Welded Mobile Base Design question

[Tedison]

Picked up a Walker Turner 1951 16" Bandsaw - 650 Lbs worth of cast iron (est'd). Attached is my design. Not having any experience with metal/welding, I tend to think like a woodworker LOL. Is racking a concern with a welded joint? In the pictures you can see where I used channel steel (2" x 1" x 1/8") as the posts to support the outriggers which will be (2" x 3/16") Angle Iron. The base is also channel steel (3" x 1.25" x 3/16"). The Threaded rod is 1/2 - 13 and 12" long so as to be easy to reach. I intend to put loops on the base and use a pole with a hook on it so that it can be moved without grabbing any parts of the band saw. Looking for some feedback from any experienced welders. I am pretty confident that I am using over sized steel for the weight-I grabbed all of the channel steel from a local suppliers cutoffs/scrap so picked it up pretty cheap. Do I need to reinforce the posts at the joints to avoid racking? The caster mounting plates are 2.5 inches wide so I will probably pick up some rectangular plate steel 1/8" thick to weld to the underside of the angle iron where they mount. Thanks in advance for any ideas, planning to have this welded up by a friend Friday.

 

[GeoBruin]

The load on those "posts" when the base is standing still is simply in tension, and then only until you extend the feet, so the joint would probably be sufficient if the base never moved. The problem, as you have intuited, is when the base moves, and then the wheels catch a crack or other such obstruction, those joints are now subject to bending, and they are not particularly strong in that regard.

The solution, as in wood working, is to add some angle braces (in both dimensions). My other recommendation is to add some cross members to connect the two pieces with the castors, that way all of the forces encountered by those members when rolling over cracks, etc. are not translated through your vertical posts and the support for the saw. Crude drawing attached.

 

[Tedison]

The load on those "posts" when the base is standing still is simply in tension, and then only until you extend the feet, so the joint would probably be sufficient if the base never moved. The problem, as you have intuited, is when the base moves, and then the wheels catch a crack or other such obstruction, those joints are now subject to bending, and they are not particularly strong in that regard.

The solution, as in wood working, is to add some angle braces (in both dimensions). My other recommendation is to add some cross members to connect the two pieces with the castors, that way all of the forces encountered by those members when rolling over cracks, etc. are not translated through your vertical posts and the support for the saw. Crude drawing attached.

I added 2 new pictures with 6 additional pieces of steel. Seems like a lot of steel compared to the commercially available mobile bases, but I am rarely happy with the commercially available bases. Could not find one that was sized for my band saw that could handle the weight. Please advise if there is a simpler way to do this? Thanks.

 

[tarmy]

This table saw was close to 800 lbs….these are some pics that show how I lowered it and dealt with the wheels…

 

[GeoBruin]

I added 2 new pictures with 6 additional pieces of steel. Seems like a lot of steel compared to the commercially available mobile bases, but I am rarely happy with the commercially available bases. Could not find one that was sized for my band saw that could handle the weight. Please advise if there is a simpler way to do this? Thanks.

I'm not seeing your new photos.

 

[Tedison]

I'm not seeing your new photos.

I reuploaded

 

[Tedison]

This table saw was close to 800 lbs….these are some pics that show how I lowered it and dealt with the wheels…

Thanks for sharing these - this looks like a much simpler design than what I shared. What size are the casters and what thickness steel did you use to bolt the caster plate to?

 

[tarmy]

Thanks for sharing these - this looks like a much simpler design than what I shared. What size are the casters and what thickness steel did you use to bolt the caster plate to?

4” ER Wagner. Get good castors…these don’t flat spot and make moving that beast easy. Sometimes the simpler solution works best…

1/4” bar stock. If I wasn’t going to have that stiffener…would use 3/8”

 

[GeoBruin]

I had some space constraints when I built the base for my mill so I really couldn't have big outriggers for casters. Instead I opted for a "tank track" design. It is less maneuver able than having 4 swivel casters in that it can't be moved side to side in place, but it's very compact, strong, and simple.

 

[Hohn]

Geo, that's super impressive.
You have me thinking about building a low-profile dolly for my 80 gallon Champion that I'm going to be trying to move soon.

 

[lilredex]

When I made my T/S stand, I made the axle on the left, pivoting in the center to take care of any uneveness in the floor. It does not move while in use. The whole thing probably weighs under 200#. Don't think you need that elaborate set up, at 650# it ain't going anywhere, even without that braking system. Probably one set of swivel castors is
enough.

The axle set up is shown in the second picture.

 

[GeoBruin]

Geo, that's super impressive.
You have me thinking about building a low-profile dolly for my 80 gallon Champion that I'm going to be trying to move soon.

Thanks. I was actually inspired by the design of this Rhino Cart, which I happened to use to move my compressor recently. I was amazed at how maneuver able it was for not having any casters. That said, it's pretty lightweight, and mostly plastic. I don't know if I would recommend it for heavy equipment.

Rhino Cart All Terrain Moving Cart

Rhino Cart is the most rugged all terrain moving cart on the market. It's a heavy-duty moving dolly specifically designed to conquer thresholds, uneven surfaces, and even hard pack dirt and gravel. Moving just got easier.

rhinocart.com

 

[Hohn]

I like design but I think I’d tweak it a bit. I like your version better.

 

[tarbellb]

Thanks. I was actually inspired by the design of this Rhino Cart, which I happened to use to move my compressor recently. I was amazed at how maneuver able it was for not having any casters. That said, it's pretty lightweight, and mostly plastic. I don't know if I would recommend it for heavy equipment.

Rhino Cart All Terrain Moving Cart

Rhino Cart is the most rugged all terrain moving cart on the market. It's a heavy-duty moving dolly specifically designed to conquer thresholds, uneven surfaces, and even hard pack dirt and gravel. Moving just got easier.

rhinocart.com

I like design but I think I’d tweak it a bit. I like your version better.

Sweet base Geo, looks plenty beefy

Costco is selling those Rhino bases now, clever, but not heavy duty enough for me to grab one

 

[Slupie]

This is how I welded the mobile base for my 1986 PM 66 thats somewhere around 500-600 pounds.

 

[NUTTSGT]

4” ER Wagner. Get good castors…these don’t flat spot and make moving that beast easy. Sometimes the simpler solution works best…

1/4” bar stock. If I wasn’t going to have that stiffener…would use 3/8”

I'll second this . . .

Absolutely get good casters on something if this size.

You don't want load it to only find the casters are **** and you need to redesign your entire base because of the casters.

I'd highly suggest to "overbuild" it