Pedestal Stand Suggestions

J. Hoffman

Dealer - Purveyor
I'm looking to build a couple of adjustable pedestal stands for grinders/buffers. I was thinking of incorporating a bottle jack or big screw of some kind to raise and lower. Does anyone have suggestions or photos of theirs? I'm thinking similar to the Burr King adjustable without the $500 price tag. I can barely fabricate a ham sandwich, but have friends that can weld.
 
Not trying to a smart @ss here but,.........! WhileI am pretty much a believer the height that was good yesterday is gonna be good tomorrow not unless you stand sometimes and would rather sit somedays!

So I have never heard of the Burr King adjustable stand so I googled it.

They have a fixed model. The description is as follows.
Burr King heavy duty pedestals are designed to position grinding and polishing machines at a convenient operator height of 33". They must be securely securely bolted to the floor.


http://www.penntoolco.com/bk-ps01/?...0Vn1lNvp3Hg-4Q4QNmM1QheD7PqvnNaxoCn0gQAvD_BwE1520127059641.png


Then they have an adjustable model. Description is as follows.

Burr King heavy duty pedestals are designed to position grinding and polishing machines at a convenient operator height of 33". They must be securely bolted to the floor.

http://www.penntoolco.com/bk-ps01-1...m9ylOHUJQcYcWA-OEB6YR-IMv_gQyqMBoCmE0QAvD_BwE

1520127187524.png
While both are nice looking, There key is bolting them down and while the company has taken a lot of effort to make them look aesthetically pleasing! They are out of their mind on those prices. The big asset of the adjustable model is the crank on the left side of the pic. It allows for adjustment. That might be hard to fabricate.

The next thing I am about to address is actually the first thing that popped into my mind. Someone is out of their freaking mind, :eek:$376.00 dollars for the fixed and $651.00 for the adjustable, plus shipping!!!

With some time and effort could make the fancy mitered collars at the top and bottom. I could buy the plate for the top and bottom plus the square tube steel new from our local steel supplier and still not have in them what they want those!!!

If you have a welding shop nearby you may be able to pick up the pieces to make one for $20-$40, depending on how well you know them as steel has gone up the last few years. When a piece of steel is cut the remaining is called a drop. Because it drops to the floor and may or may not be useable and depending on how long it lays around you may have to move it many times.

Most shops will sell these for a decent price. Go to your local welding shop and tell them you are interested in buying some steel drops. Have it figured out what you want and the lengths. Tell them if they have anything close to those dimensions your interested in buying! The longer they have to spend with you is money, as well as if you have to have them cut it for you that is more money. If you can get pieces somewhere over the lengths you need you can cut them at home with a right angle grinder and metal cutting wheels or a metal chop saw!!

If you want adjustable then you got to come up with a lifting system a hydraulic ram jack might be your answer. If you go that route, do not weld the jack into the system as their will come a day when you will have to get it out of their to repair or replace it!!
Here is one that is made by Northern tool company. 1520128816507.pnghttps://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200641751_200641751?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Automotive>%20Jacks%20>%20Long%20Ram%20Jacks&utm_campaign=Strongway&utm_content=46214&gclid=

The use of hydraulic ram jack will add some money to the total price but even at that your not gonna have the kind of money in your pedestal that they want for those pedestals!!
 
Yes the Burr King stands are pricey. That ram is the idea I was thinking of. I was hoping someone had already made one.
 
Once you get the height you want, how often do you think you'll be changing the height? I can think of two positions that might be used, sitting and standing. That's only two adjustments needed - and that's if you plan to do some work sitting. While I don't stand long, I do my working grinding while standing - and buffering for sure is standing. Have you considered the Harbor Freight stands? I've got a couple of these for buffer and wheel grinder: https://www.harborfreight.com/universal-bench-grinder-stand-3184.html

Here's a neat idea for a nice adjustable stand to jack up 'n down from floor to 34"
https://www.harborfreight.com/1000-lbs-capacity-hydraulic-table-cart-69148.html

Just think, roll it around, jack up 'n down to your pleasure. IF you do wish it solid and not moveable, just remove wheels and bolt to floor. Remove that handle out of way if bolted to floor.1520182872109.png
 
The grinder I'm getting requires that type of stand, and it needs to be heavy-duty. Harbor Freight won't do in this instance. I think the adjustable stand would also be a bonus, although probably not necassary.
 
Early on in my career, I tried using a pedestal stand for both grinders and buffers..... personally, unless it is SECURELY bolted/affixed to the floor, all you end up doing is "chasing" the tool around the shop. I far prefer to have any machine mounted to a bench, which is in turn, mounted to the structure it's housed in. If you feel you must go the route of a pedestal stand, get the heaviest/stoutest you can, and make sure it's the correct height.....especially if you intend to mount a grinder.
 
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