# Need Advice for Adding Wheels to Table



## HandyDottie (Jan 27, 2008)

We have a large four-quarter oak table, a family heirloom, which originally had solid wood wheels, but these were lost by movers several years ago. Without the wheels, the table is only 28 inches high from the floor. We really need it at about 32 inches. We would like to add wooden rollers, replacing the lost ones. The table is 54 x 48 (inches), with 6 legs, very heavy old, solid oak table. 

Where can we purchase solid wood wheels which would raise this up 4 inches and be sturdy enough to support about 45 pounds of computer equipment, to be put on the table? There are presently holes drilled in the bottom center of each leg, where rollers can be inserted. Can we do this ourselves and be confident that the table is secure?

Thanks very much for any helpful advice!

HandyDottie


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## Kap (Jan 22, 2008)

found this on google-searched wooden casters

http://www.coolcasters.com/index.cf...ategory_id=7&gclid=CIfg2-jolZECFQNCgwodv0DCPA

I'm new here and new to woodworking, so I'm sure others here may know someplace.


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## HandyDottie (Jan 27, 2008)

Dude, these wheels look fantastic! Thank you! 

Everyone else I've spoken with has told me only that they knew of much smaller wheels. I was really at a loss here. Gosh, thank you very much for linking me on this terrific web site. I will call them tomorrow and make sure of everything, before ordering.

Do you imagine these would support a very heavy solid-oak table, with 6 legs? It measures about 48 x 54 inches, as mentioned above. Dining room table being converted to an office-style desk top.

Do you think these casters with the wheels from this site you linked me on will support that table, with about 45 pounds or so of computer equipment on it?

Thanks for your help!

Dottie


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## stuart (Jan 20, 2008)

maybe put an extra set of holes for two more to be sure of weight loadage.
The swivel kind is very nice.


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## daryl in nanoose (Feb 18, 2007)

This page shows the details on those casters including weight
http://www.coolcasters.com/index.cfm/category/111/3-in-wheel---beech-with-black-yoke.cfm


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## HandyDottie (Jan 27, 2008)

Thank you so much, gentlemen!

Here is a photo of the casters I will probably buy. http://www.coolcasters.com/index.cf...wheel-black-yoke-threaded-stem-with-brake.cfm

The base of the table leg (surface that sits on floor) measures only 2-3/4 inches in diameter (it's a rounded leg). The swivel plates require at least 2-3/8 inches and they are squared. I am concerned these might not fit well, so I will probably go with the ones pictured in the photo linked above.

Question: If I buy these, how do they install? Do you place the nut into the hole before the screw? I am not sure how these install. 

Any help is most appreciated!

Many thanks,

Dottie


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

Those are COOL wheels!

*They say:*
*Mounting Method: 5/16" - 18 x 1" Threaded Stem (supplied with metal sleeve nut)*

Which looks like you drill a hole for the sleeve, insert the sleeve, screw the wheel into the sleeve & tighten-up. :yes: 

Don't know for sure... but I'd bet on it... :smile: 

Hope to see the end result when you're done.


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## daryl in nanoose (Feb 18, 2007)

Keep in mind your table will sit at 33 inches, not 32"


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## Kap (Jan 22, 2008)

You talk about swivel plates, but the wheel you link to hsa a stem, not a swivel plate. That's probably what you need since you said there were holes there already. If the holes are too small, just drill'em a little bigger. If they're too big, you can glue some dowels into the holes and then redrill the holes to the proper size.

And as Daryl pinted out you're table will be an inch higher than you planned, but that's what thos office chairs with the little lift thing thing are for.


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## HandyDottie (Jan 27, 2008)

Yes, right. The table will be 33 inches high. Should be okay. Some day, if it's converted back to a dining table, it seems like 33 inches is still okay for sitting and eating at. 

Gosh, it's so short without any wheels in those legs. Table must be 120 years old at this point. Grandmother and her 5 sisters used to sit at it and do their homework; grandmother was born in 1901, so it's been in the family since before her birth. Movers lost original wheels many years ago--back in the 1940s, actually. :furious: At that time, no one in the family tried to get them back. No doubt they were beautiful wooden wheels made just for this table. 

But, sure, I agree, these casters/wheels look particularly nice. Thanks to Mr. "Kap" for linking us on that web site. :thumbsup: These really do seem unique in the marketplace. When we shopped locally and elsewhere on the Internet, what we found was nowhere near this good. This company offers a choice of woods and you can get them with or without a brake, with swivel plate or with a stem. They're pricey, but we would rather pay this for something good-looking and sturdy, backed by company guarantee--pretty fair deal, all in all.

Of course, when I searched on the Internet, I was too dumb to enter the word "casters" in my search, which is why I did not find this company. :blink: 

Right, we considered the one with the swivel plate, but we are better off with ones with the stem, since the table legs do have the holes in there already. Seems like the table is telling us what it wants here. :laughing: 

Thanks once again, guys, for all of this terrific help! Most appreciated! :smile:


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

HandyDottie said:


> ...but we are better off with ones with the stem, since the table legs do have the holes in there already. Seems like the table is telling us what it wants here. :laughing:


Sounds good... hope it fits OK... probably will...


