Welding Bench Castor Idea

[Kent]

I will post s drawing tomorrow if I get chance but
M16 - m20 is what I use as allththread ( stud)

Inside box you weld a captive nut inside the capping plate and one on the thread leg externally that acts as the lock
I add another plug welded as a foot or a means of turning a foot plate

Outside as on the tab is basically the same

 

[RichardM]

Google these:

machine mounts adjustable height mounts.
http://www.wixroyd.com/en/catalog/d...mounts/levelling-feet--std.--steel-bolt/34721

 

[graffian]

I have pair of castors on a steel bench, it doesn't move unless you want to move it, they are not braked castors.
The angle iron leg has a bit of approx 1-1/2" id tube welded in side the angle and the castors slip directly into
the tube.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

What about legs out of scaffolding tube and then use scaffolding castors as they are both adjustable for height / levelling plus braked.

 

[daleyd]

What about legs out of scaffolding tube and then use scaffolding castors as they are both adjustable for height / levelling plus braked.

Adding any kind of bracing would be a pain in the butt though, having to notch out tubes etc... (That would put me off at least!)

 

[ukracer]

Hi, Can you make it so the castors are bolted to a hinged plate which can be levered down to pick the bench up to move it around to a new position, then levered up to let the bench back down on to its legs with adjustable feet to level it.

Colin

This is the best way I can think of doing this. I recently saw a system based on using a scissor jack to raise and lower the feet.

The poster was using a cheap rechargeable drill with welded nut so it was very quick to move.

It was a heavy saw bench that was used often but needed moving when not in use..

Sadly I can no longer find the link to that post anymore AND I can't remember which forum it was on. Although it's likely to be a wood forum. If @Maker was around he would winkle the link out...lol

 

[ukracer]

There you go bench and rolls legs and castors off ground till required

Good grief I could make loads of those..... well the bolt part anyway.

 

[Pete.]

Shopping trolley wheels. Just a M12 bolt and they are off. TBH I never had any problem with castors un-screwing and most of the stuff in my workshop is set on them. I have a large iron surface plate on a rolling table and when I want to keep it in one spot I G-clamp it to a bench.

 

[Maker]

This is the best way I can think of doing this. I recently saw a system based on using a scissor jack to raise and lower the feet.

The poster was using a cheap rechargeable drill with welded nut so it was very quick to move.

It was a heavy saw bench that was used often but needed moving when not in use..

Sadly I can no longer find the link to that post anymore AND I can't remember which forum it was on. Although it's likely to be a wood forum. If @Maker was around he would winkle the link out...lol

All the table saw lifts I've seen use the Jack sideways and push the saw up on a small inclined surface, like this, however when I was looking for that picture I came across this

Which I like the look of as it doesn't need a wider base for the incline plates, etc.

I like Kent's last picture more though, it's less hassle to use bolts rather than jacks and it can be levelled on an uneven surface, unlike the one above. The only change I would make would be to use proper machine levelling feet rather than allthread because they have a wider base and a rubber pad underneath for better grip.

 

[Kent]

All the table saw lifts I've seen use the Jack sideways and push the saw up on a small inclined surface, like this, however when I was looking for that picture I came across this
View attachment 77317
Which I like the look of as it doesn't need a wider base for the incline plates, etc.

I like Kent's last picture more though, it's less hassle to use bolts rather than jacks and it can be levelled on an uneven surface, unlike the one above. The only change I would make would be to use proper machine levelling feet rather than allthread because they have a wider base and a rubber pad underneath for better grip.

On my floor a plus welded nut works best
On say a painted and we'll screened floor I should agree and just simply weld those bigger footprint plates on. A few 6mm discs would be fine and could be had from scrap at my later cutters for grantis
My floor is pretty poor though
Leveling is important for a welding bench it means you can use a bubble on cross members etc

 

[ukracer]

All the table saw lifts I've seen use the Jack sideways and push the saw up on a small inclined surface, like this, however when I was looking for that picture I came across this

Which I like the look of as it doesn't need a wider base for the incline plates, etc.

I like Kent's last picture more though, it's less hassle to use bolts rather than jacks and it can be levelled on an uneven surface, unlike the one above. The only change I would make would be to use proper machine levelling feet rather than allthread because they have a wider base and a rubber pad underneath for better grip.

Can't see any links to jacks on their side. You got any more specific links?

 

[Maker]

Can't see any links to jacks on their side. You got any more specific links?

How's this?

 

[ukracer]

How's this?

I can see that one but none with a scissor jack mounted side ways. ..

 

[graffian]

What about legs out of scaffolding tube and then use scaffolding castors as they are both adjustable for height / levelling plus braked.

I had a look at my surface plate bench after I posted and it seems the bench does have braked castors, which aren't needed.
I remembered why I used them. The bench was very low, and I had 2 offcuts of angle to extend one side, the other side I pinched 2
castors from a scaffold tower somone had left here..

 

[Wedg1e]

View attachment 77317

One of the guys I work with has recently built a heavy woodworking bench with this sort of lifting arrangement incorporated. I think he should have inset some metal squares for the jacks to bear on as I could see the wood getting crushed with the forces involved, but it'd be fine on a steel-framed bench.

 

[DAPPH]

Kent

That is a good explanation and I am now verging towards some way of getting the castors off the ground. I was thinking along the lines of a dolly that pubs use to move pool tables maybe?

