Looking for something that will work for this..Now mobile base build.

Jim O'Dell

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Between Aledo and Fort Worth, TX
I need to get the mobile base built for the new table saw. I have the design worked out. I'll use a 4X4X81" Douglas Fir on front and back. Four more pieces to cross brace it, one at each of the ends, and 2 for the cabinet to sit on.Where the saw sits will be routed out so that the saw will sit down in a well of sorts so I can get it at the right height.
I'll use 6 of these moble base feet.gif for the base to sit on and to level it. But I need something for them to screw into. I'm afraid that the regular T-nuts won't be stout enough. With the saw, torsion box extension, the mobile base, casters, built in storage on the right side, and the hardware, I'm guessing it will be somewhere between 800 and 950 lbs. The feet are rated at 500 lbs each, so I know they will be ok. The studs are 1/2", 13 tpi. I wanted to use the floor stanchions that black pipe threads into, but the tpi must be different as a 1/2" 13 tpi bolt won't thread into it. Am I going to have to make something myself? Some 1/4" steel plate with a extra longnut welded to it? I'd like to find something commercially made if anyone knows of something that will work. McMaster-Carr did have a cast alloy threaded piece in a 3/8 16 tpi thread, alloy insert.gif but it isn't rated for what weight it holds. Did look heavier duty than the T-nuts. I could go to the feet that are 3/8", they're rated at 250 lbs each, still plenty of headroom. But I do like the larger floor pad that the 1/2" version has...about 1/2" larger in diameter.
The casters will pivot down and lock into place on each end. G8172.jpg These bad boys are rated at 500 lbs each! They have grease zerks for the wheel bearings, and for the pivot bearings! I think they will do the trick.:thumb: And they are only 9.25 each.
Any other ideas? Know of anything else that might work? As always, thanks for any info you can offer!! Jim.
 
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Thanks Frank, but the wheels will only be in contact on the ground when it is to be moved. Other wise the wheels are up, and the base will sit on the leveling feet, so it is secure. That way it doesn't have to be re-leveled after each move. I just don't trust the locking casters not to move on me some...especially with this much weight. I just need something that the leveling feet will screw into that will handle the weight. :huh: Jim.

edit: these casters are already in my hands, and they are from Grizzly. Just noticed that I left the manufacturer's name off the original post.
 
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Why not just use some 1/4" plate and use a tap to thread it? Or maybe thicker plate and just make your own "T-Nut"? Just an idea.
 
I'd drill and tap 6 pieces of 1/4" plate and fasten those to the platform with lag bolts. Screw the feet in with a nut and lock washer on it to lock it in place after you level it.:thumb:
 
Well, that is a thought. I looked at my HF tap and die set...yes, there is a 1/2" 13 tpi tap. Wonder if it could actually handle cutting threads in the steel???:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
I did find these at McMaster-Carr also. weld nuts.gif Has the same diameter flange as the pronged T-nut, (1 1/4") but has 3 holes instead. Called a weld nut. I might order a package of 10, they're less than 7.00. If I don't like what they look like, I might try to tap the 1/4" steel plate. If my HF tap won't work, I can weld these onto the plate!!! :thumb: :D Thanks guys! Jim.
 
I think you're short-guessing the strength of ordinary T-nuts when they're well supported by material around 'em. You might experiment with one embedded in a snug-fitting hole in wood, say in one end of a 2"x2" stick of softwood. Embed one, screw a foot (or a bolt) into it, then treat it for a moment like a pogo stick or one-leg stool. Will it support your whole body weight? VERY PROBABLY. What's six times your body weight?

I'm pretty positive even a 1/4" T-nut will support your whole body weight without groaning or bending or stripping out. If it does, then the 1/2" size is sure to do at least as well.
 
The current plan, as suggested on my thread at the Creek, is to get the unit pictured above, get some steel plate say 3" X 4", drill a hole for the weld nut to fit into, drill and tap holes to line up with the 3 holes in the weld nut, attach, and drill holes in the corners of the steel plate to attach to the wood. Just adds a little to spread out the weight.
Thanks for the ideas all! Jim.
 
I have placed machines on bases using the heavier t-nuts. To avoid lateral pressure issues, I drill the hole in the wood such that the threaded rod of the leveler has to be threaded into the wood. I then counterbore for the t-nut "neck" and screw it down. The t-nut distributes the weight and the leveler shaft is controlled by the wood leg material.
 
Thanks Glenn and Tim. I'm sure it would be fine just using the T-nut alone. You're not the first person that has suggested that. :D But I can spend an extra 18.00 or so now, and improve my odds with what will turn out to be roughly a 2" X 3" X 1/4" thick plate made out of 4140 steel. (They also have 1018 steel, but it has several characteristics that weren't measured, where the the 4140 was listed, and only about 2.50 more.) As hard as it will be to put the saw on the base, if using the t-nuts alone failed, it would be a big hassle to change it out. If the plate and the weld nuts fail, at least I know I did more than the basic to hedge my bets.
I've always done what you suggest on the barrel of the T-nuts where they enter the wood. Tight fit, lightly hammered in. I also always counter sunk the flange so it was flush with the bottom. I'll probably route out for the steel plate as well. Won't be much of the barrel of the weld nut protrude past the plate...about 1/8", but I'll account for that also. We'll see about letting the threads of the mount cut into the wood. Wouldn't hurt to do so, but not sure how much it would help either. The weight will be carried by the steel on steel threads. Jim.

