Acorn Tables in Ohio Area

[VaughnT]

As a blacksmith, I've wanted an Acorn table for ages, but they are pricey when you buy them new, and older ones are just not available in my AO. The big ol' table I have now is fine enough except that it doesn't have any holes for mounting gadgets. The 1-1/2" thick top certainly makes me appreciate massive tables, though!

There's a guy up in Ohio that's come up with a nice stash of 60"x60" Acorn tables, so I thought I'd pass along the good news. They look like they're in fantastic shape, and I dream of having a shop so big and so busy that I could use them all to tile the floor! Holey Moley, if that aint a sign of a life well lived!!!

Is 5'x5' a good size? For 90% of folks out there, I'd say it's dang near ideal. Not too big and not too small, even a small shop in the garage could have one and still be able to roll it out of the way when you wanted to park your car. Why you'd have a car in your home shop... no idea!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-60-X-60-A...YAAOSwOY5dl2D9

If you're in the Ohio region, or don't mind the shipping costs, I'd recommend dropping the fellow a line. They are priced very competitively compared to the lighter, flimsier welding tables like the Stronghand "Rhino" table, even if you do have to add your own legs.






Got no skin in the game other than wishing I could get two of them for myself.

[Lis2323]

As a blacksmith, I've wanted an Acorn table for ages, but they are pricey when you buy them new, and older ones are just not available in my AO. The big ol' table I have now is fine enough except that it doesn't have any holes for mounting gadgets. The 1-1/2" thick top certainly makes me appreciate massive tables, though!

There's a guy up in Ohio that's come up with a nice stash of 60"x60" Acorn tables, so I thought I'd pass along the good news. They look like they're in fantastic shape, and I dream of having a shop so big and so busy that I could use them all to tile the floor! Holey Moley, if that aint a sign of a life well lived!!!

Is 5'x5' a good size? For 90% of folks out there, I'd say it's dang near ideal. Not too big and not too small, even a small shop in the garage could have one and still be able to roll it out of the way when you wanted to park your car. Why you'd have a car in your home shop... no idea!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-60-X-60-A...YAAOSwOY5dl2D9

If you're in the Ohio region, or don't mind the shipping costs, I'd recommend dropping the fellow a line. They are priced very competitively compared to the lighter, flimsier welding tables like the Stronghand "Rhino" table, even if you do have to add your own legs.






Got no skin in the game other than wishing I could get two of them for myself.

Nice. I'd grab one if they were closer.


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[VaughnT]

Nice. I'd grab one if they were closer.

I decided to go around the web and price some of the better welding tables you can buy. At only $1750+s/h, these Acorn floor tiles are actually cheaper than most and have more surface area. Sure, you have to add your own legs, but that's easy enough. If I had the money, one of these would already be on a truck and heading my way!

[Lis2323]

At only $1750+s/h, these Acorn floor tiles are actually cheaper than most and have more surface area. Sure, you have to add your own legs, but that's easy enough. If I had the money, one of these would already be on a truck and heading my way!

Same here, Vaughn !


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[Welder Dave]

Holy moly that's a lot of platens! What did they make in that shop?

[G-ManBart]

I've been to one of their shops in the Toledo area while picking up a welder because they were the rigger for an auction....they move a LOT of machinery. I saved that eBay listing as a favorite and several times I've gotten one of those "the seller is offering a discount" notices from eBay that was maybe $150 or so less. They also have a website where you can look at their listings directly. I suspect if you go direct with them you can negotiate a better price if you pickup in person and pay cash...no 10% fee to eBay, and no 2.9% fee to PayPal...haven't tried that, but from a logic standpoint it makes sense.

[VaughnT]

I've been to one of their shops in the Toledo area while picking up a welder because they were the rigger for an auction....they move a LOT of machinery. I saved that eBay listing as a favorite and several times I've gotten one of those "the seller is offering a discount" notices from eBay that was maybe $150 or so less. They also have a website where you can look at their listings directly. I suspect if you go direct with them you can negotiate a better price if you pickup in person and pay cash...no 10% fee to eBay, and no 2.9% fee to PayPal...haven't tried that, but from a logic standpoint it makes sense.

