112 - Roll-Around Tool Base.pdf

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ROLL-AROUND
TOOL BASE
© 2007 August Home Publishing Co.
W
eekend
P
roject
r
oll
-
around
t
ool
B
ase
With this easy-to-build roll-around tool base, moving a heavy power tool
isn’t a back-breaking experience.
Even though most stationary power
tools come with legs, they certainly
can’t walk. So when it comes time
to move one around, you’re faced
with a dilemma.
You could take the brute force
approach. But you’ll probably end
up with a sore back and a tool that
has been jostled out of alignment.
A better solution is to use a
roll-around tool base, like the one
shown at right. This way, just about
any stationary tool can be moved
without much effort.
small shop.
A roll-around tool base
is especially useful in a small shop
where tools are rolled out of the
way when they aren’t in use. Or
when a tool needs to be moved for
a specific cut (like ripping a long
board or crosscutting plywood).
two parts.
The tool base consists
of two main parts: a base for the
tool to sit in and a handle to raise
the base onto wheels so it can be
towed around, see photo on next
page. A simple hardware “hitch”
connects the two parts and lets you
turn a tool on a dime.
I started by building the base that
the tool sits in. It’s just a 2x4 frame
with a plywood bottom. The frame
is screwed together with lags.
base
hardware
(4) 2" Rigid Casters,
with Screws
(1)
5
/
16
" x 5" Screw Hook
(8)
1
/
4
" x 3
1
/
2
" Lag Screws
(8)
1
/
4
" Washers
(1)
5
/
16
" x 1
3
/
4
" U-bolt,
with Plate and Nuts
(2)
5
/
16
" Washers
(2)
5
/
16
" Nuts
(20) #8 x 1" Fh woodscrews
1
a.
b.
1
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© 2007 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
frame.
The frame is sized to
fit around the base of the tool,
see photo on previous page. The
length of the front (A) and back
(B) equals the outside distance of
the legs at the widest point — plus
1
⁄ " for clearance, see Fig. 1.
8
Determining the length of the
frame sides (C) is a bit trickier.
After measuring the front-to-back
distance of your tool’s legs or base,
add 6
1
⁄
8
". (This provides an
1
⁄
8
"
clearance for the tool legs, 3" for
the front and back frame pieces,
and 3" for the wheels.)
Design Note: In order for the
back wheels to ride on the floor
when the base is raised, the sides
must be less than 36" long.
bottom.
After screwing the frame
together, a bottom (D) can be cut
to fit from
1
⁄
2
" plywood and screwed
to the frame, see Fig. 1.
Next, to help stabilize the base
whenever it’s positioned on an
uneven floor, glue and nail four
1
⁄ "-thick plywood pads (E) to the
2
bottom (D), see Fig. 1.
wheels.
Now the wheels can be
added to the base. To do this, you’ll
first need to cut a notch at the end
of each side (C), see Fig. 1b.
notch.
It’s the size of this notch
that allows the base to work. By
making it
1
⁄
8
" taller than the wheels,
the wheels stay off the floor until
the front is raised with the handle.
2
a.
When the front is raised, this
1
⁄
8
"
gap is quickly closed. The wheels
come in contact with the floor, and
you’re rolling, see photo below.
You can use a jig saw or hand saw
to cut the notch. Just make sure to
keep the cut as square as possible
so the wheels ride flat on the floor.
To complete the base, a U-bolt
that hitches the handle to the base
is bolted to the front frame piece
(A), see Fig. 1a.
All that’s left to make is the handle
that’s used to tow the base.
dowel.
The handle (F) is a four-
foot length of closet rod (available
handle
at most lumber yards), see Fig. 2.
It fits into a handle block (G) made
from a scrap of 2x4.
To drill the hole for the rod, I
used a 1
1
⁄
4
" Forstner bit and tilted
the table top on my drill press to
30˚, see Fig. 3.
The next step is to drill a
5
⁄
16
" dia.
hole through the handle block and
the rod for a screw hook, refer to
Fig. 2. This hook locks the handle
into the handle block and allows
you to “latch” onto the U-bolt in the
base to tow it around.
wheels.
Finally, attach a set of
casters to the bottom of the handle
block, see Fig. 2a. Then take your
tool for a spin around the shop.
3
a.
{
Easy Lifting.
Leverage and this simple hardware
hitch (consisting of a U-bolt and a screw hook) are
all that’s required to lift a heavy power tool and
maneuver it around when you’re in a tight space.
2
www.Woodsmith.com
© 2007 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.

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