Does anyone know of /or have plans for good storage drawers and/or cabinets for under an Altmill 4’ x 4’? Any info is much appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
Dnick, how are these adjustable casters working for you? I have read mixed reviews on these and I am hesitant to use them on my Longmill MK3 table.
Any feedback would be appreciated!
You didn’t ask for my opinion but here it is anyway: they are great (I have the same casters)
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I have the casters on a router table and Altmill. Overall they’ve been a great option if you only need periodic movement; if you want frequent movement locking casters or kick down casters may be a better option (you’ll save a few mins on your back ratcheting a lever to get the tool back on the wheels).
One thing to keep an eye out for: the caster max weight appears directly correlated to the amount of available leveling height available above the wheel (~.2 → .5" of leveling). If your floor is significantly out of level, you’ll likely need to buy the heavier weight/more expensive version. If you look for a pair, go for the ratcheting arm vs. spinning knob version.
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They are working fine for me although I have not had to move the machine since I set it up last year. The 4-drawer Cabinet is on castors also, but once in place, I put it up on leveling blocks to hold it in place since I did not have leveling/locking castors available at the time. You definitely want the Ratchet Levers for adjustment, something you will not want to do too often.
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I like the yellow guard near the emergency stop. I have the e-stop in same location and have accidentally hit it several times.
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I have the same casters and they have been fine. I have used them once to gain access behind the machine. It’s simple to re-level the machine with these casters. I’m curious Denick, how deep did you make these drawers? Do you remember approximate dimensions?
Hi Mike, I have created a cad drawing that I am going to build when I get my MK3.
Have a look and see what you think. It is for an 8x4 Longmill. The ends are cupboards. the middle is drawer space. I will make big drawers that just slide in with a stop fitted on it so they don’t fall out, no need for runners. You can reduce the unit size to suit your machine.
Long Mill CNC Tabel 2026.bmp (4.1 MB)
Here is another view. It shows the curved drawers at either end. The curved drawers are not necessary. I was just being fancy pants.
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Knowing that no matter what I did I would want it to be different after I’d had a few months to settle into using my new AltMill, I just built a rolling shop cart out of dimensional lumber. Right now it’s like one giant drawer with a lot of space underneath for jigs and such. I also decided that no matter what I build down the road (I have some better ideas now) I want it to be on casters as well - when I was assembling my new AltMill there came the point where I was laying on my back underneath screwing down the lower layer of MDF and I realized that the day might come when I had to replace it so no matter what was underneath I wanted to be able to easily move it out of the way. Also, once I build the long-term solution I can use the shop cart as (you guessed it) a shop cart!
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Here is a DXF of the Under AltMill Drawers I made:
AltMill Storage Drawers.dxf (231.6 KB)
Hello mick: Thanks for the pics and suggestions. Love the look. Are your accessories (tool changer etc.) on a platform behind the drawers?
Also search for the youtube video and topics here for Ultimate AltMill to see what a bunch of folks have done including plans.
Thank you very much. Mike
The ATC is mounted to a frame that bolts to the underside of the two back side-to-side frame slats. The lighter piece of MDF is a removable insert for the Vortex rotary axis.