In this post we will be attaching the locking casters to the bottom of the table legs. I wanted casters on my table so I could easily move the table around the room since it will be on hard wood floor and I didn't want to scratch the floor when I moved the table!
I'm using the 3/8" pin style caster that doesn't come with an attaching plate, this way I can get a plate that is cut to the size I need, which is 3" x 3"!
The plate you see below was purchased at a metal industrial supply store. They already had the holes cut in the corners and it was already 3" x 3" so these were perfect for my table legs. All I need to do is drill a hole in the middle of the plate for the caster!
Since I want the hole in the center of the plate I need to put some markings on the plate to indicate the center of the plate! Take a ruler and center it across the opposite corner holes and make a pencil mark across the center of the plate as shown below.
NOTE: Make sure you measure from the center of the two holes when you make our pencil mark!
Since the PIN on the caster is 3/8" you need a 3/8" drill bit that will cut metal! I picked one up at Home Depot for less than $3!
I'm using a drill press but you can secure the plate to a piece of wood and use a hand drill to make the center hole.
CRITICAL: When using a drill press with metal pieces ALWAYS make sure your piece is very secure!!! Sometimes the metal plate can snag on the drill bit and it not secure it will start spinning at the same speed as the drill, which can be 100's of RPM's!! NEVER, AND I MEAN NEVER HOLD A PIECE YOU ARE DRILL WITH YOUR HAND!!! The above situation can happen with wood just a easily as with metal!! When a metal plate is spinning around it's like a propeller and fingers can get damage very quickly!! BE CAREFUL!!!
Below you can see I have the plate centered to the drill bit and I'm ready to start drilling!
When drilling metal you want to use multiple passes by pressing into the plate constantly! Just use an up-down motion and slowly work the drill into the metal. If you try to drill straight through 1/8" or 1/4" metal the drill will bog down and end up getting stuck! Just keep pressing down and them pulling up over and over till you work the drill bit through the piece of metal!
When you have the hole drilled use a round file to file off any sharp edges or shavings.
WARNING: Be careful when holding the drill metal plate because the metal shaving can be very sharp and can easily cut or slice your fingers or hand!!
This will also help shape the hole so it is easier to get the PIN of the caster through the hole.
Below you can see all four caster plates ready to be installed on the table legs!
Set the plate against the bottom of the table leg "You should line up and mark all the table legs so know which end is the bottom" and use a pencil to mark all the holes! Pencil an arrow on one edge of the plate and match it with a pencil mark on the table leg so you know exactly how the plate is aligned on the table leg later on when you mount it!
Here are the five pencil marked holes ready to drilling!
First let's drill out the center hole for the caster PIN since this hole will take three separate drill types.
Since we are using a PIN style caster it will use a washer and two nuts to hole it to the plate. To make room for these components you will need to drill three different holes to accommodate them.
The first hole will be for the washer!
I will be using a 1" forstner bit and only drilling down to the width of the washer!! You only need to go a hair deeper than the width of the washer so drill some and check the depth with the actual washer. When you have the correct depth go ahead and change out the forstner bit.
Drill some and check the washer for depth!
When you finished the first hole for the washer, go ahead and change the bit to a 3/4" Forstner bit! This bit will drill the hole for the caster nut that goes on the PIN.
When drilling the hole for the nut follow the same process of drilling a little bit and checking the depth of the nut in the hole. Remember that you will be drilling a hole that will provide space for [2] nuts. We are using two nuts so we can LOCK the caster to the plate and not worry about it coming loose later!
When you finish the hole for the nuts go ahead and change out forstner bit to a 3/4" drill bit. This drill bit will provide the hole for the PIN on the caster!
You only need to drill enough depth to clear the length of the PIN. Don't go too deep because you don't want to weaken the table leg by removing too much unnecessary material!
Below you can see the 3/8" drill bit matched up with the PIN on the caster!
Below you can see a DRY fit of the entire caster assembly.
CRITICAL: Make sure before you mount the caster plate that you have the two nuts locked in place!
So now we move onto the attachment of the caster plate to the bottom of the table leg! Below you can see the wood screws I purchased at Home Depot for this assembly.
You need at least [12] #14 x 2" wood screws "four for each plate"!
To drill the pre-holes for the wood screws I used a 3/16" drill bit and drilled into the center of the plate holes. To make sure I was in the center of each hole I used a PUNCH to create a starter hole for the drill bit! These are nice to use because if you just try to center a drill bit and begin drilling, you might end up off center and when you screw the wood screw into the leg and it is off center, it may split the wood it you try and screw it in all the way!
Drill the hole just over the length of the wood screw so you don't split the wood when you screw in the wood screw!!
CRITICAL: Make sure you are in the exact center of each hole when you drill the pre-hole for the wood screw! Maple is very hard wood and there is no give when it comes to screwing in metal screws!! You need to take your time and do this right!
CRITICAL: Always do one hole at a time and screw in the wood screw to verify the plate is remaining centered to the bottom of the table leg as you screw in the wood screw!! If the caster plate starts to become off center and overlaps the edge of the table leg, you will have to file off the edge or it will affect the attachment area of the bottom trim on each table leg!!
Below you can see all four wood screws assembled and the caster secured in place on the bottom of the table leg!
Now only three more to go! Just follow the same procedures as above to compete the rest of the casters.
In the next post we will cover the creation and attachment of the bottom trim on each table leg!
See you then!
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