Workbench Casters ( Installation & Review )

Workbench castors are a great way to move your heavy woodworking bench maximize the use of space in your workshop, especially these retractable bench casters (and quick release plates) from Powertec. In this video, we review the retractable Powertec workbench castors along with the quick release plates.
******Notes & Equipment used in the video******
Powertech Casters (set of 4):
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Powertec Quick Release Plates (set of 4)
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Tools Used:
Milwaukee Drill Driver Set:
geni.us/cUA0r
Marking Gauge:
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Website Links
The Art Of Lutherie:
theartofluther...
The Luthier's EDGE online training:
luthiersedge.com
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Other Notes
The retractable feature of the Powertec casters alone is a great feature, but it does have some drawbacks, fortunately the Powertec quick release castor mounting plates are a great solution and together they are a perfect way to be able to easily move your own DIY workbench build or other workbenches or any kind with ease, quickly, and conveniently.
In the video we cover:
• Unboxing & First Impressions
• Important mounting information
• Tools needed to install
• Installation
• Final testing
• Final review and thoughts
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[@DanChanPiano]

Tom, so glad I found your video as I was about to buy the Solejazz retractabls despite my deep reservations about the trip hazard issue. The Powertec caster removability via mounting plates sealed the deal for me. My "Ultimate Tool Stand" with its torsion box and MDF construction is a behemoth, even heavier than your workbench. I just have to fabricate and bolt on solid wood legs to make the caster attachments. If you have not seen "Woodworking Tip: Twist Free Bench Casters", by woodsmith, have a look. They drilled holes in the levers and attached a crosspiece between them. One footpress in the middle engages two casters simultaneously without torqueing and twisting the bench as one at a time engagement does. You might have to fiddle a bit with sliding two connected casters into their plates but i think the operation is very doable and the benefit is cleanly lifting each side of the workbench with a single footpress.

[@genevelis6075]

Thank you so much for the clean, clear, detail review and explaining. I think your video is the best I watched so far on this subject. 👍👌 The legs of my benches are made of thin metal. How I can install bolts on the brackets, so they will not interfere with placing and removing casters?

[@larrybaker3104]

Tom, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge! You are always so kind and helpful to me and others!

[@TheArtOfLutherie]

Thanks Larry! You made my day :)

[@thibaultjaberg4658]

Cool! I'm going to have to build a workbench like this too. Great editing by the way Tom!

[@TheArtOfLutherie]

Thanks Thibault! This bench is one of the three workbenches in my new guitar shop. Members of the Luthier's EDGE will be getting access to the blueprints and detailed videos on materials and how I built them (I did some interesting joinery for the leg structure that made it easier to do), Stay tuned for more on that soon!

[@thibaultjaberg4658]

Cool! Looking forward to that!

[@sjlstevens100]

Great job on this video. Very informative and well produced.

[@duckydrummer6331]

My only concern was there are just 2 bolts that attach the bracket to the bench leg. With such a heavy bench, seems like 4 bolts - one in each corner would have been more secure.

[@drewc9947]

My exact concern for these were that they were ankle killers. Those plates are clever.

[@TheArtOfLutherie]

They have been great so far, I'm just finishing a second large workbench now and the plates make it so I can share the wheels between the two benches when I need to move them and I only need to buy a second set of plates for the new bench, pretty cool!

[@thomaspendlebury5446]

Tom, all of your videos are excellent. I'm thinking about adding those powertec casters to my workbench/assembly table but have a question. how do they perform when only one caster is engaged at a time? does it torque the table? could that lead to weakening over time? is there a version that engages both casters (on one side of the bench) at once? Thanks Tom P

[@facesmasher4216]

thanks! great approach 👈

[@TheArtOfLutherie]

Thanks for your comment, So glad you found it useful!

[@larrybaker3104]

Great video! Are you going to share the work bench plans on luthier's edge?

[@TheArtOfLutherie]

Hi Larry, yes, there will be blueprints and a detailed step by step videos on how I built this bench (joinery methods, tools, tips and more) and my other workbenches for my new guitar workshop as well. The cabinet in the one here in this video is my Luthier's Cabinet which you can find the blueprints and instructions for in the Luthier's EDGE bonus materials here: luthiersedge.com/tutorial-library/luthiers-cabinet/

[@MrSmokinMirrors]

1st, i believe you are supposed to rotate the wheels inward so that they are not sticking out as much AND so the leverage works to your advantage. 2nd, could you comment as to how much vertical clearance the bench gets when raised? It looks to be only 1/8". That would be a big concern if your floor isn't perfectly level or you need to go over a seem in the slab etc.

[@jaimegenovajr3257]

I’m thinking between Powertec and Bora

[@avihud]

Question , I am planning to build a workbench , not sure about the hight, sometimes I need it lower and sometimes higher. So I am debating between 85cm or 90 cm. I noticed that in your video you could mount them a little bit lower. if I mount them lower will it give me the 5cm difference ? is the table stable standing on wheels?

[@jeffc6832]

3 years later...how are they holding up? I made the mistake of purchasing another no-name brand retractable caster from Amazon, and they failed after the 3rd time I moved the bench.

[@CedarBenjamin]

nice vid bro

[@TheArtOfLutherie]

Thanks, Glad you liked it - bro! ;)

[@MiguelAngelo-jg1lf]

como faço para comprar estas 4 rodas jogo completo . não sei escrever em ingles

[@kickpublishing]

Genuine question, not trying to be smart, but I have looked over your website ad unless I am mistaken there is hardly a topic of luthiery you dont cover except for actually how to make a guitar from start to finish? Or am I overlooking something? Is the membership just for experienced makers and not for beginners? If so, can you recommend a complete walk through course for beginners building a first guitar?

[@TheArtOfLutherie]

Hey, thanks for commenting! We don't have a full start to finish building course yet in the Luthier's EDGE (as of 2018) BUT we plan to eventually. We have however thoughtfully planned out our curriculum to cover specific topics that our members were interested in learning in great depth. The members drive the topics we cover. Our courses are not only for advanced builders, but on the contrary, they are wonderful for luthier's of any stage because they reveal and explain the "WHY" behind each step, each detail, and each decision we make as luthier's on a quest to design and build our best, most creative, and most unique instruments. Many courses and books simply show the steps, we aim to bring clarity to why those steps and methods are taken so that the new or experienced builder can make better informed decisions to help shorten their learning curve and get them further down the path to improving their guitars faster. After building guitars for over 20 years myself I felt that this approach was the best way I could serve my students, by sharing the underlying approach and logic in addition to the steps and tricks as well. Some students have reported to me that the Luthier's EDGE was the "glue" that connected all the various study and books they had before, resulting in them grasping a deeper understanding of the guitar as a system and solidifying their own unique approach. Sorry for such a long answer! :) hope it helps shed a little light on how the Luthier's EDGE is different and brings some clarity on if it would be beneficial to you. If you have any questions, just reach out through my website and let me know and I'll be happy to help. Thanks again!

[@MrKockabilly]

What I don't like about these is that they are protruding out of the bench footprint in either fixed or rolling position.

[@firesurfer]

The castors are not recommended for use with foam padding.

[@micarizabal3393]

You talk a lot

[@wilsoncheng9711]

This is a very good caster, we are a caster factory, if you need friends can contact me.