CPOworkshop.com Experience

[Bill]

I like the design alot! Thank you for explaining it.

Bill

[Bill]

Hmmm..the way I was thinking of this design the first time I read it was to span 2by4 "ribs" across the inside of the frame (in fact, essentially "filling" the frame). Of course, they would be held by nails or screws into end grain. This might not be an issue because they are basically being supported by the concrete. Or perhaps even better, I could nail them to the frame from above at a 45 degree angle. If I omit the ribs then the pine seems sure to bow a great deal raising vanity and safety concerns. Then I was going to nail 3/4" pine over the frame/ribs.

I've been thinking about cutting those overlapping joints. I just measured that my circular saw can cut 2 1/2 inches deep. I will make the cut on the end with appropriate fear and trepidation. I may even buy an extra piece of wood, just in case, based upon my previous experience with this circular saw...

One problem will be that the end of a 2by4 is too short to give me a "line of sight". Hmmm...maybe I can clamp a fixture(straight iron) to the edge of the board to guide the saw. Woodworking 101 stuff, huh?

Bill

[dadiOH]

Since you liked my 2x4 base idea, I got up from my sick bed, walked out to my shop and looked to see exactly what I had done.

I didn't use 2x4s. What I did...

1. Two pieces of appropriately sized 3/4 ply fastened together.
2. Caster in each corner.

1. There are two pieces of 2x4 hinged on edge to the underside of the ply. When they *are* on edge, the casters are not touching the floor; when the pieces are in the "up" (not on edge) position, they are held that way by a couple of cabinet catches; they are moved from up to down by two 3/4" plywood handles attached to the 2x4s. The purpose of all this was to provide stability whenever I needed to exert great lateral force with the machine. That has never happened. IOW, a waste of time.

2. The DP is bolted to the ply base. ______________

Regarding your plan, there is nothing wrong with it and I'm reasonably sure it would outlast the pyramids but I think it may be a tad more than is really needed.

Regardless of what you wind up doing, I don't think you want a solid flat base sitting on the floor...floors aren't necessarily flat...wood chips get on the floor...wood chips keep stuff from sitting flat. Et cetera.

[Bill]

Aww.. don't do that again. Your post was interesting to read though. Guided by Lee Michael's post, I've sort of formed the opinion that having wheels on a top heavy DP is sort of dangerous. No one would be there to assist me if I were to tip it a bit too far...

You made a good point about not having a flat base on the floor. Hopefully a rectangular frame contacting as much of the floor as possible will be okay--I can always shim it.

Bill

[Lew Hodgett]

"dadiOH" wrote: .

--------------------------------------- That's why 1/2-13 T-Nuts and carriage bolts exist.

Lew

[dadiOH]

Why would you tip it? Pull and it rolls. Alternatively, push and it rolls. It doesn't even *THINK* of tipping thanks to my nice big plywood base :)

[Bill]

Sorry, I'm not sure of the point you made (about these nuts and bolts).

Bill

[Lew Hodgett]

"Bill" wrote

-------------------------------- Adjustable feet. Put one in each corner.

Lew

[J. Clarke]

Are you going to be inspected by OSHA or something? If not then don't worry about any specific grade. The "formaldehyde-free" stuff that Home Depot sells is all hardwood and it's a pretty decent grade. It should do fine. If you don't trust it glue two thicknesses of it together so that you've got an inch and a half--that should hold anything that you're able to carry into your shop without a forklift.

Basically you want to keep it from tipping over. Use a layer of 3/4 inch ply of any decent grade with a 2x3 frame under it and you've overkilled the problem.

If you don't work with big pieces you can probably get away with no baseboard. However having gotten used to getting away with it one day you'll forget yourself and use it to drill something big enough to tip it over. And the top of a drill press is a really big hammer.

[tiredofspam]

[J. Clarke]

It's only going to tip if the wheels are too close together. If you want to overkill a wheeled platform make it big enough that you stand on it when you work the drill press. I don't think that that is necessary, but some people like overkill.

[Lee Michaels]

"J. Clarke" wrote

Just a comment,

I think it is ironic that you use the word overkill when talking about safety.

For a dyed in the wool safety freak, there ain't no such thing.

Just saying...

[Bill]

That seems alot like what Lee Michaels suggested, except he has the "frame" on the bottom and, if I understand correctly, any framing involved above would go on top of the "runners". It appears the design above may wobble if floor is not flat. Nice practical design though, and I like your idea of using 2by8's!

I like Lee's idea of a rectangular frame with overlapping joints as described earlier. How about spanning it across the top with 2by8's? Seems like it should perform better (sag less) than if 3/4" pine was used. Please advise about the type of screws to use for these 2by8's, bearing in mind that the (heavy) DP will be afixed to just two of them. Is pre-drilling necessary or desirable?

By the way, reaching a compromise, how about one extra support right through the center of the frame (where the drill press exerts most of it's weight). Or maybe a few more (more toward the center). That ought to postpone any sagging. My next concern would be the best way to afix such supports. Are angle brackets (or something similar) suitable? I hope this thing doesn't fall apart on me! ; ) Thank you all for a great lesson in construction this week! If you follow Jim Kramer on his Mad Money show at all, you could be saying, "You Know Nothing!!!"

Bill

[krw]

That sounds like a trip hazard, though it would probably be better on the feet than a concrete floor.

[J. Clarke]

Which is why companies run by dyed in the wool safety freaks tend to go under.

If there is no such thing as overkill then one would rip up the floor and pour a new footing for each tool.

[Jerry - OHIO]

I baught a DP that fell over & broke the table off for $5.00 at a flea market. Went to recycle yard with aluminum cans & spotted a 2' x 3' peice of steel 1 1/4 " thick. Bolted that sucker down & it aint ever gonna tip over again !! Was gonna bolt it down but no need to.

Jr

[Morgans]

I would consider using 4 - 4" free casters, inset so they only raise the platform an inch or so. At each of the corners, put a 1/2" lag bolt with a hole drilled though sideways at the top to put a small bolt to use as a handle like a small C-clamp. You could use machine bolts, but then you would need to weld some brackets to secure a nut, ect.

The idea is to roll the machine to a location, then thread the bolds deeper into the base, which lifts the rollers off the floor. Only take a few moments to have a self leveled base set up. I use a heavier steel version for my industrial delta 10" cabinet saw.

[Bill]

Interesting idea Jim. If I understand your design, to move the DP, you have to lift one corner of the base manually, pull the spindle castor down, and then put something (say a lag bolt) in the hole to stop the spindle on the castor.

Not having much experience, I was thinking that the wood might fracture on the bottom of the base unless the spindles are at least a couple inches long--but I guess the wheels alleviate some of that sort of stress when they are rolling.

Should I see what sort of wheels Harbor Freight has in stock, or is this a $100 feature..lol. I find the idea very clever!

Bill

[Bill]

Does anyone see a way to combine Jim wheel idea with the rectangular base built out of twobyfours using overlapping joints that we were talking about earlier? I can't see that those wheels have anywhere to hide in the base unless I add in an "axel" for each of them. It's been good food for thought. I'll keep thinking on it. Mobility is good.

Bill

[dadiOH]

No. The lags are to manually thread up/down to lift the wheels off/on to the floor. __________

I don't know what you mean by spindles. Are you thinking of casters with a stem that goes into a socket? Don't...think of casters with a bolt on base. A plate. ______________

Lots of casters here...