New bandsaw needs a stand

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My wife bought me a bandsaw for Christmas.  It's a Ryobi 14 inch resaw bandsaw, an older used one, that takes anything from a 1/8th inch blade up to a three inch wide blade.  Now I have to build a stand for it.  I've got some 2 inch angle iron and some 3 inch and 2 by 3 inch square tubing.  I have to make a dust outlet for it as it predates the newer equipment that comes that way and I'd like to make a drawer or two in the base.  It came with one 3 inch blade that was wore out and a bunch of bulk blade stock.  I'm going to put lockable 3 inch castors on it and set it up so the top of the table is 36 inchs high.  Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated before I start on this project.Here's a couple of pix of it  It weighs about 250 pounds..Now lets see a blade welder and some blade stock is next on the list.Bob from Idaho
Reply:It's really hard to just throw something out there.  You have the machine, and know how the weight's distributed, and how top heavy it might be, etc....I really don't favor angle iron for legs on anything that you're gonna move around.  It seems to take a lot of work to stiffen it up to where it's satisfactory.  Tubing seems to be best all around for legs.  It takes stress from all directions, and tends to be stiffer.You might even consider angling the legs out slightly to increase stability, unless you're worried about tripping over them.See, it's a beech"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Thanks for the suggestions farmersamm.  I've got both 3 by 3 and 2 by 3 tubing by 1/8 inch wall thickness.  Going to use that to begin with.  Got a plan drawn out and will start cutting metal tonight.  Will take some pix as I go.  I bought four three inch locking castors today.  Their rated at 125 pounds each so that should hold the 250 pounds of the saw and probably another 50-75 pounds of the stand.Bob from Idaho
Reply:Angle your legs out two dimensions (both to the side & front/rear) about 5-10 degrees.  If you cut the angle where you are going to weld it at, it will work good.  Then about 6-10 inches up from where the casters are, tie each leg together to significantly stiffen the base.If you want drawers in it, the legs will have to be straight vertically, both fore & aft.  You can look online for "workbench drawers" & may find some steel ones already assembled, complete with slides.  Then you just need to attach the drawer glides & you're done.Pics of your finished project are always appreciated.  Looks like you have a really good bandsaw there.MarkI haven't always been a nurse........Craftsman 12"x36" LatheEnco G-30B MillHobart Handler 175Lincoln WeldandPower 225 AC/DC G-7 CV/CCAdd a Foot Pedal to a Harbor Freight Chicago Electric 165A DC TIG PapaLion's Gate Build
Reply:Drew several plans out over the last few days and decided that drawers were just to much of a project for this saw.  Decided to use the scraps up I had on the metal pile and like farmersamm says square tubing is better than angle iron. Here is is fabbed up ready for tack welding.  Where the magnets are will be 5/16th by 4 inch triangle gussets welded in.  It's made of 2 by 3 by 3/16th inch and 3 by 3 1/8 inch square tubing.Here it is after welding.  I'm going to cut some 5/16th by four inch triangles for gussets and gusset the legs top and bottom.  I drilled and tapped the bottom of the legs for 3 inch heavy duty locking castors.Tomorrow I'll cut and weld in all the gussets, clean it up and put a coat of silver paint to match the band saw on it.  I may make a tray under the saw to hold the wrenches and hex keys needed to adjust things.  Here's the size of blade it takes.  That's a 3 inch by 101 3/4's inch resaw blade.  You can see where it's bolted to a couple of 3 by 3 pieces of wood.  The wood will be gone.  I set this up so the table hight will be 37 inches from the floor.This is my shop helper.Bob from Idaho
Reply:Looks good, good looking bandsaw too. Are you going to cap the ends of the tubing?My adventures in welding projects:http://weldingshopblog.blogspot.com/
Reply:nice sawnice worknice cat
Reply:Originally Posted by mmsdrummerLooks good, good looking bandsaw too. Are you going to cap the ends of the tubing?
Reply:My gawd!He cut up his boat trailer (trailor?).A butterfly without wings, is just an ugly bug
Reply:The final design you came up with is really simple and sturdy.Attaching the castors with bolts is a good idea too.  If you find it's a little tippy even with the castors locked, you can remove them, or modify the arrangement.  I've seen some portable mounts with tap bolts that slightly lift the entire frame and take the weight off the casters.  Kind of like tiny little outriggers.I'm glad you like the tubing.  It seems to simplify building things."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:yup I got to thinking about 250 pounds of saw on this stand and cut some 4 inch by 4 inch angle iron and found some 7/16th bolts and nuts.  going to weld them on the outside of each leg to give the widest stance I can get and make the bolts screw down and take the weight off the casters.  It should also give the saw much more stability along with making the casters last longer as they will just be used when I move the saw.  I'll cut some knobs out of 3/8th to weld on the top to turn them.  Thought about making a sliding system and using a small hydraulic jack to put down the wheels, but that thought got to complicated real quickly.  I've got to weld in the gussets also.  It probably don't need them as it sure seems solid enough, but I made them so I'm going to put them on.I'm going to weld that up tomorrow and I'll take some pix.  I might put a tray down there somewhere to hold the wrenches and hex keys needed to adjust things on the saw.  I'm also going to make a resaw sled that will just slide up to the saw for sawing logs and timbers up to 12 inches in diameter and up to 60 inches long.My wife bought this bandsaw for $165 bucks.  A three inch by 101 3/4 inch carbide tipped blade costs more than she paid for the saw.  With care they last a long time though and they can be resharpened and retipped if necessary.As for the boat trailer yes the piece was off of one.  I had put a short toung one on when I converted a boat trailer to a pull trailer to haul some stuff I had stored in Phoenix AZ home to Idaho after I moved back from there a few years ago.  Converted it back after I got home and put the boat back on it, but was left with a five foot piece left over.  I wondered if anyone would notice that.Bob from Idaho
