Big levellers for DIY mobile bases?

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  • dbhost
    Slow and steady
    • Apr 2008
    • 9209
    • League City, Texas
    • Ryobi BT3100

    Big levellers for DIY mobile bases?

    I have a problem I need to solve. Well multiples, but since I have opted to stay in the garage and dedicate the shed for non shop stuff, That means the shop is the garage, complete with a floor that slopes 3.5" over a run of 20'. Not a huge slope, but enough to drive me nuts.

    As I have mentioned in my thread about shop projects. I intend to build flip top cabinets for various benchtop tools. NONE of the plans I have seen deal with levelling at all, they simply ride on casters, if even that, usually just fixed position wheels.

    The Harbor Freight mobile base has those nice big levellers on the front, too bad not on the back but I digress... My question is this...

    Is there a pre existing leveller setup that might include a bracket that I can bolt on to the base of the flip top cabinet, with a nice big handwheel to raise / lower the pad? Or is this something I need to design / build myself?

    The concept I would think would be simple, braced L bracket, thread inserts, threaded rod, and a star knob quite likely epoxied in to keep it from backing off... Or drilled and set screwed...

    I'd like to not just keep the cabinet from rolling off, but also want to be able to level it, and the tool up...
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  • LCHIEN
    Internet Fact Checker
    • Dec 2002
    • 20913
    • Katy, TX, USA.
    • BT3000 vintage 1999

    #2
    My mobile bases (HTC) have a leveler foot by each raiseable caster so when you jack the steering wheels off the ground it imobilizes the base and tool rests on the feet which can then be adjusted to level the tool at its location..

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    Since you have a cabinet on wheels and you probably plan to have two fixed and two locking swivel wheels, there's no place to put levelers.

    Your only choice is to put some sort of levelable interface between the caster base and the cabinet or some sort of levelable top between the cabinet and the tool or tool mounting base.

    or you final choice is a cabinet with no wheels mounted on a purchased mobile base with leveling options..
    Last edited by LCHIEN; 12-18-2021, 01:59 PM.
    Loring in Katy, TX USA
    If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
    BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

    Comment

    • dbhost
      Slow and steady
      • Apr 2008
      • 9209
      • League City, Texas
      • Ryobi BT3100

      #3
      Originally posted by LCHIEN
      My mobile bases (HTC) have a leveler foot by each raiseable caster so when you jack the steering wheels off the ground it imobilizes the base and tool rests on the feet which can then be adjusted to level the tool at its location..

      Click image for larger version Name:	PC180546.JPG Views:	0 Size:	114.5 KB ID:	846805

      Since you have a cabinet on wheels and you probably plan to have two fixed and two locking swivel wheels, there's no place to put levelers.

      Your only choice is to put some sort of levelable interface between the caster base and the cabinet or some sort of levelable top between the cabinet and the tool or tool mounting base.

      or you final choice is a cabinet with no wheels mounted on a purchased mobile base with leveling options..
      Okay in the red circles(ish), are the type of levellers I am talking about. I want to be able to quickly and easily run them down, and level up the cabinet / cart. I can almost guarantee unless I do the gaffers trick of tape marking the floor where these items will be level, I seriously doubt a set it once and lthen raise / lower the wheels arrangement will work for me. I need to lift the stand off the wheels. The HF arrangement would work IF it had levellers on all 4 corners, but it doesn't, only two...

      I am thinking of some sort of leveller arrangement like what HF uses, the shaft, knob and all, but on a bracket like they mount the swivel caster, It may end up having to be shop built. I was just hoping someone knew of an off the shelf solution...

      Harbor Freight Mobile Base levellers
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      Comment

      • capncarl
        Veteran Member
        • Jan 2007
        • 3564
        • Leesburg Georgia USA
        • SawStop CTS

        #4
        I use push-pull toggle clamps to jack up and level my tablesaw cabinet. They will pick it up 1/4-1/2” with no problem. (Don’t use automatic adjustment type). It leveled it and gets the load off the casters.

        Comment

        • mpc
          Senior Member
          • Feb 2005
          • 979
          • Cypress, CA, USA.
          • BT3000 orig 13amp model

          #5
          A reader of Woodsmith mag sent them an idea a while back for a simple way to make adjustable casters on a roll-around cabinet. I'd forgotten about it until the recent email included a link:
          Pivoting caster mounts on side of cabinet from Woodsmith
          An advantage of this design, assuming it can work on your floor, is that you don't have to reach to the floor to adjust the levelers. Stick a cheap bubble level to the cabinet top if you really need to make sure it's really level. You could use metal sleeves in the cabinet sides, and fatter bolts for the pivots, to handle the high cabinet + tool weights.

          This setup is perfectly compatible with "double locking" casters - those that lock the wheel from turning and lock the caster part too. I use double-locking casters on all of my cabinet/carts; usually locking just the front two is sufficient. With all four casters locked, I find my cabinets are just as stable as my large power tools on Bora mobile bases.

          mpc

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          Last edited by LCHIEN; 01-22-2022, 11:07 AM.

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          • LCHIEN
            LCHIEN commented
            Editing a comment
            That linked contraption is clever. But it doesn't provide true levelling... as in matching the horizon in X- and Y- axis. It only allows putting all four points of contact on the ground at the same time so it doesn't wobble.
        • furthermore
          Forum Newbie
          • Dec 2020
          • 33
          • North Yarmouth, ME
          • Ryobi BT3K

          #6
          I built myself some levelling feet for my welding table with a few nuts and bolts welded to the inside of the table legs. It works ok.

          You might consider replacing your rolling casters with these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...8b352bded944fd

          I found them when searching for inspiration on Pinterest. This was the post I found that used them: https://www.paoson.com/blog/en/mobil...able-showcase/

          Comment

          • LCHIEN
            Internet Fact Checker
            • Dec 2002
            • 20913
            • Katy, TX, USA.
            • BT3000 vintage 1999

            #7
            Like Furthermore suggests, these:


            550 pounds each, 2200 pounds total, $75 a set.


            Click image for larger version

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            Loring in Katy, TX USA
            If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
            BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

            Comment


            • dbhost

              dbhost
              commented
              Editing a comment
              Those are beyond perfect! I have added them to my shopping list for workshop projects. Thanks!

            • LCHIEN
              LCHIEN commented
              Editing a comment
              The only thing I don't like about them is you have to reset/relevel every time you use them.

              That means if you move the item you have to retract the leverlers and move it, then even if yo move it back to the exact same marked place you have to relevel it. Unless maybe you count the turns of the raising wheel and then restore the turns when putting back.


              Note also the extension from leveler off the ground to completely extended is only .39 inches, just over 3/8 inch.
              Last edited by LCHIEN; 01-22-2022, 06:07 PM.

            • dbhost

              dbhost
              commented
              Editing a comment
              I hadn't noticed that. The throw needs to be around 3/4". Still going to have to look...
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