Mobile bases offer the convenience of being able to relocate machinery easily, allowing woodworkers to use shop space efficiently. The foremost requirement for a mobile base is that it be strong and stable. It must not buckle under the weight of a machine, and it must not wobble while the machine is in use. It is an added benefit if it transports a machine with ease and if its handles and foot levers are easy to see and to use.

I tested seven mobile machine bases, both dedicated and universal, to move a couple of bandsaws around the shop. They ranged in price from $50 to $100 and offered a good cross section of what is available. The Jet universal base flexed under the load and did not provide a solid platform for the bandsaw. This base is suitable only for the lightest of shop machines.

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