I can't divide today!:eek: 6 pieces out of 3" X 12" stock will be roughly 2 X 3, not 3 X 3. :doh::doh:Corrected in the post above.
 
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Jim what about a 1/2" black iron pipe wall flange? Or maybe a 3/8" ones?
can be found in the plumbing section of most hardware stores.:thumb:
 
Chuck, that is what I had hoped would work when I went out yesterday to HD. The black pipe threads are different. The 1/4" pipe is right at the right diameter for a 1/2" bolt, but the threads are wrong. According to Chip Lindley over at SMC, the black pipe threads are tapered and this is why they won't work. I was guessing it was either 12 or 14 threads per inch instead of the 13 that I needed, but either way, it won't screw together.
Now...if I could find 4 of them that didn't get threaded or even drilled, I could make what I needed!! :thumb: Jim.
 
Unfortunately the 1/4" that's closest to the right size is as small as they go. :( Or that would be a perfect idea. Guess I should have gone to the 5/8" shaft feet, huh? :huh:
You know, that might have worked, but I've already placed the order for the other stuff. :rofl::rofl: Jim.

And I don't have a 5/8" tap. :p
 
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Randy, if I could find some 4 X 4 oak or maple timbers to make this thing out of, the nuts might hold fine. I'm not so sure how secure it would be with Douglas Fir. :huh:
I think I've come up with a workable solution that isn't too expensive. I'll make the base G0691 mobile base 2.jpg and make four separate pieces that the wheels will bolt on to. Then these will bolt on to the base at each corner when I need to move it. I will use a single 1/2" bolt through a cross member at each end (not shown on drawing) to screw down to raise that end and bolt the wheels on. Doing one end at a time will leave 3 points at all time in contact with the floor. That should be safe for no higher than it will have to be. And it is probably the least expensive option I have. (There goes that Scottish blood from my Mom's side of the family again! :rofl::rofl::rofl:) This isn't set in stone yet...I'll ponder on it a few more days and try to see any problems with it. If you see a problem, or have a better solution, please let me know!! Jim.
 
Guess I should have updated last Sunday evening, but I just never got out to the shop with the camera. I got about as much done to the base as I originally planned to, thanks to the Cowboys stinking the TV up and the extra time that gave me in the shop.:rofl: Evenings just haven't been conducive to getting out there to work on it, so I'll get most of the rest of it done this weekend, starting with sanding the "pit" for the saw to sit in. It is pretty rough. dscn2519.jpgdscn2521.jpg
Need to decide how to finish it. :huh::dunno:I'd love to paint it with the green paint that the saw is trimmed in. It is pretty expensive though. About 60.00 a gallon. I've read different opinions on the net, that it can and can not be applied to wood. So I'll probably pass unless I can get clarification from the manufacturer. If I find it will work, I'll just prime it good for now, and do the green hammered paint later. If it isn't going to work, I guess I could go with black and it would be fine. We'll see.
I will need to take the base back apart to drill the holes for the leveling feet, the threaded rod that will lift each end, and for the caster mounts. In the pictures, the casters are mounted to their wooden supports, and just set in the middle of the base.
Hopefully, I'll get the base under the saw by Sunday, but I doubt it. ;) Jim.
 
Salem, it wasn't near as messy as the dado work on the RAS!!!:doh: Took me about 45 minutes to vacuum all that up today before I got started.
OK, here is where I'm at so far. dscn2525.jpg I drilled the rest of the holes, found that where I wanted to have the hole for the 6 mounting pads on the ends ran right into a lag bolt on the underneath side that I didn't take into account for. So I plugged those, and re-drilled further into the the base, further than I wanted them to be, but only about 9" from the ends. Got all the t-nuts installed. Decided against using the steel plate, at least for now. If it doesn't hold, then I can take it back apart and add that. But I'm betting those that said just the t-nuts by themselves would be fine are right. On the two end plates that I will use the section of all thread to jack the ends up to get the wheels on, I used 2 of the t-nuts. One in the bottom of the 4 X 4, and one in the bottom of the 2 X 6.dscn2523.jpg Then glued and screwed these together.dscn2524.jpg Tweaked a few things, like the corners and ledges in the "pit", then gave the whole thing a good sanding with 80 grit with the ROS. Did one more test fit. dscn2526.jpg Then took it all back apart. Last thing was to start the primer coat. dscn2527.jpg I found I did have some of the correct primer that one fact sheet said you needed to use to use the Hammerite paint on wood. I'll get out there and flip everything over, and finish the priming job, at least the first coat, in a little while. Maybe I can get the second coat on tomorrow. And I think I'll prime a junk piece of wood and try the Hammerite paint on it, see what it does. Later! Jim.
 
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