful after having a 30' x 50'. Building or buying a new shop is on the to-do list, but probably not this year. I already have a another smallish bench with a grinder on it. A wall of shelves, the other two cabs, four welders, drill press, hydraulic press, etc. And there is a 4' x 5' steel plate waiting to become a welding table.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

I guess it's a little late now, but I forgot to suggest making it so the front of the toolbox is about 1/8" taller than the rear. If it's tipped back slightly, the drawers won't have a tendency to want to open themselves.

All the drawers have latches. I haven't ripped them out yet but not sure how I feel about the USG gen3 latches compared to the earlier latches. Might pull them out of the top two drawers and use neodymium magnets on them if they want to drift open.

 

[tarbellb]

Very cool solution OP! Top notch problem solving

 

[rust in the eye]

I guess it's a little late now, but I forgot to suggest making it so the front of the toolbox is about 1/8" taller than the rear. If it's tipped back slightly, the drawers won't have a tendency to want to open themselves.

Many drawer glides have a slight "catch" at the rearmost travel to prevent this. Level is usually good.

 

[whateg01]

Many drawer glides have a slight "catch" at the rearmost travel to prevent this. Level is usually good.

Many. Not all. My USG cabinets do, but they don't have latches. From what I've seen, it's usually either latches or that resistance at the back, not both.

 

[Dr.JohnnyFever]

Ok, I just checked and this Series 3 42" box does have a kind of friction notch that holds the drawers snug when they are completely closed. Not sure on my old 56" but I have the drawers on it filled so heavy that I prefer leaving the latches on it.

 

[drokihazan]

I have two USG 27" cabs under my workbench. They're on redwood 1x6 feet that I drilled out so I could bolt them into the caster mounts on the bottom of the cabs, because I always have a ton of redwood lumber lying around from my own projects living in NorCal.
I also removed those awful plastic drawer locks from them, since they are Series 3 cabs, and just use the drawer detent - it's more than enough to keep them closed, especially since I keep very heavy tools in those two boxes.