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What are the best add-ons for your acorn platen, welding platen, etc


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I knew a used machinery dealer back in CA that had over 50 of them that he pulled out of the floor of Pacific Steel. He was selling them for $250, and he had friends with a blanchard that could deck them for you for an additional $250. I wish I had bought the one out of my Dad's classroom on Mare Island Naval Shipyard. It went for $700 and it had a 200# vise on one corner. It was the thickest one I have ever seen, and was around 12" thick. Unfortunately I had spent my funds on other machinery and was tapped out when it came up.

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Heh.  A few years back my wife decided she was going to get me an acorn table for Christmas after hearing me drool for one but her not actually knowing details about what an acorn table actually entailed.  After a several phone calls, she quickly found out that they wouldn't fit in her car or cost a couple of hundred bucks.  I gave her credit for good intentions :)

The answer about best add-on is "more".  One more clamp, one more peg, one more whatever.   Like hammers and tongs, you can get by with a half dozen but more is always better.

 

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Greetings all,

            I was very fortunate to acquire a 5x5 acorn table  years ago .  I mounted it a a height of 36 inches which has proven to be the best for my work .  I have numerous attachments way to many to post but my favorites are the ability to attach equipment to the table.  I have several things mounted on rollers that I can just roll up to the table than insert pins for a solid fixture.  Hossfeld, Whitney notcher to name a few.  This saves a lot of floor space for equipment that has limited use that is normally fixed to the floor.  If you can find one I would suggest buying it as it will prove to be a valuable addition to your shop. 

Forge on and make beautiful things 

Jim

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Back in the early 90s i lived in Yelm WA. there was a scrap yard in Tacoma called Floyd,s who got in a stack of 15 5x5 acorn tables  and a friend of mine bought all of them for resale to other blacksmiths. He wanted 300$ each for them and he owed me 175$ from a job i did for him. So you can do the math.   Smokey

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Clamps made to fit in the square holes , round and square pegs of various sizes and heights, a heavy leg vise mounted near one corner on it's own foundation with the top of the jaws just below the  the top of the table.

One end of the heavy frame that supports the  5' x 10' platten sits on a 20'' tall wide flange beam that sticks out a couple feet on each side. This makes a handy step to jump up on top of the table  with a long hot bar to upset the end against the 6,000#  mass of the table top .

Great tool, I have mine set up in front of the shop so that there are no obstructions to working anywhere around the table. 

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