I wouldn't doubt they'd deal better in person. I've done that a few times with other vendors there, and they are always happy to cut a deal and get away from the fees they'd otherwise have to pay.

I'm still waiting on photos of the undersides to see if they are genuine platen tables or just heavy-duty air grates. I've seen the latter a few times, and they don't work well as platen tables since the cast iron is so much thinner.

[VaughnT]

I'm guessing that "x6-1/2" means the thickness. Sure looks like it'd fit!



The seller was nice enough to respond to my request for some pictures of the underside, and they certainly look promising.






I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's a solid 2" thick top. To my mind, that's more than enough to be a good Acorn table. If anything the lack of more mass makes them just that more desirable for the hobbyist who might need to roll the table out of the way when the wife wants to park the car in the garage.

Again, no skin in the game, but I hope it helps someone.

[Lis2323]

I’m totally impressed with the care the seller took in stacking them.

Purpose cut dunnage. All placed at equal angles. And then placing all the platens square with a forklift!


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[VaughnT]

They do appear to take pride in their work. That's a good sign!

[N2 Welding]

I’m totally impressed with the care the seller took in stacking them.

Purpose cut dunnage. All placed at equal angles. And then placing all the platens square with a forklift!


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Looks like some time spent on stacking them on the wooden blocks was to make them easier to handle, move and grab for loading purposes.

[Reebz]

First I feel sorry for the floor. LOL
Second I want one but I have a bunch of round strong hand 5/8 clamps. Are clamps for these expensive?

[Lis2323]

First I feel sorry for the floor. LOL
Second I want one but I have a bunch of round strong hand 5/8 clamps. Are clamps for these expensive?

You could bend up your own.

Like this only larger diameter.




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[VaughnT]

First I feel sorry for the floor. LOL
Second I want one but I have a bunch of round strong hand 5/8 clamps. Are clamps for these expensive?

Just make your own the same way folks do for the round-hole tables. Acorn tables have a square hole, so you just weld your clamps to a piece of square tube or solid bar.... and you're golden.

Or, you can make a "plug" that drops into the square hole and has a 5/8" hole for the clamps that you already own. A little more work and you'd have to have a slew of them depending on how many clamps you'd want to use at the same time. It's an idea, though, because it would allow you to rotate your clamps 360º. If you used hex stock for a solid end like I mentioned above, you'd get some good rotation, but it'd still be somewhat limited compared to the round-hole tables.

If you have Stronghand-brand clamps and don't want to cut them up, you can always sell them to someone else since those things are always in demand.

In other words, you have no excuse. Grab a platen table so I can live vicariously through you!

[N2 Welding]

Being able to rotate the clamps into optimum position with the aid of square to round table inserts is genius. There probably a way to make the inserts stay secured to the clamps rather than just being drop in inserts. That way you move the clamp and you don't have to fish inserts out every time you relocate or store the clamps

[Reebz]

Vaughn
In other words, you have no excuse. Grab a platen table so I can live vicariously through you!
You got me thinking.
My table is 3x4 and 5/8 thick. I wanted to go 6x4 and 5/8 thick or use the same top but build a new frame below so I could use 5/8 thick flat stock when needed. Space is a premium, I weld a lot but get paid little. I'm a retired teacher so the welding is for "go fast parts".
Things to thing about.

[Reebz]

This damn thread has me thinking.
What would the top weigh?
What kind of frame would you need to support it?
Could one get casters for this load?
What is the great advantage of an acorn table?
Does it make sense for me? LOL


I want a table that will be flat for ever.

[Lis2323]

This damn thread has me thinking.

Does it make sense for me? LOL


I.

What kind of a question is that?????


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[Reebz]

What kind of a question is that?????


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Seriously. I don't make much money. For almost
20 years I have made do. Last year I spent money for the first time, got a nice tool box, and cabinets, Ellis band saw, new welder and mag drill. Nice tools and storage make life nice to work in the shop.

