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I think the best solution for mobility in most shops is a mini pallet jack.
I bought one from northern tool for under $200. Forks are about 32" long and 17" wide it will lift 1100 pounds
All you need for a base is a 2x4 on edge and then you have a nice solid base, that can be easily jacked up and rolled around.
I still have a few things on wheels, but my lathe, workbench, and sawstop are all setup for the pallet jack to move them.
When you buy casters they may seem inexpensive, but the cost added up pretty quickly for me. Making the pallet jack a more cost effective solution.
Duke
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I wouldn't mind having a pallet jack, but I am afraid it would take up too much room. I always wanted piano mover dollys, but they are really expensive
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Slides under something for storage, the handle can get in the way but not much.
It's also really handy on some things like my sawstop to be able to move it from either front or side.
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moving the saw from the front would be nice. Does your pallet lifter fit under a typical mobile base? They are usually very low to the ground. I'll have to look around to see if I can stow one somewhere.
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(07-24-2017, 01:35 PM)dm3stone Wrote: I'm looking for something which will keep the casters concealed.
What size is your cabinet? Do you want the cabinet to rest on the floor when the casters are retracted or is it OK if the cabinet rests on the casters? Here's a simple solution which would lock two of the casters. The skirt boards around the base of the cabinet would extend down to 1/2 inch from the floor concealing the casters.
http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/2007/05/11/sn/
Here's an idea from another forum. The casters would be raised and lowered individually from inside the cabinet.
"Install threaded stem casters into T-nuts or similar threaded plates which are mounted below the floor of the cabinet. The casters can be lowered (screwed down) to lift up the cabinet which is otherwise resting on the floor.
The mechanism to lower the casters could be knobs, cranks or jam nuts and a socket depending on how often it has to be moved."