Reply:Well I finally got back to working on the bandsaw stand.  Cut some angle iron to put the lift bolts in.  Got some 3/4 threaded rod and 2/4 inch nuts from the local hardware store.  Cut 8 inch pieces of the threaded rod and drilled some 3/4 inch holes in the angle iron.E:\Documents and Settings\Bob Faucett\My Documents\My Pictures\Kodak Pictures\2009-01-21Here's my angle iron cut and drilled.Here's the brackets welded on the stand.And the end result.  I still need to do some grinding, painting and attach pads to the bottom of the 3/4 inch bolts where they will sit on the floor.  The last thing I'll do is attach the Castors after it's painted.I'm just an amateur welder so don't laugh at my welds.  The Miller 175 Mig really makes it easier.Bob from Idaho
Reply:Well I got it finished last night.  I'll take some pix when I get the bandsaw on it tonight.  The outrigger idea was a great one and I did exactly that.  It makes it really stable considering the small footprint and size of this bandsaw.Bob from Idaho
Reply:Great minds think alike. Attached ImagesA butterfly without wings, is just an ugly bug
Reply:WIP modifications of one of a kind projects generally take the same form.....Stop for the day, have a few cans o' suds, and walk around it thinkin'.Somewhere between the first can, and finally gettin' plowed, you generally come up with some really good "fixes"Cans 1-6 the beginning of an ideaCans 6-12 full formation of the idea, complete with self applauseCans 12-??  Lights out"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Kudo's to you guys and your right I rarely get past the six pack stage.  Thanks for the great idea on the outriggers it's going to make that stand much more stable.Bob from Idaho
Reply:Well the stand is finished and now I have to put the band saw on it.  Got to get some help to lift that big thing off the table it's setting and on to the stand.  Here's what it looks like.  My helper is standing in front of it.Here is what the outriggers look like finished.  They are made of 3/4 inch threaded rod with the tips of the angle iron I sawed off used for the bases.  I welded them on a 3/4 inch nut and just tightened them up on the bottom of the threaded rod in case I damage one or ever need to replace one.Thanks for all the good suggestions on building this.  I ended up using tubing and the outriggers suggested with good results.  You guys don't laugh to hard at my welding, I'm a beginner.Bob from Idaho
Reply:Nice work and mobile too.Good judgement comes from experience.Experience comes from bad judgement.
Reply:I think it looks serviceable.  Neat thing about stuff like this is that you made it, and will use it for years.RE: Your Helper.  Used to be a song sometime in the late 70's called "Green Eyed Lady".  Was a really cool song.  Forget who did it.  I can hear it in my head  The deadly CRS is settin' in  (I'm assuming the cat's female  sorry if I made a mistake)It's gonna be rough mounting the machine.  It's heavy, and top heavy to boot.  Maybe try to stair step it down if where it's sitting now is too high.  Good luck, and watch your fingers and backSawdust has a nice smell to it."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Got my son, his 14 year old daughter and my wife to help me get it on the stand.  Even with four of us it was a bugger to do.  I had do do some disassembley to get the bolts all in and lined up, but it sure looks good now.  The outriggers were sure a good idea and after all was said and done it sure made a better tool stand by adding them.  Here is the bottomHere it is with the saw bolted to it.  Thanks to all you guys for the advice and for taking a look at my amateur work.Bob from Idaho
Reply:I like the design. It looks clean.
Reply:Originally Posted by faucettbMy helper is standing in front of it.
Reply:CraigThat darn cat is right in the middle of everything I do.  His loving comes first before any work is done."Did you tap the holes for the casters?"Yes I drilled and tapped all 16 holes.  That was 1/8 inch thick square tubing and my old fingers have a hard time getting nuts and washers on those little bolts back inside that tubing."Career or weather? Which climate do you prefer?"I was born and grew up right here in Idaho where I'm at now.  Moved to Phoenix while working for Swift Transportation.  Was a driver then driver trainer then instructor at their driving school down there.  Got my son a job there and we moved down to help him raise the two girls.  He's a single parent.  I moved back to Idaho when heart problems sidelined me from driving anymore.  We've been raising the girls since they were 1 and 2 years old and now they are 14 and 15.  I do prefer Idaho, especially in the summer and it's home..Your absolutely right about the nuts should be on the bottom.  The next stand I'll do that.  Seems there's always something small a guy overlooks when the project is done.  Great suggestion.Well I'll leave you guys with a big thanks and here's to you.  It's diet soda, I'd like a beer but my doctor says I can't anymore.Bob from Idaho
Reply:Next week I'm starting my next project.  Saw an interesting roller stand on the internet that uses one stand for several bench mounted tools.  It consists of an 80 inch tall square stand with shelves that hold a cutoff saw, a grinder a small grinder sander and a scroll saw on their own same size bases in storage.  The other tool height roller stand is built so it will take any of those tool bases and they just slip and lock on top.  It was made of wood and I ordered the plans, but I'm going to weld it up from 2 inch square tubing.  It uses Pegboard on each side that's closed to hang tools and accessories on.  Those two roll about stands will allow me to use four different power tools while only building two stands and store the non used tools in a compact place.Bob from Idaho
Reply:CRAIG1970..........  Holy Crap!!!!!!!  Where's the time go???Well, I was really only 2yrs old when it came outI'm not gettin' old, I'm gettin' well seasoned"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/