Bora Mobile Base Kit PM-1100 – Heavy Duty

Well built smart solution for moving machines etc. Nice that there are multiple options to place the wheels so that the levers can be placed where they aren’t too much in the way. A bit pricy and needs some adjustments when mounting on thick base sheets.

The PM 1100 is a high quality, well designed mobile base with great flexibility to fit any size tool up to the weight limit. It was relatively easy to assemble using normal shop tools and I had no issues with alignment of the holes. I used the corner assembly clamped to the bottom as a template and marked the holes with a brad point drill bit slightly smaller than the hole.
Depending on how accurate you are with this process, you can either do the final drilling to exact fit the screws, or drill one size larger to accommodate any minor misalignment. The holes in the corner assembly are threaded and will benefit from having the screws run part way through to remove paint in the threads, prior to assembly. I installed this base under a Rigid TS3650 table saw that weighs 280 lbs and it works perfectly. I mounted the front assembly with casters and levers pointing sideways so there is no tripping hazard and once the floor stops were adjusted the saw is very solid. I like that the levers to raise and lower are metal and move easily with a toe push. Check the BoraTools.com website for help selecting the correct base for your application. Highly recommend and will be ordering a second base for my bandsaw.

I found that the powder coating made some of the holes a little hard to get threaded, but one started, was not an issue. If the assembly is hard to understand (like orientation of the wheel on the flipper), the exploded diagram is a helpful reference. I needed this for a bandsaw, and a 16×18” piece of plywood worked just fine. Measure twice, cut once. There are two lengths of screws provided, so if you need to make a thicker base, you have that option. Assembly took me about an hour. For a top-heavy tool, you might want to pinch the base to the tool to take out some of the play.

I’d suggest putting the floor rests all the way up so that the wheels a carrying all the weight. This helps make sure that the lift levers work. Others have tied these together (the lever does have a hole making this easy), but for me, each one can be set to lift and move under the tool’s weight. Now that the wheels are under stress you can begin to lower those stops. I used a washer to set the floor gap on this rest. Release the lever and the unit is stable. The nut on the top of these posts is not really needed.

Spend some time making these adjustments and moving around a tool is quite easy.

All of the large tools in my shop are mounted on self-made locking wheel assemblies. This is my first Bora Mobile Base Kit. Great unit. I used 1-1/4″ x 6″ decking material. I also added a cross bar between the lift pads. I used this for my jointer. I found it to be a very stable unit.

I originally bought the HTC2000 Adjustible Mobil Base kit and extra extender kit to make a base for my compound miter saw which is on a stand that is 28” wide by 63” long. The HTC2000 and extender kit went together fine and moved the saw around great. The problem I had with that arrangement was every time I went to use the saw I tripped over the mobile base frame because it was a giant rectangle frame. The stand that the saw sits on has upside down V-shaped flared out legs. Between the legs the saw sits on a pair of parallel bars that connect to the top of the Upside down V – so they are more centered than the full width of the legs at the floor level. I kept trying to figure out how to modify that mobile base unit so the front part of the frame wouldn’t be right where you need to stand to use the saw.

I started looking around on Amazon again at mobile bases and discovered the Portamate PM-1100 so decided to give it a try. Glad I did! I just finished assembling it and it works great. I used some 1×6 pressure treated boards for the 28” short ends and a 63” piece of 2×4 down the center forming large “H” configuration. I connected the boards into the “H” using some carriage bolts. Plopped the saw on top of the big “H” and it works perfectly! Rolls around very nicely and no more tripping over the frame.

A few suggestions for assembly…when you are assembling the corner pieces, drill the holes a little bigger than the size of the bolt. If you have a drill press use that. I didn’t get some of my holes straight at first and had trouble lining up the holes for the top/bottom plates until I reamed out the holes I drilled crooked. Also it would have been great to have a second set of hands available especially when I was fighting the crooked holes but I eventually used the bench vice and that helped. Plan out and then double check your plan where you want the swivel wheels to be – both on the short end or on the lon end. I thought I had it figured out until it was all together and I realized for such a long piece it would be better to have the swivel wheels on the short end. So After struggling with all my crooked holes, I had to take it all apart and put it together again with the wheels in different corners. Went together easier the second time! Lastly, be aware that there isn’t much clearance under the bottom plate, only about a half inch, so if your floor isn’t level or you are moving a long piece down a signtly sloped floor, you will scrape bottom.

I plan to buy another Portamate PM-1100 for my lathe and configure it like I did for the miter saw, just not sure what to do with the HTC2000 now but I’m sure in time I will find a tool that needs wheels. Good luck – this was a good project for me, a novice just setting up a shop.

Very well designed and built. This is doing a great job underneath my old 1960’s vintage Delta jointer. Decent gauge steel used. All parts are high quality. Thick powder-coating. The cam levers are also heavy and well designed for easy use. Simple but important details have been taken care of; like using a bolt that is threaded only where needed to avoid threads within the wheel axle-bores. Nylon spacers provided to keep certain items from rubbing on adjacent steel. Nylon lock nuts where needed. Pred-drilled cam levers so you can add a piece of wood to bridge the two cams for easier use. Can be used with a variety of bed thicknesses (that you supply). I’m already buying another one for my table saw.