Casters

Since my shop is so small, I have all the machines on casters.   I prefer ball bearing, double locking swivel casters, with 4-hole steel mounting plates.   I have used a few non-swiveling, on the back end of the bench.   Almost all the shop casters are 3" with a couple of 4", turns out I like the 4" better.   The shop casters need to not develop flat spots, since most carrying a lot of weight (200 - 500lbs).   I did try one caster set with threadded spindles and 2 inserts each, in the wood frame (pine), which didn't work, the inserts quickly wallowed out.   I finally had to drill & tap holes in 4 small steel plates to mount these casters, I didn't want to waste my money.    

I have used a number of different caster brands on machine benches and caster bases.   I really liked (past tense) the Woodcraft 3", double locking, 300 Lb., swivel casters, with reddish orange polyurethane tires, except for their cost (about $22 each, Sept. 2021), I only bought them when on sale.   These Woodcraft casters have really good double locking, swivel frames, with 4 hole mounting plates, the foot actuator is cast and the locking plate has 5 lock fingers.   However, after 6 or 8 years the polyurethane tires on these Woodcraft casters began shattering, for such an expensive caster I was very disappointed!   Woodcraft has apparently changed vendors, their 3" casters were rated at 300Lbs. and now are Wood River, rated at 220Lbs., but still expensive.   Apparently, so many folks were having the "shattering tire" problem Woodcraft began selling replacement wheels for about $9, still too expensive.   A few years ago, I found a 3" hard rubber wheel that replaced these perfectly, but, unfortunately, I haven't been able to find them lately.   I have thought about buying a 4 caster set, of 3", from Amazon, and if the axle bore is OK, throw away the frames and just use the wheels.   Lately, I have been buying Chinese casters, like these or these, from Amazon, I can buy a set of 4 for almost what one Woodcraft caster costs!  

One of the best and longest lived casters in my shop, are 3" Shepherd casters, I bought them for about $5.50 each at Home Depot, years ago.   I have several sets in the shop, one set is on my wood working bench, which weighs over 200Lbs and, at times, I have had over 400lbs loaded on it.   So far they have worked great since 2004, with no flat spots and still easy to move around.

Lately, I used a couple of sets of 4" double locking casters and there great.   I may use some more of these.

I have done a few projects for wooden pieces that roll-around for in the house.   I have used 2-1/2" casters for these, and they have, so far, worked great.

One of the Woodcraft casters.   I'm guessing they lasted about 5 or 6 years, then this started happening.   Its easy to replace a wheel on these without removing the whole caster swivel base, but expensive and I ran out of wheels so I started replacing 3" casters (both on one end), and reusing the wheels.

I went out to the shop to take another pic while working on this page, and lo and behold I noticed another caster in it's death throws!   This is how the shattering begins.

These all disentegrated this week.

From the top, Left is an old Woodcraft, right is an EZE Office Note difference in the foot actuator.   The Woodcraft's actuator is cast the EZE Office caster's actuator is stamped

Note the Woodcraft's keyed axle hole for the axle bolt.

The Woodcraft axle bolt, note it has a key on the head (top side) so it won't turn while you tightening or loosening.

The EZE Office axle bolt, its just a plain bolt but the head is a different size from the clinch nut, meaning it takes two wrenches to change the wheel.

The two caster frames, side by side.   Note the lock actuator is cast on the Woodcraft (left) and stamped on the EZE Office (right) caster frame.

Again, the two caster frames side by side.   Note the number of lock tabs on the Woodcraft (left), and the of fingers on the Woodcraft lock handle and the 2 lock fingers on the Chinese frame.

Jointer, planer, and bandsaw with Woodcraft casters, the miter saw bench, on the far right, has Shepherd casters.

My workbench on the left with Shepherd casters and the sander/dovetail bench, in the center, with Woodcraft casters.   On the far right, an old IBM card file, I used as tool storage for years, also has Woodcraft casters.

My woodworking bench with Shepherd casters, with two 40" woodworking lathes, each well over 200lbs.   It still rolled easy, you did have to overcome the inertia.   The reason both are on the bench, I had just bought the Jet lathe and was modifying the lathe bench to accomodate it.   I sold the Delta 1440.

The table saw is the heaviest tool on casters, in my shop.   I brought the saw home in my pickup.   I built a ramp out of 2x4s and 2x6s, then my neighbor and I slid the saw's base down the ramp and onto a furniture skate (dolly) connected to the ramp by 4" butt hinges.   I disconnected the skate from the ramp, then disassembled the ramp and used the 2x6s to make the caster base.   I raised the saw off the skate, with wood blocks and a pry bar, enough to slide a 2" angle under each side.   Then I raised the 2" angles high enough to roll the caster base under it, then lowered and removed the 2" angles, leaving the saw sitting on it's caster base.    

My table saw's caster base, 2 swiveling and 2 fixed Woodcraft 300Lb. casters.   You can see the swivel casters on this end.   This saw now has an outflow table hinged on the back side and weighs about 500Lbs.

You can see most of the saw's caster base, at least one swivel and one fixed caster.   Note about the caster base, I wanted the table saw as low as I could get it, it's base is 1-1/2" lower than the top of the caster plate (4-1/4").

Closer look at the fixed caster.

Closer look at one of the swivel casters.   Its going to be a really bad day when these start shattering!

I measured the old Woodcraft caster wheel and one of the replacement casters, the only difference I could find was the diameter of the black plastic wheel.   This is one of the replacement wheels, it's black wheel measures 2.38"

This is an old Wodcraft wheel, it's black wheel measures 2.0"