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## HandyDottie (Jan 27, 2008)

Okay, here's an update and looks like we probably need to get some more advice. So anyone who wants to chime in, please do! :yes: 

The holes in the bottoms of these table legs were too large for the stems of these casters. We glued in dowel rods securely, using Titebond for wood and allowed plenty of time for that to dry, which it did. We then drilled our holes to the right size.

Before the casters were installed, we were able to turn the table upright and get it placed upon two large, tall plastic drums. This way, it sat up off the floor about 6 inches. Then we could reach under there and install the casters. We wanted to do it this way, because we figured that if we put the casters on and then turned it upright, the casters might get too much weight put on one side of them, just at the moment the legs were starting to touch the floor. We thought that might bend them, so we did it the other way--by placing the table on those tall plastic drums.

Okay, here's the question now: The table is on the casters (as of Wednesday), and it is rolling when we need it to roll. However, when you take a close look at least 3 of these casters, what you see is that the sleeve nut is gaping on one side. Is there supposed to be some give in these, or are we looking at a problem here? Is this bending and going to give way eventually?

When the casters were put on, those sleeve nuts were flush with the bottom of the table legs. But, now as this table has sat here for a couple of days, it seems like there is this slight gap on one side of the sleeve nut, compared to the other side of it. Does this make sense?  

Don't know if we need to go back to the drawing board here or if possibly this slight space we see in these sleeve nuts is some kind of normal variance. It gapes on the side of the sleeve nut which sits opposite where the caster itself sits upon the floor.

Are we screwed here, or are these supposed to work this way and will probably hold okay?

Thanks for letting us pick your brains on this one, guys! :smile: 

Dottie


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## aclose (Nov 11, 2007)

a picture would help :smile:

how heavy is the table? and what weight rating do the wheels have? i find it hard to believe that you bent the stems of the castors just with the weight of the table sitting on it, even if you were rolling the table. but if it's a really heavy table and the wheels are lightweight...


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## HandyDottie (Jan 27, 2008)

http://www.coolcasters.com/index.cfm/category/97/4-in-wheel---walnut-with-black-yoke.cfm

Scroll down to end of this page. We bought the ones with the threaded stems. These are the casters, each of which are supposed to bear 130 pounds of weight. Bought and installed 6 casters, for all 6 table legs. Table could not weigh more than about 300 pounds or so. 130 multiplied by 6 = 780 pounds, if I understand correctly, that these casters should be able to support.

Sorry, I don't own a digital camera and have no other way at the moment of posting any photos. Sure, that would be optimal, though. I'm sorry we're not able to do that right now.

Called the company that makes these casters. What I was referring to in my earlier post about the "sleeve nut" is actually not the sleeve nut. Sorry about that. What is bending is really part of the yoke, at the top of the caster, which enables the caster to swivel. It is a silver-colored ring that sits on the top of the caster, just under the bottom of the table leg.

The people at the company tell us that part of the yoke is supposed to be flush or level with the bottom of your table leg. These are not, though. On at least 5 of the 6 casters, you can see and feel that the side opposite where the wheel sits on the floor, there is a space or gap between the top of that silver ring and the bottom of the table leg.

I don't know if these are trying to bend out of there and are going to fall out, and then the table will collapse. On the other hand, it seems possible that as the wheels move, possible there is some swivel in the positioning of those silver rings (part of the yokes of these casters).

It's been 48 hours since this table has been up on its legs here, with casters installed. It's rolling fine, when we need it to roll, which is not often, but it is functioning that way just fine. The look of these casters is great! The only concern here is the possibility that they are on their way bending out of there and eventually might result in collapsing.

Again, we are sorry we cannot post photos. If you guys have any other ideas, please let us know! 

Thanks very much for the help!

Dottie


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## Joe Lyddon (Mar 13, 2007)

It's really hard for me to "see" your problem w/o a picture...

BUT, perhaps the sleeves have not gone far enough into your drilled holes... or if they did, have crept out a tad... Just guessing... SWAG'g it...

Have you tried removing the caster and then tapping the sleeve back into the table? (if, in fact, it has crept out of the table)?

If that works, it will probably slide out again... if that happens, perhaps a dab of epoxy worked into the edges before tapping back in, again, would make it permanent.

Sounds like you're real close... wish you had a camera!


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## HandyDottie (Jan 27, 2008)

Thank you so much, Joe! We will try that and get back to you all there, hopefully with a report of some success here. Have a great weekend! :smile: 

Dottie


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## castors wheels (Nov 23, 2009)

Hi...HandyDottie. I hope we could help you in this regard. You can enough information from the link provided in y signature. We are the best producers in casters and I hope we could fulfill your purpose.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Castors Wheels*



castors wheels said:


> Hi...HandyDottie. I hope we could help you in this regard. You can enough information from the link provided in y signature. We are the best producers in casters and I hope we could fulfill your purpose.


You are trying to sell casters to someone who already has some.
This thread is last dated 2-08-2008, it's over a year old with no posts.
What's your point other than selling casters? :blink:


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