Bora Portamate PM-3500-Industrial Strength Universal Rolling Mobile Base That Makes Your Heaviest Power Tools Easy to Move

This is a fabulous mobile base that is very heavy-duty, despite being nicely adjustable in one-inch increments. I am a retired furniture maker and was fortunate to be able to build my collection of equipment to include some large vintage cast-iron pieces which are very heavy (~750-800 pounds). My new shop is smaller, so I need/want to have all of my equipment mobile, and this base absolutely fits the bill. I considered having a "custom" base welded for my equipment, but thought that I would give this base a try first, given its great reviews...I am completely satisfied, and it's worth every dollar. The steel tubing and welded corners are of a heavy enough gauge that the entire base is VERY stiff once bolted together. The wheels are truly ball bearing, not just a shaft (bolt) going through a bushing in the center of the wheel. The orange levers used to raise the base off of the "steering wheels" are a nicely-engineered eccentric cam that lifts/lowers the load in a controlled way. This mechanism includes an adjustable foot that allows the base to be leveled (within ~1/2" range) relative to the non-turning wheels at the other end of the base. Assembly was very straightforward and took about 30-40 minutes; the next one, which I'm buying right now, will only take about 20 minutes now that I've done one already. I am using it for a cast-iron Crescent Heavy 20 bandsaw that weighs 775 pounds and it is very stable and easy to move around the shop. The next one will be for a Master 24" disc sander, also weighing ~750 pounds, but somewhat more top-heavy. I'll update the review if having a more top-heavy load adversely affects the performance of the base -- my gut tells me that it won't be a problem.

Very well made. Its easy to assemble and feels like it will last forever. I am using this under my Jet 1836 drum sander(Need the extension kit too). This made the drum sander which was hard to move with out, a effortless item to move in the shop. Well worth the investment. The extension kit I got for it is the Fisch Bora Portamate PM-3050 Extension. Which is also very robust in its construction. Note that I chose to rotate the wheels where the stops are to reduce the overall length of the floor foot print.

It is hard to tell from the photos how heavy duty this is. This is square steel tubing that has been powder coated. The corners are heavy steel. The adjustable sleeve holes are all tapped making it easy to put together and adjust base. There are 2 bolts for each connection, (16 bolts for just for connections!) doesn't seem like a big thing, but the 2 bolts keep the inserts level and keeps base from sagging. This is bolted together, not screwed together, making this a much more serious base. The wheels are strong and roll with ease. I think it raised my table saw about an inch? Maybe an 1.5" The corner bases plates are recessed below the main square tubing. Confusing, but your tool will sit just off the floor about an inch. I have an out feed table and will have to raise it up now a bit. I really like this base. Extremely happy. This base is for a Delta Contractors table saw with a Biesemeyer 40" fence. I added an insert to the side so this thing is a beast to move. I have had this saw about 25 years? Moving this is now a breeze. This base proves there are folks out there who care about making good stuff. Thanks!

I bought this Portamate 3500 base for a 400+ pound table saw which came with individual casters bolted to each leg of it's stand. I have been fighting with these ridiculous pieces of junk for years, and finally decided to try the Portamate unit after searching for a new base. The overall fit, finish, and welding of the parts made me look at the box again to see if it was U.S. made (no, made in China), as it was all very high quality. Like most other reviewers have pointed out, the packaging and parts of the instructions leave a bit to be desired, but I don't know where you could buy a better-made product of this type. I tend to over-build everything, and using this beast for a 400+ pound saw is certainly under utilizing it's capacity, but I have no doubt I would feel the same if I was using it for something 3 times as heavy. I really liked their suggestion of first mounting one side of the saw on 1\2 of the unit, which I did by using a floor jack to lift one side of the saw. I then took a 4' length of 2x6 and clamped it under the cross-brace of that side and ran it under the cross brace of the other side and lifted that side with the floor jack. I was able to make all of the connections for the base without any lifting at all, and the saw is solid as a rock and moves around with very little effort. I would make the purchase again in a heartbeat. Very satisfied.

