Review of new Jet caster set

Aug 21, 2003 4 Replies

Well, I was looking to mobilize my Jet bandsaw and hadn't found the HF base kit on sale in a while and thought, maybe this would work better any way. Maybe.



It installed very simply, jack up a side on 2x4 blocks, set set the caster in place and tighten the 2 clamp screws. works as advertised except for the fact that both assemblies have all US threaded parts excluding the clamp screws. Why is ONE screw metric and all the others US? There is no wrench included either! Ok, found hex wrench to fit and tighten them as I did each one. looks real spiffy.



Now unlock the casters and roll it around... well it moves better than it did without them :-) but not nearly as easy as the TS (Delta mobile base) or either of my HF kits. best I can tell is that the swivel casters are really one size too small so there is a lot of rolling friction. Also the cabinet base wasn't really designed with these in mind and flexes some, so even when all 4 are locked, the saw is not as stable as it might be (or was).



they will work and I will attempt some modification to stiffen the base but not the exact solution I was looking for.


BRuce



Mount the base on plywood, then put the rollers on the wood. Also, if two of the wheels are non steering, it will be easier to keep still.

Make sure to use a caster with a larger top plate if you are attaching to wood. This will distribute the load over a larger area and not cause the crushing of the wood which will result in a poor installationn. Also look for "Total Locking" casters with softer wheels. These lock both the wheel and the swivel of the caster and with a wheel that provides some grip on the floor they will make your equipment a joy to use.

these are not "just casters" these are Jet's new mobile base casters. Made for machines with a cabinet base. If I could find a link to their product I would provide it but they are very new and I have only seen them in the Woodcraft store and in one magazine.

Why on earth, would I review a set of casters that I put together my self?

BRuce

DavidE wrote:

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