Has anyone got ideas or even better some pictures on how to get castors off the ground?

Put the castors on a frame that slides up & down in a sleeve that's the same dimension as the legs . Fit it to a cross bar welded in between the side legs .. Fit a jacking screw with a 19 mm nut head & a captive rotating lower end , use a power drill to raise & lower the castors .
I'd make my own simple castors using a decent high load sealed bearing set in turned tyres made of 75 to 100 dia steel or aluminium for the wheels .

At a push you could perhaps get away with a fixed set of wheels at one end of the bench and the castors on the opposite jacking system . That said four moving castors are exceedingly handy in tight spaces.

A slightly different way would be to again set the castor sleeves on cross bars & whent needs moving use a cheap hydraulic jacks to lift the bench end and slide the castor welded onto a square stick into the sleeve the length of the spigot coming out the castor plate only needs to be a max of 100 to 150 mm long if it is a loose clearance fit

My next idea is to make the welded between the legs frame but use heavy wall round tube as the keepers for the castor spigots . Put fixed wheels with a castor angle on the spigots to push in pull out of the cross frame now made with round femalel spigot locater/holders . Turning a simple peg to take a small male taper roller at the top end of the shaft , put a turned female cup up inside the tubes set it in place with some adhesive glue etc. & fit a free fitting roller bearing over the round bar just above the castor device .

So effectively you have a bar supported with a roller bearing to allow rotation and the the taper bearing at the top of the bar to take the load & aid rotation
Such a set of four of each bearing plus four bearings as the wheels shouldn't set you back much more than £30 and they will be able to take a tonne or more load on each castor whilst not suffering from such things a hot metal melting the wheel man made plastic wheels quickly developing flats . Another advantage is that these sort of wheel bearings will have an axle pin of your choosing not something that's not much thicker than a six inch nail . Another advantage is that the system can also be fitted to several other heavy equipments f and you'll only ever need the original castors on round pins . That could be a saving of several hundred pounds and many man hours at the end of the day .

If you thread the top end of the sleeve tube that he taper roller cup fits in and put a button uo inside before the taper cup is put in .
Leave out the glue ,put an "o " ring on the shaft instead so it has a friction grip inside the tube .
You can then use a battery drill to set each screw to whatever clearance height you need . You could also drill the castor wheel and its carrier to take a simple twist to turn locking pin so that the raise- able & lower - able device can also have a fully locked wheel as well .

 

[ukracer]

Put the castors on a frame that slides up & down in a sleeve that's the same dimension as the legs . Fit it to a cross bar welded in between the side legs .. Fit a jacking screw with a 19 mm nut head & a captive rotating lower end , use a power drill to raise & lower the castors .
I'd make my own simple castors using a decent high load sealed bearing set in turned tyres made of 75 to 100 dia steel or aluminium for the wheels .

At a push you could perhaps get away with a fixed set of wheels at one end of the bench and the castors on the opposite jacking system . That said four moving castors are exceedingly handy in tight spaces.

A slightly different way would be to again set the castor sleeves on cross bars & whent needs moving use a cheap hydraulic jacks to lift the bench end and slide the castor welded onto a square stick into the sleeve the length of the spigot coming out the castor plate only needs to be a max of 100 to 150 mm long if it is a loose clearance fit

My next idea is to make the welded between the legs frame but use heavy wall round tube as the keepers for the castor spigots . Put fixed wheels with a castor angle on the spigots to push in pull out of the cross frame now made with round femalel spigot locater/holders . Turning a simple peg to take a small male taper roller at the top end of the shaft , put a turned female cup up inside the tubes set it in place with some adhesive glue etc. & fit a free fitting roller bearing over the round bar just above the castor device .

So effectively you have a bar supported with a roller bearing to allow rotation and the the taper bearing at the top of the bar to take the load & aid rotation
Such a set of four of each bearing plus four bearings as the wheels shouldn't set you back much more than £30 and they will be able to take a tonne or more load on each castor whilst not suffering from such things a hot metal melting the wheel man made plastic wheels quickly developing flats . Another advantage is that these sort of wheel bearings will have an axle pin of your choosing not something that's not much thicker than a six inch nail . Another advantage is that the system can also be fitted to several other heavy equipments f and you'll only ever need the original castors on round pins . That could be a saving of several hundred pounds and many man hours at the end of the day .

Don't suppose you have any pics/ photos 9f your ideas and wheels you speak about??

 

[DAPPH]

Good grief I could make loads of those..... well the bolt part anyway.

Give me a while , I'll draw and photograph the sketches ( my scanner may even woirk today ) then I'll post them in the thread .

Dave

 

[DAPPH]

Apologies for taking so long , I'm learning how to use Uubuntu and my new camera . I need to locate an open source scanner app for UBUNTU & install it .

See what you make of this ......
It can be welded inside a heavy angle iron leg or it can be slipped into a decent meaty hollow or angle iron cross member that has a capped sleeve welded in it but with a clearance hole for the adjuster bolt in the top of the sleeve to poke up through .

 

[DAPPH]

Arragh , It was the right way up when I photo- bucketed it .. suggest you lay down or turn your computer on to its side. .....
Thankee kind Sir , for righting the wrong , the world is normal again .

Dave .