machine casters

[Piero]

Hi Guys


I am looking to get a set of four casters for my milling machine, a Tom Senior M1.
I dont know what route to take!!!!!!!!!!1
Do I go with casters that have a leveling system or a caster with a brake,
should I make up a platform first and add some bolts for the leveling.
or spend me money and get a caster that does the lot.

there are so many to chose from, to much choice

 

[Tinbasherdan]

I don't know a vast amount about milling machines but I would have thought they could be incredibly unstable on casters

 

[Piero]

I am not sure If I am happy were I have sighted my mill, even were it is, it still needed to be moved forward and backwards from time to time so as to access the back of the mill.

the use of casters are only to move the mill, once moved, I will adjust down a set of resting feet.

you can buy casters with these feet built in, but for the weight capacity needed, there not cheap

 

[scott0031]

Whats wrong with using some inch or so rollers and a crow bar? This what people use without having skates. And frankly rollers are often easier than skates for the home workshop.

 

[500e]

Ball races on Axle or frame then level screws to lock & level

 

[WorkshopChris]

I can get a photo tonight if your interested, but we have a few big machines on some home made skates.
A length of channel with two rollers on each end. rollers are tube with bearings in the end.
Personally from experience machines on casters in newer a good idea.
It raises the center of gravity considerably, only need one caster to turn in and start to tip then its it game over.

I am sure it was in a post about moving a big lathe up a slope, somebody said they refer to them as disaster castors.
Might be worth a search.

 

[clift_d]

We've just stuck an etching press on some Carrymaster castors that we picked up off fleabay. The press is only a couple of hundred kg but the four castors can handle upto 2000kg, plus they do heavier duty ones. One thing I really like is that the foot comes down directly under the centre of the castor mounting plate so we don't have to worry about the support being off-centre when it's static.

Maybe you could look at using something like these but with some kind of frame that puts the castors outboard of the milling machine base to help with any potential overbalancing when moving the machine and the castors are all turned one way?

 

[Piero]

This is the kind of stuff I want to hear, all the good and the bad points.

I am torn between making up a frame with a long tube with bearings in each end as the back wheel, bit like a old style garden lawn flattener, and haveing some thing at the front to get a car trolly jack under,

the front would sit on feet, untill I come alone with the trolly jack and lift up the front end, the back will be on the roller tube as mentioned.

workshop chris, if you can up load a photo, that would be very kind

 

[WorkshopChris]

Just dug one out that was sitting outside, the others are all under things.
Dad has a machine on a pair now, its tight up against the wall and every now and then a control relay sticks. When it does we just push it along till its next to the side door then take the cover off, give the relays a tap . cover on push it back.

24" Long.


7" Across




Roller diameter is 3" at 2 1/4" from top face of channel.
With a ball race in each end, and spacers at the ends.
They have moved machines, boats and even parts of a building over the years.

 

[desmo11225]

Hello piero Have a look at Dakota Heavy Duty Mobile Base We have all our machines, woodworking machines mounted on these, band saw, circular saw , planers and thicknesser, there is a need to move them about all the time especially for long timber , they need a good floor mind, ours is new concrete, they are a bit fiddly to assemble designed for all machine sizes, you lift your machine move it and drop it back down again.
We got ours from Rutlands but I see they are out of stock at the moment, try else where. All the Best desmo11225

 

[WorkshopChris]

The Rutlands mobile base is similar to the Axminster one designed for wood working machines witch are generally lighter, I had a table saw on one. But are only rated just a touch over 200kg. A Tom Senior M1 has got to be pushing well over 300Kg.

 

[Piero]

I think the Tom Senior is around the 380 kg mark

 

[clift_d]

I am torn between making up a frame with a long tube with bearings in each end as the back wheel, bit like a old style garden lawn flattener, and haveing some thing at the front to get a car trolly jack under, the front would sit on feet, untill I come alone with the trolly jack and lift up the front end, the back will be on the roller tube as mentioned.

This always struck me as a neat way of moving something heavy, and is very similar to what you're describing.

 

[desmo11225]

Hi Gents
Having a further look round the internet I see Axminster have an MB-1000Heavy Duty Mobile Base with Maximum load of 450 KG. its a bit dear though £100 plus Grisly have them too but of course they are in USA but they are around for heavier machines. All the Best desmo11225

 

[Piero]

I have had a right result.
A friend of mine used to move lifts ( as in moving up and down lift shafts)

He has giving me 8 low level casters that are part of a corner plate thing.

They had a carrying capacity of 3 ton he said.

They are nice and low

Whoop whoop