Caster disaster!

August 26, 2009 6:25 PM

I'm looking for a very specific kind of caster.

Ok. They originally supported a lathe, if that helps.

They are similar to this, but rather than mounting via a plate, they are situated at the end of a threaded rod with a hexagonal inset opposite the bearing--they're essentially a large set screw with a ball bearing caster on one end. The bearing itself is a little smaller than 1".

The threaded portion of each caster extends upwards all the way through the base, allowing it to be leveled with an allen wrench.

I'd love it if someone could point me towards a source (I only need four; the originals are rusted solid), or even just tell me their proper name.

Thanks!

posted by pullayup to shopping (6 comments total)

Searching "ball caster" on mcmaster.com leads to some promising results.
posted by milqman at 6:42 PM on August 26

"Threaded stem ball transfers" is how I know them - there's a couple at the bottom of this pic
posted by Pinback at 6:51 PM on August 26

yeah, "ball transfer/caster" seems to be what I'm looking for. Now I just have to find one that's adjustable with a hex key.
posted by pullayup at 6:52 PM on August 26

(And I'll add that, strictly speaking, they're not casters - because they're not angled, or "castered", to swivel...)
posted by Pinback at 6:52 PM on August 26

Are these ball casters with stem getting close?
posted by barnone at 6:56 PM on August 26

Try calling A-merican Caster. They are a distributor of all sorts of casters. They will likely not sell directly to you as an individual, but I'm guessing they'll be able to help you find the right caster and where you can buy it. My company purchases from them regularly, and they have always done a good job for us.
posted by MrToad at 5:55 AM on August 27