Which Four Casters for Machines

[JimD]

I use 3 inch totally locking casters.  4 inch are probably better, I get hung up by small wood bits with the 3 inch.  But they otherwise work fine.  The best I've tried came from Caster City.  I recently purchased 8 from eBay, however, and they were about as good and were much less expensive.  I added two from Home Depot to have 4 for my flip top cart and the Home Depot ones are pretty decent too.  The junkiest I've tried came from Harbor Freight.  I didn't figure they would be so good but they were going under my shop vac/dust deputy cart and I figured they'd be good enough.  They will probably get changed they are so poor.  The other ones are good enough to keep using.  My workbench is on casters (6 of the ebay ones), my table saw is (the caster city ones) plus the flip top cart with my planer and hollow chisel mortise, and my router table (the Amazon ones).  When I get around to buying more I will probably go to eBay first or check and see what Home Depot has.  They weren't much more. 

 

[Mbconstructionjoinery]

Another vote for 4 swivel castors

 

[Wonderwino]

I feel your pain, Chris.  [wink]  I have two fixed and two swivel on all my machines as a result of buying commercial mobile bases or factory "mobility" kits.  After getting my Hammer A3-41 a few years ago, it came with roller bearing wheels, which literally allow me to move the 700+# machine with two fingers.  I would get four swivel casters with roller bearings if you can find them.  [smile]

 

[flair woodworks]

I feel your pain, Chris.  [wink]  I have two fixed and two swivel on all my machines as a result of buying commercial mobile bases or factory "mobility" kits.  After getting my Hammer A3-41 a few years ago, it came with roller bearing wheels, which literally allow me to move the 700+# machine with two fingers.  I would get four swivel casters with roller bearings if you can find them.  [smile]

One thing I do find with swivel casters is that if they are not pointed the right way, it can be difficult to get the machine moving from a stand-still, as the casters need to orient themselves.  I wonder how ball transfers would do?  I don't think they would be able to get over cords on the floor, though.  Mind you, I don't have cords strewn across my floor anyways.

Link

 

[Wonderwino]

Cords can be a problem for any kind of casters.  I would guess you need a fairly flat & smooth floor for the ball casters to work easily.  Larger diameter wheels are easier to move, too.

 

[GPowers]

How would you get the ball transfers to stay in one place? You can buy casters with breaks.

 

[flair woodworks]

How would you get the ball transfers to stay in one place? You can buy casters with breaks.

Probably the easiest way would be to drive shims underneath the mobile base, between the ball transfers.

 

[BuCuTao]

So it really depends how much you will be rolling it in a straight line. If you are rolling the casters only in a small shop a few feet you can do all 4 swivel if you need to maneuver it in very tight spaces. If you are needing to roll this more frequently I always recommend 2 Swivels and 2 Rigid / Fixed casters. The 2 Fixed casters will allows you to continue to roll the caster in a straight line a lot easier than 4 swivel casters. For my tables I always use Total Locking Casters since I work in small spaces. These are all 4 swivel and when you need to lock them down you engage one brake and it locks the swivel casters from swiveling and it locks the wheels at the same time. These are those best casters I have used. 

 

[Klemm]

lots of good advice here - I would add a caution when considering load ratings - kind of misses the point in many cases:
You want casters that ROLL effortlessly. More expensive but you'll be so glad. Go for ball bearings and Urethane tires, 4 inches if you have the vertical space. Remember you can keep the casters when you sell the tool and reuse for a lifetime.

Those red Woodcraft casters mentioned in this thread are a good value and work well in their capacity range.

Polywheels are fine on equipment which weighs next to nothing loaded.

Hans

 

[Michael Kellough]

These are good for machines. There is also a stem version for machines with mounting holes in the base.

 

[Jiggy Joiner]

I can only echo what Hans says, urethane tyres can cope with not only weight but, also various floor surfaces.
I always use four or six castors per base, depending on the span and weight. I use swivel braked castors at all points, I cannot get on with some fixed, it doesn’t work for me, and causes frustration.

I always buy castors that have a single weight rating, then I can work out what I need for a certain machine.
Never just cover the machine’s weight, always go over by a fair amount. For example, if you make a base for a planer thicknesser, bear in mind the weight of the stock being machined.
I have often bought sleeper size lengths of sawn oak, and put them on the planer, the oak can get very heavy.

A bit of thought is needed when making these bases, especially for the heavier machines.

 

[Bob D.]

McMaster-Carr has a leveling caster almost identical to the Zambus. Might even be from Zambus as McMaster makes nothing, just sources and resells stuff others make. But they have a huge selection of casters.