Acorn style table

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Has anyone ever built there own acorn style table or something similar perhaps using rect. tube? I only ask because I saw the price  not to mention lifting one of those unto a table, even tilting one up onto a table... kinda scary. They seem to be the ultimate assembly table imho, very similar to woodworking tables.
Reply:Anything you weld up is going to warp some amount and never be quite as good as a real acorn table.  Yes you could weld it then have it machined flat, but you were already complaining about the cost.What are you trying to do with it?  Do you need the really flat really stiff table? Or do you just want a table with the nice grid of holes to clamp stuff down?If you don't need the really flat really stiff table, then yeah, build your own.  Tubing probably isn't the best choice since it can crush when you really tighten the clamps.  The open frame tables with c-channel tops are probably one of the easiest to build that has the 'clamp anywhere' capability.  A thick plate with a grid of holes is probably my next choice.  I wouldn't tackle drilling all those holes without buying/renting/borrowing a mag drill.Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:Just thinking aloud really. I would need a stowable table, so a big heavy getup wouldn't work for me. Good points on the tubing not working out. Thanks for the info!
Reply:Theres a reason that they are made out of cast iron.Vantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.
Reply:Rigidity and stiffness is going to come from having a thick table.  Most guys like a thick solid top to get there because you can abuse the hell out of it and it won't hurt.  You don't have to have all that weight to get a rigid table.  You just need the thickness.  It doesn't have to be solid.You could make a checkerboard grid with maybe 1 foot spacings using 1/4"x6 flat stock turned up on edge.  Then plate the top with 1/4" plate.  Plate the bottom side with 1/4" plate with 6" access holes cut in the middle of each 1' square.  It'll be a pain getting the inside welded when you put the bottom plate on, but you don't need 100% welds, just a few 1" welds on each side of the box.   Weld everything you can before you put on the bottom plate.With the 6" thickness and the closed section, this box table will be quite rigid.  You might even get away with 1/8" plate on the bottom.  You aren't going to be able to wail on the 1/4" top with a 16lbs sledge like you might with a thicker top, but by picking the correct depth you should be able to match the rigidness.  True flatness will be harder to obtain.  Every time you weld the top plate to the box underneath you're going to put a dimple in the plate.  Go lightly on the welding.  The table isn't going to experience loads enough to rip the top off even if you weld just a few inches per box.An alternative is to leave off the bottom plate and use diagonal bracing in the boxes.Dynasty200DX w/coolmate1MM210MM VintageESAB miniarc161ltsLincoln AC225Victor O/A, Smith AW1ACutmaster 81IR 2475N7.5FPRage3Jancy USA1019" SBAEAD-200LE
Reply:I used rectangular tubing on my table top but the crossmembers supporting the top warped - hey, it was my second project, you learn as you go."These instructions are at our present level ofknowledge. Legal requirements do not exist.Technical issues subject to change."_________________________________________Lincoln MIG PAK 180Lincoln AC-225
Reply:There's some good thinking Andy! What your describing is a torsion box, usually light but very rigid, nice! Thanks.
Reply:How bad do you want one?  This guy left his out in the rain until they rusted to hell, and they're for sale...http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/tls/2610562235.html   A few weeks with a grinder would clean those right up.  Or a hundred gallons of naval jelly.__David Hillman
Reply:the reason they use cast iron is the spatter wont stick to a cast iron tableVantage 500's LN-25's, VI-400's, cobramatics, Miller migs, synch 350 LX, Powcon inverters, XMT's, 250 Ton Acurrpress 12' brake, 1/4" 10' Atlantic shear,Koikie plasma table W/ esab plasmas. marvel & hyd-mech saws, pirrana & metal muncher punches.