Casters for Lathe Question

Dan Mosley

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1,169
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Palm Springs, Ca
Ive been looking for some good heavy duty casters for my Jet 1642 lathe but lost the spec sheet for the legs. I think they are 3/8" but having trouble finding a good source. Bought some awhile back off Ebay but the are not that good and difficult to roll.....any thoughts from anyone who has purchased any ???
 
I haven't bought any lately, but do know my engine hoist and A frame hoist have steel caster wheels under them so after a length of time with a load on them they don't develop flat spots (heck the equipment might be heavy enough to create flat spots without a load). Anyway, they are tough to roll on bad concrete, don't even think of rolling over a cord (probably cut it in two). Two swivel and two straight so you can drive it like a wheelbarrow. Does this help?
 
i know this is a stupid question but i do flat work.
do people put wheels on lathes? i would think you would want it to be screwed to the floor.
 
i know this is a stupid question but i do flat work.
do people put wheels on lathes? i would think you would want it to be screwed to the floor.

I have a lathe cart for my mini with steel casters. I got 2" and now wish I had gone with the 3" ones.
My big lathes are staying put where they are no wheels for them.:thumb:
 
yep it helps with the straight and swivel - i need the threaded ones but thanks .........
The reason my lathe is on wheels is because i dont have alot of room and need to be able to move it around......I can add weight to the stand anytime i need it for stability.
thanks though
 
I had casters from Harbor freight on my Ridgid lathe, but I did that in Houston because I had to move it in and out of the shop in order to reshuffle equipment in there... I also have 2 inch casters from HF on the Jet1014 stand... it's hard to roll too, but may be because of the box of rocks I have on the bottom... it weights close to 300 lbs with the lathe and rocks on the stand.... my Jet 1442 isn't on casters..
 
I put the foot glides on my 1642 yesterday. They are indeed 3/8".

You're going to be pushing nearly 500 pounds. Shipping weight (cardboard container) was 476 pounds. I would not use anything less than 4" wheels. The bigger the wheel, the smoother the ride.

I used to have a really good wheel source in SoCal. I wonder if he is still in business....???
 
I have the red 3” swivel casters from Woodcraft on my cut off/sheet goods cart, and it is HEAVY. Rolls fine and the wheels haven’t flattened out. It’s loaded up a lot more now than in those pictures.
 

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I didn't put casters under my big lathe... don't plan to move it from it's present location, but I can slide it around on the floor of my shop if I need to.... may have to bolt it down, but hate to mess up the floor in case I decide I do want to move it.... besides I put a piece of maple on it the other day that was waaaaay out of balance... when I turned the lathe on, it danced about 6 inches before I could reach the switch to shut it off.... so I guess it can move on it's own if it wants to...:rofl:
 
Try Great Lakes Casters. They have a large assortment of casters. You can plug in sizes, threads, wheel size, etc on the left and it will narrow down to those that meet your requirements. The also have casters like Vaughn has. Not sure if Vaughn's are Great Lakes or the other more expensive brand. Jim.
 
I have mine on caster, in fact all my machines are on casters. I use 2" or 3" rubber casters as I want to be able to move them about but don't want them to move on their own. I use a caster just undersized for the load so that they are difficult to move (yet still moveable) I want that flat spot to hold it in place. Never had a need for the locking casters although the first guys I did I used the locks, but keeping the weight capacity low, as I do, I seldom lock them.

You must realize that I do not have a Unisaw or Bug Mustard equipment but common folks home shop tools. Casters work for me.
 
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