Reloading Work Bench

No problems with mine... had my safe on it.... but alas I just scene it was sold out so mute point anyways....
I'm still a ways from reloading anything, got the press mounted primers powder bullets cases, and dies already... just baby steppin'
 
i just built my own bench 2' x 8'. 2 layers of 3/4" in ply wood for the top. with a 2x4" frame for it and 2 2x4s screwed together to make a 4x4 for the legs. and bolted them on with carriage bolts in case i wanna move the bench, then they come off easy.
 
CDNbear said:
I got a old desk off kijiji free works great..
Click to expand...

Ay! I had to leave an old, really solid built bench at a Government surplus place the other day because the trailer and truck were already full. It pained me to do so. Price? Five dollars!
Cheaper than a fancy coffee drink at Starbucks.

I built a couple benches a while back. I made mine with the lower part raised enough to get a pallet dolly in to lift them so they could be moved easily.
PALoMine said:
http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/workshop/bench/below20xl.html
Click to expand...
The ones I built looked a lot like the one in the link. I used plywood, though, as I had some on hand.
You don't need power tools to do it, either, a hand saw, a hammer, and a screwdriver, will do. I use an old hand brace (hand crank wood drill) to drive screws. Cheap at garage sales, the old wood drills.
But cordless would be faster, if you need an excuse to buy one.
I use bolts through the top of the bench, rather than lag bolts, to hold the press down. Consider the hole spacing when arranging the overhang of the top (at least a couple inches, it makes clamping stuff there really easier) too.

But it all depends on your space and needs, eh.

Take a look at the Black And Decker Workmate, if you need a 'sturdy enough' solution that can be used for other things too. From there on up to building Garaj Mahal, it's all optional. Choose what suits you.

Cheers
Trev
 
Last edited:
This is by far the sturdiest bench I've seen available in stores. Bought it at Costco...
It even has grease nipples on the wheels. 1 & 1/2" hardwood table top. Indestructable and lockable cabinets up top. The thing in crappy tire is not even close to the quality of this bench.

bench3_zpsa619d247.jpg

bench2_zps767342fd.jpg
 
I purchased mine at Canadian Tire about 12 years ago. It isn't the best quality or strongest but it's hanging in.
 
Just starting to reload. I looked at everything pre-fab, and decided to build my own with Ikea kitchen stuff. It was a big expensive but I will have a ton of lockable storage and this thing is as solid as a rock. Mounted the press yesterday afternoon, just got the drawers on last night before bed. I'll post a better picture when it's all said and done.

 
I just got into reloading and wanted to have a dedicated bench for it, and to be honest I started and ended with kijiji. I bought an old teachers desk, was issued through the school board. It was $50, I just had to drive 25 minutes to pick it up. It is from the 50's, solid wood - no MDF or particle board, it would survive a hurricane of explosive earthquakes I'm sure. When I was browsing, I saw 3 other similar offerings, all under $100.

Works great because I can easily bolt and clamp stuff solidly onto the solid wood top, and then the heavy drawers down the side (they lock, but I didn't get the key, so I might just replace the locks) give me easy access to supplies without having to keep them out and in my way.
 
After seeing a few threads like this, it surprises me how often people keep their tumblers inside on their bench. Especially the ones with the slits in the lid. Are you not worried about the dust they kick up? It's gotta be filled with a ton of nasty stuff.

I keep mine in the my garage. And it has a solid top, no slits.
 
I'm going to be building myself a bench in the next week or two. It is going to be going in my spare room of my apartment. What are some good dimensions for this, I am not limited on space but don't want some huge desk. How much work clear workspace do you need? I am thinking if I should build some rough drawers or just goto walmart and pick up some cheap plastic drawers to put underneath of it for storage and stuff. Thanks
 
mine is 8' x 2'. as u can see from the pic i posted earlier it does the job. and i used cabinets to store my stuff. the big lateral filing cabinets work great. but the little 3 drawer ones work well too for storing smaller stuff like projectiles and such. but that's just my setup that works for me
 
mattf87 said:
I'm going to be building myself a bench in the next week or two. It is going to be going in my spare room of my apartment. What are some good dimensions for this, I am not limited on space but don't want some huge desk. How much work clear workspace do you need? I am thinking if I should build some rough drawers or just goto walmart and pick up some cheap plastic drawers to put underneath of it for storage and stuff. Thanks
Click to expand...

Figure out if you want to load/use the bench standing or sitting. I made mine higher to stand at it, 34" high I think. Also, if you make it higher, you might shouldn't make it too deep, 2'6" or 2'8" or so max, because if you put shelves on the back, it becomes very difficult to reach unless you have 5' long arms. I've always found 2' deep work benches a bit narrow and like a bit of extra depth.

