First attempt at a building a reloading bench.

trikebubble

trikebubble

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South Okanagan, BC
I've been slowly amassing the gear to get into reloading, and built myself a nice little (well, I think so) relaoding bench.

This is all new to me, so any tips or bits of advice anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated. I know it looks all clean and organized right now...but I'm sure that won't last.

I picked up the RCBS kit last time we were stateside, and just ordered in 1000 surplus rounds of .223 from Budget Shooter Supply. (and props must be given to Henry, what a great guy to dela with. I sent him the EMT and had the shipment show up here at work 2 days later)

The only little "personaliztion" I've made so far is to modify the spent primer catch so that all the primers are funneled down into a pop bottle.
I neeed better and more permanent lighting too.

reloadingbench003.jpg
 
Looks good. Certainly usable and small enough that a person might stand a chance of keeping it halfways organized :)

My only change (for personal preference) would have been to mount the press closer to the middle of the table. I like to use a "in one side, out the other" method to keep track of which brass is where in the reloading cycle.

You can always add pegboard (or the existign slat board) to the sides of the lower section later for more external tool storage for the lesser used stuff.
 
It looks great! As long as it doesn't move alot when operating the press you are good to go. The only issue I can see is running out of space. Of course my bench is 8' long and I am not real good at putting stuff back where it should be.
 
Good looking bench.

Is it bolted to the wall and / or floor? Mine was freestanding.. until I started loading .338LM. Had to bolt it to the wall then due to the increased resistance.

I am like you in that I prefer to have the machine to one side. It leaves a lot more useable free space in the middle of the bench.

Either way it looks good and I am sure you will get good use from it.

Regards,
 
gink - Nothing wrong with that. Good use of limited space.

trikebubble - Looks very good. The slatwall back is pretty unique; don't think I've seen that before.

Arranging stuff is always a personal choice. I have my press on the right, but my powder measure is on the far left. I do agree with zuke about stuff falling off.

Two things I arrived at after a lot of experimentation. I drilled holes and countersunk small rare-earth magnets in the frame of my bench to allow easy storage and instant access to things like hex wrenches and small screwdrivers. I also chose a white top for the bench and have been surprised at how easier it makes cleanup.

I'd be interested in a closeup of your primer capture setup. Every time I've tried I've wound up with dead primers all over the floor.
 
I'm sure this is probably the first step, and it will likely evolve as I sink further and further into this new hobby/obsession/addiction. :D

The slatwall is a retail merchandising product and I used a spare piece left over from work. You can find it at some building supply stores, it's made from mdf and is really friggin expensive. I wouldn't have used it if i didn't have a spare peice available.

I re-worked the primer catch after seeing some ideas online. I just simplified what I saw other people figure out. I blocked off the left hand portion of the stock primer chute with a bit of plastic and some hot glue. Then I cut the right side tray off and found some clear flexible tubing at Rona that fits snugly over the black plastic chute. For now, I've used hot glue to hold the primer catch in place, but will align it with the ram better and secure it better given some time.

I did stack 2x4's under the length of the front of the worktop area, so I can move the press if I find a better place to mount it down the road

reloadingbench004.jpg


reloadingbench005.jpg
 
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