Casters on tables?

[motoguy]

In several member photos, I've noticed casters on the bottoms of the legs of your tables. I'm curious, are these temporary measures for moving the tables, or do you cut with these attached to the table? I would be concerned that the table would move around under fast cuts, even with the caster brakes engaged.

I am picking up a 6' x 12' foot table from Bulltear tomorrow. It would be extremely convenient if I could put casters on the bottom of this table, due to the tight work space I have. Being able to roll the table even a couple of feet at times would be tremendously helpful. However, that's a pretty large gantry to make sudden changes in directions. I would not want the table to shake, and cut quality to suffer.

[tnbndr]

I believe that most have casters to move the table into position but then have levelers or legs that screw down to take the weight off the casters for cutting. That would be the method I would use if portability is necessary.

[Bigdogbro1]

We have 5" casters from Harbor Freight (two fixed and two swivel) on our 4'x4' custom made table. We also made four telescopic adjustable legs for it so it could be leveled and stabilized once positioned in the room. The water tub holds about 35 gallons. The legs or some means is needed to keep the table from moving when cutting. Hope this helps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-mfRaXM3Og

[tm america]

I use caster on all my Delusional Designs CNC machines and have never noticed the machine moving even when cutting at 500ipm.. Maybe this would be a problem with other manufactures machines with a heavy gantry..Seems safer moving machines on casters than it does lifting with a forklift so i do them on all my machines

[Capstone]

I am VERY familiar with using a table with a heavy gantry that's on casters. I needed to be able to move the table out of the way. Unless you really need to move the table, I do not recommend it. keeping my table from shuddering has been an engineering exercise that has cost me time money and a lot of wasted metal due to wiggle cuts. Even now, I can't use my table above 125ipm. I realize that the gantry I have is part of the problem, but it was considerable worse until I took extra-ordinary steps to strap the table down.

[Bigdogbro1]

If the shop floor is uneven enough and the machine frame is properly built so it's ridged then you will get tipping on a four leg table thus causing movement without leveling legs. My gantry is less than 50 pounds on my custom designed table. I move the table occasionally in the pole building to get boats and other vehicles out so, Yes, casters are nice to have installed. When the table is running the four adjustable telescopic legs are set to get all four casters off the ground and level the water tub. No wiggles when it's set in position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-mfRaXM3Og

[tylerd]

I am VERY familiar with using a table with a heavy gantry that's on casters. I needed to be able to move the table out of the way. Unless you really need to move the table, I do not recommend it. keeping my table from shuddering has been an engineering exercise that has cost me time money and a lot of wasted metal due to wiggle cuts. Even now, I can't use my table above 125ipm. I realize that the gantry I have is part of the problem, but it was considerable worse until I took extra-ordinary steps to strap the table down.

What casters do you use? Do you have a link? I am looking to do the same thing, if I can find some that will handle the weight

[Bigdogbro1]

I purchased the 5" casters at Harbor Freight. Two stationary and two swivel.

The entire table/tub and gantry is all custom designed including the telescoping leveling legs.
The table can easily be moved around and the adjustable legs work to level the water in the table.

[hsolve]

Good morning gents
Havent been on here for a while, but here goes. can't quite remember what speed my table is capable of but more than faster enough for me. My table is 15500mm square (60" ), and the ganrty is quite heavy I believe due to the mass of the linear rail, block, Z axis etc. At normal cutting speed, about 180in/min it's fine, no shaking or moving around, not even the slightest. However when I tested the higher speed over 400in/min, that was i different story. On corners or long radii it was fine, however on sharp changes of direction it obeyed Newtons third law. I haven't cut any thin material on the machine at present so it hasen't been a problem. My machine is built from 3" SHS 5mm thick with gussets in all corners, so it dosen't flex, but at the much higher speed it can walk around the workshop floor. I believe with much higher mass it would not do this. I have the material to extend the machine but am time short. I use the machine for routing so when the machine gets extended the gantry will also put on some weight