I have a bender, a small welder and time and was thinking of using 60 D nails for both base plate and lams on some #3 coils. Anyone else do this and do you cut the heads off the nails or just butt it up against the end of the existing trap base? They are right at 1/4 inch diameter.

I'd cut or grind the head off just so you don't have to worry about it and be annoyed by it

Ive used nails before and not my first choice but works, and yes i cut heads off with bolt cutters.
I will say i like them on 1 1/2 & 1 3/4 traps.

I found 1/4” rod from the scrap yard cheaper than nails actually.

I’m not sure what kind of spikes your using, but I was a carpenter for 15 years. And most all the nails that big are hardened and therefore extremely brittle. Did you actually get them to bend for center swiveling ?

Agreed
I would think 30ds would work very well and you can bend them pretty simple

30s are plenty strong and can be bent a lot easier. I did some Montana 3s with 30s and they worked well.

The guy I got the bender from, Justin in Indiana, has a YouTube video showing him making baseplate bends with 60D’s. I haven’t tried one yet.

Well maybe they will work, I just know we used them for building pole barns and they snap pretty easy if you bent one.

Step son made bunch with 40d nails and they did just fine.

20d is all you need.

Even this fella thinks so.

https://youtu.be/zdAHhYRl4jI

I have used 20 and 30d both have worked fine
J

I got some flower stands from the local grave yard they were throwing out. I save the big ones with 1/4'' rod.

I use them for bodygrip triggers too as well as political signs.