Anyone have a saltfork craftsman cone? Just wondering how thick the walls are? Any help/comments appreciated ..Thanks

Mine is fairly thick at the base (excluding flange). It is a scant 7/8 inch. The wall gets thinner as it goes upward. That's the way they cast it, there are a couple of vertical tong grooves opposite each other. About 3/4 of the way from bottom to top, there is a 1" x 4" window, a port on either side. The thickness there is 3/8 inch. For the price, I think they are a good deal. There is a slight roughness to the casting which I disc-sanded smooth in about 20 minutes.

I had found one of the good, collar-bone high mandrels about 35 years ago. It is still in my shop, but I ordered the Saltfork one, as it is easily moved, and it is a quality piece. Ductile iron is tougher than gray cast iron.

FYI, the "tong groove" is not just a tong groove. If say, you've welded a ring to a link, then to round up the ring, the link goes in the groove.

http://www.turleyforge.com

About 3/4 of the way from bottom to top, there is a 1" x 4" window, a port on either side. The thickness there is 3/8 inch.
http://www.turleyforge.com

The "window" mentioned here was done so the piece could be removed from the mold. The foundry said that this was the only way they could cast it as they had no other way to handle it. I have one and it did take a little elbow work to get it smooth but if it was a 'finished' cone you would be paying a Bunch more for it. Thanks Frank for the little education on the 'tong' groove!