[12V71]

Some of those appear to be recently re-ground, the whitish dribbles may be coolant traces from the grinder? I worked in a shop that had a 60"x 120" platen set in a HEAVY angle iron frame and the 6,000 lb forklift couldn't touch it. Had to use the 12K.

[Reebz]

Some of those appear to be recently re-ground, the whitish dribbles may be coolant traces from the grinder? I worked in a shop that had a 60"x 120" platen set in a HEAVY angle iron frame and the 6,000 lb forklift couldn't touch it. Had to use the 12K.

Holly hell. That would be tough to move in my garage

[G-ManBart]

This damn thread has me thinking.
What would the top weigh?

Somewhere in the 2,000 to 3,000lb range. The listing says 3,000, but that's a bit on the heavy side from the research I've done.

Lots of reasons why you'd want one...
https://www.thefabricator.com/thefab...se-for-welding

[VaughnT]

This damn thread has me thinking.
What would the top weigh?
What kind of frame would you need to support it?
Could one get casters for this load?
What is the great advantage of an acorn table?
Does it make sense for me? LOL
I want a table that will be flat for ever.

Well, the top's weight will depend on too many unknown variables to say for sure. The Weldsale.com website doesn't give a weight for their 5x5 table, which is odd, but even if they did it would only give you a rough estimation since we don't know how their's vary from what's in the advert.

Bank on it being heavy. Very heavy. Cast iron weighs .260 pounds per cubic inch or 491.5 pounds per cubic foot. We don't know the thickness of the top, sides, ribs, etc, so it's impossible to really calculate exactly how many cubic feet there might be in the things. Still, you wouldn't go wrong if you planned on something that's 500# or more. Build a hefty set of legs for the thing!

Something like 3x3x1/4 angle iron would suffice. 3/4" or 1" bolts to hold the top to the base.

Yes you can get casters that'll work well and take the load without any problem.

Advantages? Oh, well it's cast iron and not steel, so it won't take weld splatter nearly as easily. Once you have the top flat, it tends to stay flat. Being tons thicker than any commercially available weld tables means that you'd really have to work at making the table "not flat". It won't easily go out of square easily even if you're on a bad floor. Plus, the mass makes them very hard to move when you don't want them to move. You can use it as something of an anvil and not worry about damaging it. Blacksmiths will hammer red hot iron on the things, bending and shaping how they need, and the table doesn't move an inch. Can't say that about modern lightweight welding tables.

Does it make sense for you? Honestly hard to say. Can you fabricate up a decently strong base for it? Of all the welding tables that I've seen on the market, these Acorn platens are priced cheaper and have more surface area to work on, but maybe that's not what you need? At 5'x5', they'll take up a chunk of real estate even if you roll it into the corner of the garage. Would you be better served by something that's 3'x4' and doesn't stick out quite so far? Yea, it'd cost you more initially, but maybe it'd get you by for the next decade without you ever having to worry about it?

Here's a very good video from Jason over at Fireball Tools. He compares a lot of the top-end welding tables, including a new Acorn table from Weldsale.



And remember, the platens in the OP are used and have been on the floor for decades. There's no assurance you'll get one that's even close to flat. You might. But you also might be in for a load of grinding and sanding, or have to hire the job out to a big shop that can get you a certified-flat top. The upside to that is once you have it flat.... it takes an act of an angry god to make it unflat.

[G-ManBart]

He compares a lot of the top-end welding tables, including a new Acorn table from Weldsale.

That's kind of like saying a new Ford from Chevrolet

[LtBadd]

Holly hell. That would be tough to move in my garage

I have a 5 x 5 with stand in my garage, was sure the website gave the weight, or I may have gotten it during a phone call with them, it's 2500 with stand.

I had movers bring it to the house, lift it off the flatbed, I put castors on it and they were able to set it almost all the way in the garage (forktruck wouldn't fit ) then
they pushed it in with the forks