Casters in a 4x4 leg

wibadger

I realize this has been discussed in various threads, but I'm hoping to hear from people who have a few years of use and are happy with their choice.

I will be mounting casters directly to the bottom of 4x4 legs. There will not be any additional material at the bottom of the leg, so all I've got to work with is the 3.5" square. As noted in other threads, most caster plates are bigger than this (3 5/8"). Even if you wanted to live with 1/8"-3"16" of the plate hanging off the back, the mounting holes would be very close to the edge of the leg.

So, those of you with 4x4 legs, what caster solutions have worked for you?

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And of course after I typed this out, I found this option via Grainger. It has a 3" square plate and 176 lb rating. (I estimate my fully loaded table with concrete top to be about 500 lbs.) Maybe this is my answer?

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Thanks in advance for your wisdom!

DaveRichardson

Got any metal fab shops around?  Have them make a sleeve the caps over the leg of the table and the caster frame is welded to the bottom of the sleeve.  Drill a drain hole in the sleeve and silicone around the top to keep as much moisture out as possible.

There was someone on here that did the sleeves on his table and it looked absolutely amazing!!!!

jimithing

I recently built a table and used these

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-5-in-Polyurethane-Caster-with-Brake-4120945EB/203672257

They fit just fine on the bottom of my 4x4's.  When I originally put them on I think I used a 2 1/2" bolt.  I move my table around a lot and a couple of the bolts stripped out from the pressure so I changed to a 5 inch bolt and it's been good since.  Just make sure you pre-drill the holes so you don't split the wood.

nolaegghead

I just bought cheap harbor freight 5" cast iron casters and cut off the excess, then drilled new holes (or maybe I used what was left of the old holes) and put wood screws and washers in. Worked perfectly.  I've done this a bunch of times.  Beats spending 2-3 times what I paid in castors just for a odd-sized base.

Toxarch

I had picked up some black ones from Lowes that would fit the 4x4 corner posts. Then when I was in Harbor Freight I saw some clear caster wheels that I thought would look good and would fit a 4x4. I think they are rated for 200 lbs each. So I picked those up and returned the black ones. Saved a little cash on it, but the clear will look better.

rlbarker4946

check out castercity.com for a caster with a hole for your bolt.  you drill a half inch hole in the bottom of the leg and attach the caster with a 2-1/2" lag bolt. it's what I'll be using on my table now under construction. 

GregW

Northern Tool also carries a good selection of caster's

stompbox

I ended up putting a 2x4 brace across the two 4x4s on each side to have additional mounting area.  It of course makes it stiffer for rolling it around anyway so it was ok with me.

erniemcclain

stompbox said:

I ended up putting a 2x4 brace across the two 4x4s on each side to have additional mounting area.  It of course makes it stiffer for rolling it around anyway so it was ok with me.

I did something similar. I put a piece of 4x4 across the ends for more area.

Ironhead1973

If you have a Harbour Freight close by they always have a good selection of casters.