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I have to imagine that the expense involved in producing that would make it hard to sell competetively and would not be required (and might even be inconveniently unwieldy in size) for the majority of users.I do not know whether the extra hardware I used was necessary, but it was relatively inexpensive for a tool I'll have a long time, and it leaves me comfortable that the mobile base is not going to fall apart under the weight of the saw. I wonder if these were made specifically for the product.My table saw, when it showed up, weighing in when all assembled at about 480 lbs, appeared very stable sitting on the base and rolled freely on my shop floor. I would not recommend its use in the context of a small shop area from which one must move a heavy stationary power tool over some significant, possibly rough and unlevel terrain and then back again every time it is used. Then once it sits where I want it, the weight will be taken off four of the casters completely and borne on the feet of the base (two of those being on the extension).
In fact, I put it together using a bolt in every available hole, that is ten in each corner rather than the intended four. I suspect that this is the primary sort of use the item was designed for. I read the reviews here after I'd ordered the item but before I'd received it, and I was frantic, worried I'd made a mistake and searching for something that would be magically more promising. In fact, I'd ordered it through Grizzly, and it had not occurred to me it might be available on Amazon, so I never thought beforehand to look here for reviews.In response to what I read, I beefed it up a little bit. I have moved it about quite a bit, between cleaning up the floor after the tools were moved in, doing some work on the electrical system in the shop, assembling the extension kit of the base, and moving the saw around to find the best place for it. I will be rolling the saw around infrequently, perhaps a few feet at a time, on a very smooth and level, wooden floor.
I am very comfortable with this purchase, and I would recommend it to anyone who has a shop with a relatively flat, smooth floor, where it is expected that the tool will be moved infrequently and not a great distance. I'm sure the four feet then also help share bearing the weight with the two casters that remain on the floor. To expect to carry more than a relatively light saw on this sort of a mobile base in that context strikes me as expecting too much. I suspect such use would require a base of much bigger proportions with much heavier and larger dimensioned outriggers that would allow considerably larger and heavier duty casters to swing freely when trying to move the tool. It moves freely and appears stable in movement, turning readily for the size and weight, and not making any unusual noises. Beating the casters against a hard, irregular surface, repetitively, over a relatively long distance with a tool weighing near a quarter of a ton pressing down on them would have to do damage to these small casters. To mount the casters, I bought separate 5/16" bolts and nuts, and I bought extra metric bolts to use so that I could assemble the base and not worry about the "pot metal" hardware that came with it or the "thin steel" it was made out of.
Although I will not know for sure for a long time if I am right, I suspect the casters will last a long time with this pattern of use.I know some folks have shops where they have to move their tools outdoors from a small shed or a garage to work. After what has been written otherwise, I remain a little nervous about the casters, but I really have to wonder from the descriptions if there was not too much expected of them. I also tried to find replacement casters, with the reports of them crumbling, but in order for them to fit on the outriggers of the base and swing freely, the caster mounting plates had to be of a particular, somewhat small size that is not readily otherwise available for purchase. I figure with ten bolts at each of the four corners, each bolt is supporting roughly 24 pounds of weight, so I am not nervous about that part at all.
According to the instruction sheet if parts are missing you need to contact Woodstock directly or "for the sake of expediency, replacements can be obtained at you local hardware store." This really says to me that we (woodstock) know this is a problem but it is easier to have you go get the hardware yourself that for us to fix it.As for the base the bolt holes were extremely tight and difficult and some were stripped. All in all there has to be a better option out there. I purchased the item through Grizzly and their customer service was excellent. The locking mechanisim bolt holes were so tight they could not be tightened after about half way down and both plastic knobs broke off forcing the use of a wrench to get them down far enough to stop the base from moving. I would not purchase the base again or reccommend it to anyone. As for Woodstock and the Shop Fox do not bother buying. When I opened the box all of the hardware was loose inside and nearly half of it was missing.
Much more solid design, better engineered. I would rate this base a bit higher than the equivalent Hitachi base that is often offered as an alternative by Amazon. Worth the slightly higher cost. I used this base for my Grizzly G0444 Table Saw, and it worked great. A very solid base for the saw, yet letting me move it around my shop easily when necessary.
I would have done better choosing the Rockler base with the single castering wheel. They are two small, and the base provides inadequate ground clearance, unless you are working on a very flat smooth surface, and do not need to move the saw for very long distances, more than two or three feet at most. Today, the tire came completely off one caster wheel, making replacement mandatory before it is moved again. The problem is that the swivel castering wheels do not swivel under the weight of the saw, and are more prone to slide sideways rather than swivel, making it difficult to position the saw.I move mine about 10 feet out and back each time.
I recently purchased a Grizzly 1023SLW cabinet saw with the mobil base system direct from Grizzly. I have this base on a radial arm saw, and it is wonderful. For a lighter, contractor saw, I think the mobil base would work well, and other than what I have stated, the components are of good quality. The saw is very heavy, and this base is not strong enough for this saw.
So far, about 5 times. I will buy another to replace the Shop Fox base, which I shall repair and use for a lighter duty purpose. The problem seems to be with the wheels. I must move my saw from my garage bay into my driveway and back each time I use it.
Since I didn't buy one of these I can't say much, but I can tell you that those screws are not load bearing.This base does not have a quick release lever for setting the brakes, and I think that is a great feature to have. I have 3 tools on mobile bases in my shop now, and they all are very picky about wanting a clean unobstructed surface to roll on.A couple of reviewers complained that the screws for the side rails would strip out. Wood chips, saw dust, power cords, or any small item will stop the tool from rolling because it is a lot of weight on a very small wheel.
When I got to Grizzly and looked at it, it is indeed a nice heavy duty base. Then I found the HTC mobile base on sale at Rockler for $49.99 and that is what I ended up bringing home.Several reviewers complained that the base does not roll well, and I think they just don't understand the dynamics of the mobile base. I just bought a 14 inch band saw from Grizzly and I was going to buy this base to go with it, then I read the negative reviews here.
If you have 300 to 400 pounds of cast iron tool on 4 small wheels, the floor has to be clean and smooth for the wheels to roll. The HTC mobile base has big levers that you can operate with your foot to set or unset the brakes. It uses rectangular tubing for the rails instead of stamped sheet metal like other brands.
I did not buy it because I shopped around and found that Western Tool Supply sells this same base for $49.99.
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