Portamate Super-Duty All-Swivel Universal Mobile Base Reviews

1.8 Rating 5 Reviews

About Woodcraft:

Woodcraft Supply, LLC is one of the nation's oldest and largest suppliers of quality woodworking tools and supplies. You'll find Woodcraft stores in more than 70 major metropolitan areas across the U.S.; and Woodcraft annually distributes 1.5 million catalogs featuring more than 10,000 items to all 50 states and 117 foreign countries. The Woodcraft catalog is a standard among woodworkers as the most complete offering of first rate products for woodworking available anywhere. Woodcraft also publishes six issues of Woodcraft Magazine annually.

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Phone:

800-535-4486

Location:

1177 Rosemar Rd,
Parkersburg
West Virginia
26105

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“As others have stated, the casters are horrible. I'm using this for a bandsaw, well under the listed 1,500lb rating and the casters simply don't spin under load. The base has a mind of its own because the wheels get stuck in all different directions. I have to stop and lift each corner every few feet to re-orientate things in the right direction. That or fight and force things in the direction I want to go which has resulted in the saw nearly tipping over.”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 9 months ago

DL From Fairfax Station

Verified Reviewer

“Iâ€™ve tried a lot of mobile bases over the years. Grizzly, Shop Fox, Jet, no name-Chinese brands. Need mobility in the medium-size shops Iâ€™ve had. This is by far my favorite. 360 degree mobility with heavy machines. Have 36â€”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“The rails along the bed have holes in them for bolts. The holes are tapped, but some of them are totally clogged with enameled paint, so the bolts donâ€™t bite. Impossible to put together unless you have a tap.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

AC From MISSOULA

Verified Reviewer

“Well made frame easy to assemble. The casters bound against frame and did not roll. The Band saw that I put on it weighs 410 pounds this is rated for 1500 pounds. It was easier to move the band saw on the concrete floor without the base. Complete garbage. 0/10, Do not recommend. Bought quality casters and installed, problem resolved.”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago

AC From MISSOULA

Verified Reviewer

“I was looking forward to my new Laguna 18bx band saw and new mobile base. Base arrived 2 weeks before band saw. When the band saw arrived, with giddy excitement I started assembling the BORA - PORTAMATE 3550 UNIVERSAL MOBILE BASE in anticipation of the band saw of my dreams rolling around my shop resawing beautiful book matched fletches of Birdseye maple panels and cutting the curves of every conceivable diameter. The powder coating (I think it's powder coated) looked amazing. The corner brace welds looked great. Assembly instructions were clear and informative. I measured the base of my new band saw and commenced assembly. Once completed, I then wrangled the 410 pound saw onto the Bora mobile base and set about adjusting the adjustable legs that prevent the saw from moving while in use. During this I noticed that the castors made contact with the flange that make up the portion of the corner piece and castor mounting. I then tried moving the band saw around my concrete shop floor and was faced by the stark reality that my mobile base was, in fact, not mobile! If I pushed the saw way from me towards its intended storage place it would, of its own volition, try to go 90 degrees to the left or right. Pulling the saw towards me resulted in it tracking about as straight as Jack Elamâ€™s left eye. I leapt to my phone to Google what might be the matter. Only to be rewarded with a promotional video of a cabinet saw being moved around with the same effort as rearranging the wicker patio furniture. Immediately I decided that lubrication was the answer to my non mobile base. Swiftly white lithium grease was applied via the red tube to the bearings of the swivel base. This sadly was a pointless effort. The castors refused to turn when moving the saw and repeatedly bound up on the castor bracket. Appling the grease to the floor or the bottom of the non rotational wheels would have produced better results. Desperation set in as I contemplated sending back the non mobile base. The shop was paralyzed without the band saw in production (i.e. Mobile and not blocking other machinery when not in use.) I immediately went to the nearest purveyor of Casters. As luck would have it the did not have anything remotely close to what was needed to fit in the holes of the base. Then it occurred to me that i have a shop that is capable of fabrication of a fitting that would allow me to make a fitting that would adapt the smaller post of the casters that where in stock. One hour later the base was fitted with new casters and now glided around the shop with ease. The low down: Great base, easy to assemble, extremely bad casters. Only buy if you are willing to pay another $60 for different casters and the effort to fit them to the base.”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 4 years ago