Has anyone tried using heavy duty sliders under a 5.1 pro for just pulling away from the wall for a tiling job?
I am considering the retractable wheels that attach to the bottom but given my height challenged stature adding a few more inches may not be a good idea.
The wheels that you step on to lower from Rockler are a bit abrupt for my liking.
I have used these in the past. You can get brackets to remove the wheels and use the wheels on other equipment with the brackets. If you dont have the removable brackets they are a toe smasher.
Brackets
Yes. I have those now. They are the ones I described as too abrupt. It just seems a little violent letting the machine down on them. I would like a smoother action.
I have a set of these on my assembly table, work great. I recommend the larger size.
I have the same on the CNC table, but I don’t move it very often.
There work well on my router table.
I like that idea. Not sure how easily I will be able to lift the machine to get the wheels to engage.
Maybe some kind of lever can be employed.
Even cooler if these could be mounted to the inside of the legs so that they don’t protrude. What is the depth of that bracket?
I have the Kreg 44 x 64 stand with those casters under my 5 Pro 4x2.
I find that sudden gantry stops and acceleration cause the casters to wobble. Shaking the stand uprights by hand, I can visually see the wobble.
Wondering if this is throwing accuracy off.
Yes, but as stated in my original post they add several inches to the height. The advantage is that they wouldn’t require any additional drilling on the legs though.
Not sure if anything exists that’s stable and does not add height. There would be no drilling with the rollers I linked as they would fit in the holes that already exist for the table feet that came with the legs.
Could look into industrial slides/ tracks that you would have to attack to your floor.
I have not tried these YET…but I have every intention for the next time I need casters.
https://retractablecaster.com/ . They were originally mentioned in this forum Here
The thing cool about them is that they sit under your table and don’t stick out and become a tripping hazard. If the mechanism works the way it seems it does, they’d be pretty nice to have.
About the same price as those lever casters mentioned above - I have those on all of my assembly tables - and they are always tripping me.
The video seems to indicate that you must lift the table (manually) to get them to extend and then do it again to retract. I don’t know about you but that’s a lot of weight.
It’s only half the machine at a time. Shouldn’t be very difficult. And I’m sure the machine can handle the torque.
I use those and just hold up the corner a bit to keep it from dropping too hard.
I saw those linked above and am seriously considering them. The larger ones are on a 2.5 week shipping delay though. My machine comes tomorrow but still trying to sell the old one to make room.
I am picturing something in my head like those casters except instead of list to engage, use a ratchet or impact driver on a nut on the top to spin a threaded rod which would lower the wheel. Sort of like a boat trailer jack but on a much smaller scale.
I am noodling on ideas to build it but I likely won’t have the patience to wait.
Link to the technical drawings with all the measurements
I use leveling feet to steady the table and 1"x 1/8 metal straps for diagonals to take the twist out of the movement.
I tucked the wheels inside and the levelers off the front and back’
Agree, these work great when I need to move my 60x65” table. Very stable with the machine running at higher feeds/speeds. Folks that have tables moving excessively need to use appropriate corner/cross bracing to prevent this.
Another advantage is the ability to level the table when moved.
I have not tried sliders specifically with a 5.1 Pro, but for a short pull-away from the wall during tiling they should work fine as long as the floor is smooth and level. Heavy-duty felt or rubber sliders would likely be easier and safer than adding retractable wheels, especially if height is already a concern. Wheels are more convenient for frequent moves, but sliders seem like the better option for occasional repositioning.