Also, a front overhang (5" or 6" or so) is great for mounting presses, makes it easy to through bolt because all the bolts are in front of the bench frame. The overhang also gives room for your knees if you want to sit at the bench.

Drawers don't work well where a press is mounted, most presses have parts that go below the tabletop. Also, if you want to sit at the bench there is no room for your knees if you want to sit up high to look down onto your press. (which is typically higher above the tabletop)
 
as you can see different people make their benches differently, you just have to build it for your own comfort, and i wish i thought about the overhang for mounting a press. it was a little difficult getting mine installed. had to drill out a little bit of the frame on the inside to get the nuts to fit onto the bolts. nothing huge. just 1/4"
 
an overhang for mounting a press isn't the best idea - it allows the tabletop to flex at that point. sure, it makes it easy to remove the press and get at the used primer catcher, but structurally not the best. my bench has no overhang at all, so the press is screwed directly through the top and into the 2x4 front runner using 3.5" long lag screws, and the rear bolt is just through the top but very close to the 2x4 that's supporting it. use T-nuts to make it easier to attach - no fumbling with a nut and washer from the underside. damn strong and stable.

considering it's a workbench, I found it best to use strong framing lumber like 2x4 or 4x4 for the entire structure, thick ply for the top PLUS a 1/4" fiberboard or MDF panel GLUED on top for a smooth work surface. glue, not nails or screws - keeps the entire top free of holes or things that can scratch guns.

and yeah, 1/4" ply sheeting panels as sides & rear for bracing are very good and very cheap - and you can use them to hang things from. heck, use pegboard and have even more hanging options!

also, last thought - whatever shelves you have make them physically separate from the bench. you don't want any bench shake to also rattle the shelves. I use those metal tracks with triangular shelf supports (adjustable for position) with 1/4" thick plywood shelves. premade shelves aren't the right size - they're actually 1/8" too shallow so a 6" support actually needs a 6 1/8" deep shelf to sit snug.

some glue and a nail gun can make assembly REALLY easy.

as for size, be aware of raw materials unless you enjoy wasting wood. full panels are 4x8, half and quarter panels (4x4 and 2x4) are common, so try to keep your tabletop dimensions sensible. my tabletop wasn't sensible, but I had to make it to fit into the space I have, so I ended up with 28x29 inches - which needed a 4x4 panel with a lot of waste.
 
mattf87 said:
I'm going to be building myself a bench in the next week or two. It is going to be going in my spare room of my apartment. What are some good dimensions for this, I am not limited on space but don't want some huge desk. How much work clear workspace do you need? I am thinking if I should build some rough drawers or just goto walmart and pick up some cheap plastic drawers to put underneath of it for storage and stuff. Thanks
Click to expand...
I have a press mounted on a table saw base, with a 16x19" plywood top(just recycled, that's what size it was)
A few 2x4s for rigidity, and a whole bunch of weight bolted under the bottom.
All it really needs is a shelf behind or beside it for the scale to sit on.

You don't need a 40 sq ft, granite topped Chippendale cabinet to reload on. It would be nice, but it is a whole bunch cheaper to "make do."
 
Rory McCanuck said:
I have a press mounted on a table saw base, with a 16x19" plywood top(just recycled, that's what size it was)
A few 2x4s for rigidity, and a whole bunch of weight bolted under the bottom.
All it really needs is a shelf behind or beside it for the scale to sit on.

You don't need a 40 sq ft, granite topped Chippendale cabinet to reload on. It would be nice, but it is a whole bunch cheaper to "make do."
Click to expand...

Would you be able to provide some picture for me please ? I already have bid bench, but can't put press on it as I use it for multiple different activities, so really looking for something compact but stable just for press itself.

--
Thanks !
 
ekp said:
Would you be able to provide some picture for me please ? I already have bid bench, but can't put press on it as I use it for multiple different activities, so really looking for something compact but stable just for press itself.

--
Thanks !
Click to expand...

I've since added a piece of plywood and the best part was a rail to hang Akro-Bins off of.
Please ignore the mess, it's usually worse ;)

 
BP7 said:
an overhang for mounting a press isn't the best idea - it allows the tabletop to flex at that point. sure, it makes it easy to remove the press and get at the used primer catcher, but structurally not the best. my bench has no overhang at all, so the press is screwed directly through the top and into the 2x4 front runner using 3.5" long lag screws, and the rear bolt is just through the top but very close to the 2x4 that's supporting it. use T-nuts to make it easier to attach - no fumbling with a nut and washer from the underside. damn strong and stable.
Click to expand...

I should have added, I do have a 5-1/2" overhang, but the tabletop is also 3 layers of 3/4" veneer mdf glued together, with a solid maple end cap.. That overhang doesn't flex in the slightest.

So the answer is, it depends on how your top is constructed. If you only use a sheet of 3/4" plywood, then it's going to flex.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom