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DIY Designs of Retractable Wheels for Tool Bases

By Rain Noe - August 17, 2012

in Hand Tools

This ought to be a standard ID school problem presented to first-year students:

You've got a heavy, bulky piece of machinery that needs to rest on a stable base. But from time to time you need to move it around. All you've got is some basic hardware--hinges, casters, carriage bolts--and scrap pieces of wood or some metal pipes. What can you come up with that will temporarily render this thing mobile?

A host of DIY'ers without dedicated shop space are faced with this very problem, as they try to maneuver their table saws or workbenches around in cramped garages. Here are some of the clever, if decidedly homespun, solutions they've come up with. (The provenance of these ideas, by the way, is pretty cloudy; nearly everyone on YouTube refers to having previously seen a similar design...on YouTube.)

Object to be moved: Table saw Materials for solution: Hinges, wood scraps, casters Solution:

Object to be moved: 4-foot by 8-foot workbench Materials used: Carriage bolt, steel bushing, wood scraps, casters Solution:

Object to be moved: Table saw Materials for solution: Conduit/pipe, hinges, wood scraps, casters Solution:

Object to be moved: Bandsaw Materials for solution: Pipe, hinges, wood scraps, casters Solution:

That last one is my favorite, because it's so... eccentric. (Cue rimshot.)

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Kevin Eaton

7 years ago

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Great!

Checkout CasterBarn.com if your looking to buy casters online!

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Kevin Eaton

7 years ago

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This is a great diy tutorial. Thanks for sharing.

Checkout www.CasterBarn.com for the Casters and Wheels needed for this project!

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Andy

12 years ago

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This already exists. Check out any shop smith power tool from the 60s. A base is available with a retractable wheel set.
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Ronald Pottol

12 years ago

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I want to see a shopvac powered air cushion! A hovercraft!
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