HTC Mobile bases

I've decided to mobilize my cabinet saw (jet), jointer (griz 8"), and bandsaw (griz 14"). I've never used a mobile base before. Looking a pics, the HTC bases appear nice and beefy, whereas the woodcraft model looks a bit less so.

I'm wondering if the HTC bases are worth the $$, and whether you guys have recommendations for those or others.

Thanks

Reply to
DS
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DS wrote: : I've decided to mobilize my cabinet saw (jet), jointer (griz 8"), and : bandsaw (griz 14"). : I've never used a mobile base before. Looking a pics, the HTC bases : appear nice and beefy, whereas the woodcraft model looks a bit less so.

: I'm wondering if the HTC bases are worth the $$, and whether you guys : have recommendations for those or others.

I am less than fully pleased with the mobile base on my Jet cabinet saw. It works, but not super well. It cme with the saw, and I'm pretty sure it's an HTC 3-wheel model. I would replace it with a different one if I could lift the saw off it, which I can't by myself.

Try rolling a cabinet saw on as many models as you can, and see which ones move the smoothest.

-- Andy Barss

Reply to
Andrew Barss

I bought the HTC 2000 base for my (cast iron table & extensions) Craftsman table saw and have had absolutely no problem with it. It's pretty easy to set up and adjust. Moving the saw around the shop with very little cornering room is a breeze. I picked mine up from Amazon for about $50 with free shipping back in '05.

HTH Bill

Reply to
Bill

USA, doesn't add a huge amount to the height, and locks positively. Like mine, and as a one-time purchase, didn't look that much more expensive than Chiwan types. Worthy of note that the worst choice are "universal" types which fit nothing perfectly.

Reply to
George

In May of this year it has been 8 years that my Jet Cabinet saw will have been setting on a Jet/HTC built mobile base for a left tilt 50 inch capacity saw and I have been very pleased with it. It is the 3 wheel variety and stays put although I have never applied the brakes. The 3 wheel set up means no leveling and no rocking.

Keep in mind that there are left and right tilt models. If you put a left tilt on the right tilt model the saw will be less stable as the wheels under the saw are situated farther right on the right tilt saw model.

At the same time I added the Jet/HTC built 15 roller fold down out feed extension. I love it as it mounts strictly to the saw and has no legs that have to be leveled with each relocation. In all cases I literally roll the saw to where I want it and start sawing.

Reply to
Leon

I have 3 of their universal bases (2000 and 3000) and I love them. I have their Sawstop base, outfeed rollers, and brett guard. Pleased with all of them. And I've had great luck with their customer svc.

Reply to
TSW632

This post may be a little biased, since I work at Woodcraft part-time, but I've had really good experiences with the one they sell which is just the

4 corners. A piece of 3/4" plywood is used to connect them at any size (up to a limit) that you need. I've got one under my jointer and another under my bandsaw. I really like the large levers for my big feet :-). Our store sells a lot of them and I haven't seen any come back - but some may have when I wasn't working.

With my small shop, I do wish all four wheels swiveled, but that seems to be a no-no - probably too hard to stabilize.

Reply to
Larry Blanchard

I also have the 50-inch left-tilt Jet on an HTC 3-wheel base, and my experience is distinctly different from Leon's. Mine was sitting on a painted concrete floor. And I had the Jet-branded JessEm router lift in the extension table. I also had (and still have) the HTC outfeed roller extension on the saw.

Most of the time, the saw was stable enough. On rare occasions (ripping a _really_ hard wood, like 8/4 wenge), the saw would move in response to feed pressure - with the brakes ON. It seemed worse when the outfeed table was raised. And when pushing stock (not just hard woods) across the router table, it would move frequently. I found it to be so frustrating that I took the saw off of the mobile base. I made a platform out of two layers of 3/4 plywood the same size as the saw base, and put the saw on that. I used a couple of shims under the plywood to stop the saw from rocking on my uneven floor. And I made and installed a really heavy router table, with heavy duty leveling feet with non-skid pads, and with a top the same size as the old extension table. With all that mass, its much better now.

Also, the saw base is about 1/2 inch smaller than the section of the HTC base that it sits in. The saw would _easily_ slide around in that space. An easy fix for that problem was to fill the gap with some scrap wood.

It is quite possible the base moved because it was on a smooth concrete floor. The most irritating movement came when working at the router table. If not for that, I'd probably have been OK with the saw on that base, given that it rarely moved when using the saw. But I wanted a better router table, with lots of storage under it, so the HTC base would have gone eventually for that reason.

A side-effect, I think, of having the saw in better contact with the floor, is that the start-up "thunk" that happened most of the time before seems to be gone.

BTW - if you'd like a used HTC base for the Jet cabinet saw, I still have mine .... are you anywhere near Clinton NJ?

Reply to
Art Greenberg

Andy,

I removed mine. I disassembled to saw to do it. It was due for a realignment anyway ...

Reply to
Art Greenberg

I'm in FL. Shipping would probably be a killer.

Reply to
DS

Question I forgot to ask:

Does having a mobile base affect alignment or stability of heavy tools? Just wondering if any flex in the base could cause problems I wouldn't have with the tools on solid concrete.

Thanks

Reply to
DS

I have several tools on the type of bases where the four corners connect via adjustable rails. One is the delta style with wooden rails and one big pedal in the middle of the front rail. The others are the type with metal angle stock and smaller levers on two of the wheels. I have had no trouble with stability on the any of the tools; these include contractors saw, bandsaw (open stand type), router table, jointer. I agree that it would be nice in some cases if all 4 wheels would swivel. Basically the tools in my shop fall into two categories - they are either mobile or they are bolted down.

I always wondered how people installed a heavy tool on the type of base that is one piece designed to fit the tool. With the bolted together type I found it simple to bolt together two base halves, slip them separately under two legs at a time and then bolt the halves together to finish the base. John

Reply to
John Siegel

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