First-- the portamate bases are very good. Very sturdy and well made-- at least the heavier duty ones I bought. I bought the more expensive 3550 for my felder jointer, thinking I would need the 4 wheels to roll the machine. But frankly I don't roll it that much. Still I don't regret purchase, very sturdy and no vibration when machine on. Rolls easily when casters engaged. Then I saw the 3500 (2 wheel model) on sale at less than 1/2 what I paid for the 3550. Why not. Put it under my Sawstop. Other than having to cut two of the crossbars to fit the base-(using a cheap metal blade from home depot to fit on my 8 inch dewalt skill saw but I think a metal hand saw will also cut though slower)- I am very pleased. The 3500 works every bit as good as the 3550. Maybe better since I am mainly moving the table saw forward or back as needed. AlsoI did not need the extension gadget for my outfeed table or side table. These still have legs and I only needed to shim with a wood block to support the legs at the right height when not engaging the casters on the mobile base. When rolling the table, the base lifts everything up and I don't need the leg supports until saw is lowered back down to use. Lastly both bases look good under my felder and sawstop. And the wheels don't get in my way when using either machine.

I needed a strong, sturdy and steady mobile base for my Nova drill press. I was looking for something that would move easily yet support it's ~260 pounds and still be rock solid while in use; which is a tall order considering its six feet tall with a high center of gravity. This base delivers on all these points. The yellow levers easily lift the weight of the drill press off the floor through their foot activated cam action. An important caveat is the minimum dimensions that are given as 18.25 x 23.5. Each dimension is possible but not both at the same time. This is due to the rails needing to occupy the same space within the corner pieces as their orthogonal counterparts. Thus, to achieve these dimensions, I had to cut an inch off each end of the front and rear rails; see pic. Otherwise, the assembly was quite easy, the threads were all well cut and weren't fouled with powder coating, as many tend to be. While most bases advertise support weights that are ridiculously higher than they can obviously support, this base probably comes close to its advertised 1500 pound limit. The substandard packaging mentioned in other reviews is entirely accurate; the packing consists of little more than enclosing the pieces in very thin bubble-wrap sleeves and tossing the pieces in a cardboard box. Thankfully, mine arrived without any cosmetic damage, but certainly only due to luck.

This mobile base is heavy duty and designed for my Powermatic 1800B band saw which weighs in at almost 900 lbs. I did have 4 small 4x4x3/4 blocks on each corner, but found them difficult to work with so I used two 3/4x4x22 pine board which elevated the band saw up 3/4" so the bottom door of the band saw can be opened. Once satisfied with the band saws placement in this mobile base I was able to move the band saw with very little effort. It is well constructed and easily assembled. If you have a piece of 3/4" plywood that would work over the two pine boards I used. "ADJUSTABLE SIZE: Adjusts from 20.75 x 23.75 inches to 28 x 33.5 inches (53 x 60 cm to 71 x 85 cm), and is adjustable in 1-inch (2.54 cm) increments to fit a wide variety of machines. Also has a very low profile that lifts machine height by less than 1 inch (2.54 cm)."

How do you REALLY know - is this mobile base good overall quality? (Yes); do the wheels roll nice under load? (Yes, each wheel has a bearing and the wheel material is a durable resin but still has a soft enough feel rolling on the floor. Shaper is roughly 500-pounds); mobile base rated for 1500-pounds (I now believe that it is correctly weight rated) How adjustable is this? (You can adjust the size in 1-inch increments to accommodate nearly any size equipment. My strategy - order one check it out see if I like it. I liked the base and I ordered two more. I would certainly recommend this mobile base to a fellow wood worker / friend.

I used the Bora 3500 for my panel saw which weights just under 1,000 pounds. It allows me move it with ease. The lock down breaks work great , giving a stable work station after it is moved & locked.

These are heavy duty, solid bases. You won't regret the purchase. Although not cheap, worth it. For heavier tools.

Great mobile chassis for heavy equipment.

We have a plastic cabinet for storage sitting on top of this Portamate. It’s great. The ability to shrink and expand this rolling base is also a big asset.

très bien, assez facile a monter et deplace ma delta 10 pouce ( 400lbs plus ) facilement. si vous achetez l'extension pour déplacer votre table et votre rallonge, cela demandera un peu de travail pour mettre l'ensemble de niveau.