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I need a table or stand for a Paragon 16 clamshell.
The outer demensions are 30x30 and it is 186 lbs.

I have been looking through the Harbor Freight site in hope of finding something but I'm not sure what would work.

Would this work? $35
I would need to put a surface on top, is it safe to use plywood?
Rated to 500 pounds (with HF I just cut the number in half to be safe but 250 should be enough, I think).
18-3/8" x 20-1/2" (Top)
Up to 25.2" x 27.16" (Base–Leg Spread)
26-32" height

Looks like it might be a pain to put on castors, because of the way the kiln opens from the bottom it needs to be pretty far from the wall, but when opened by the upper hinge it can be much closer, so castors would be nice. HF has a kit but it cost more than the stand itself, $40

Also thought about this cart. Rated to 450lbs, all steel.

I looked at the instructions for putting it together and it looks like I could flip the top shelf to get rid of the lip.
24x36
$60

I place kilns on cement blocks with the holes arranged horizontally. This works even on a wooden bench. My 20" x 40" front loader has been set up this way for over 30 years.

Marty Daly once told me a story that he was called as an expert witness in a case where a kiln user tried to sue the kiln manufacturer for a house fire. They lost the suit, because they did not use the stand supplied by the kiln manufacturer. The kiln floor had been placed directly on a flammable surface.

No plywood. I used cementitious backerboard when I was setting up mine, and just laid them across cinderblock. I had a spare roll of steel flashing lying around and covered the backerboard with that (because it can really scratch up hands or elbows or whatnot), turned it under the board to make a smooth tabletop. Worked well, and gave me a big workspace to use for waiting projects or a resting place when I was pulling everything out of the kiln.

I've got the HarborFreight stand you're picturing and I would think it would be a bit topheavy with a kiln unless you put a shelf on the bottom rungs and kept something heavy on it. I also have the cart (HarborFreight forever!), and I'm not sure you could turn the tray upside down without weakening the support. You could either fill up the tray with lightweight firebrick and set the kiln on top, or just secure the backerboard to the cart and put the kiln on it.

I went to a commercial restaurant supply warehouse in San Francisco and found something like this for under $150. My kiln is smaller than yours so my cart is 24" 24".

http://www.jesrestaurantequipment.com/e ... 44781.html

Three edges help hold in kiln furniture supplies like dams and bricks etc. I use bottom shelf for various molds. Has worked very well for three years.

Excellent info, thanks!
I'm leaning towards cinderblocks. I think I have a sheet of flashing somewhere, unless my daughter already turned it into some sort of sculpture.

I've got my kilns on cinderblocks, which makes it nice to not have to bend over so far. Not sure what you'd need the flashing for, since the underside of your kiln is steel.

I also went to a restaurant supply place and got a steel stand with large casters, just 19.5"h and 48"X30"....with a shelf underneath. It was intended to be a stand for a commercial barbecue and it works great with my Skutt.
There is lots of room for conveniently stacking kiln furniture, etc. around the kiln and the shelf below is handy for fiber paper sheets and thin fire. I do think it would be worth your while to check out restaurant suppliers in your area.
Colleen

Cinder blocks will allow you to adjust to a comfortable height. The stand and cart you show look too high... you would get a blast of heat in the face if opening kiln to check a 1500F melt!!

Valerie Adams wrote:I've got my kilns on cinderblocks, which makes it nice to not have to bend over so far. Not sure what you'd need the flashing for, since the underside of your kiln is steel.

I just used the flashing because I got tired of scraping hands and elbow on the rough surface. Any inflammable covering would do the same, I think.