Top positive review
25 people found this helpful
Excellent product. Build it my way for heavy duty use!
By Ed on Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2004
I purchased Delta's Universal Mobil Base from Amazon for a large router table/cabinet weighing over 300 pounds I recently built. I'm very familiar with this product since I've sold many of them for $59.95 plus tax where I previously worked. You won't find a better deal then Amazon anywhere. I gave Delta's product five stars because: No parts were missing; the fit/finish were perfect; the four heavy corner supports are impressive; two stationary rollers are at one end and a single heavy duty large foot pedal lifts the opposite end and engages the single swiveling roller which allows you to easily move your machine. A well designed product. It's built similar to Delta's welded one piece mobil base. Delta's product is far superior to HTC's Universal Mobil Base even though you may spend a bit more to complete it if you choose my method. HTC uses two stationary rollers and two swiveling rollers attached to flimsy lifting levers which are awkward to use. I'm also not impressed with the rails used on HTC's base. It's made so you can adjust it to various sizes. If your making a large base, you must join two rails together with bolts to span the length and/or width of the base. Lots of nuts and bolts with their product. Instead of using wood for the rails, I chose to use 1-1/2" square steel tubing with 1/4" wall thickness. This material weighs over three pounds per foot and is very strong. The cost for the steel was $25.00 and that included cutting to my specifications. I used two 44" and two 24" pieces for my base. If you need a mobil base for a heavy piece of equipment, this will suit your needs. You could use 1/8" wall if you are able to find it. I tend to over build. I strongly recommend you read the instructions prior to doing any measuring and marking so that you totally understand how every piece fits together. The job will go much faster. Like one of the other reviewers, I drilled my holes slightly smaller then Delta recommended. I DO NOT however recommend drilling them the exact size of the bolts (5/16") since this does not allow you any leeway. I found 3/8" perfect for my application. After marking the exact locations, use a center punch to create a starting point for your drill bit so as to prevent it from wandering on entry. Measure twice, drill once! I suggest you drill all your holes on a drill press. Clamp the steel tubing to your table to avoid any movement and guarantee the holes are aligned on both sides. Make certain to support the tubing if your drill press table is too small. Grind or file all burrs on your holes and edges before assembly. Other than my changes, follow Delta's instructions which are well wriiten very easy to follow. Assembly including marking, drilling, grinding and filing took approximately three hours and was worth every second.
Top critical review
1 people found this helpful
Not bad, but could easily be a lot better
By David Hinman on Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2013
Unless you need a custom size I'd suggest buying a different base. The actual product itself once constructed isn't bad. It does a good job overall. But it could easily be a lot better. Let's review. 1) They require using 1 1/2 X 1 1/2 boards. Why not the standard 2x4? 2) They suggest using a hardwood as the boards will be so thin you shouldn't use Doug Fir. Again, if you used a standard size that would not be necessary. A 2x4 doug fir is plenty strong and is about 3$ these days, using a hardwood would be a lot more expensive. I assume people who purchase this product would probably have enough spare/scrap 2x4 in their garage/basement that with a standard size you don't have to make a trip to get the hardwood. I ended up ripping a 2x4 into strips and attaching an additional strip as a workaround. 3) They suggest using a drill press to make sure the holes are perfectly aligned. They weren't kidding. The holes need to be perfect or you'll be spending a long time making them work. I of course have a drill press. Doesn't everyone? It's next to my planer and joiner. [sarcasm] Anyone who has a press probably also has a swank table saw that doesn't need you to provide it's own base. 4) The instructions are almost illegible. It reads like they were typed up from napkin scribbles by a non native English speaker. The author clearly did not actually build the product. You know the old joke about "Step 23, insert grenade housing into shell (see diagram k3 on page 72). Step 24, After you turn section A base 1/4 turn or grenade will explode." That's what reading them felt like. At one point I struggled to undo a step because the next sentence described something else I had to do first. There are pictures, but they are so low-res they are almost worthless. Eventually I tossed the instructions and just put it together how it made sense to me. Once I did that it went a lot easier. If you attempt this, I recommend buying the hardwood. It will help. Read the instructions all the way through twice. (Reading them aloud to yourself might help. I was constantly re-reading as I went and referring to legends on previous pages to make sure I had it right and I still made a few boo-boos.) Cut the boards as directed. Then lay out the pieces using the boards and the metal connectors under your saw and mark where you'll be drilling with a pencil. Then drill the holes, using a drillpress if possible. It will really help. Use a friend's or ask a shop to drill the holes for a small fee. If your holes are even a little off the pieces won't fit. Once you've got the bolts through the holes and tightened you're almost done. Good luck.
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