Master Craft Bench - How did you mount?

seth

seth

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For those of you who bought the Master Craft Bench and replaced the table top, how did you mount your press?

I've kept the galvenized pressboard top and added a 3/4 inch piece of plywood underneith cut to size for support... did you drill into the steel top and mount via bolts?

Currently I've got the press screwed to a 2x4 and c champed onto the bench until I figure out a final solution.

Thanks!
 
I replaced mine with 2 sheets of 3/4" MDF. I drilled right through and mounted it with bolts. No steel top on mine (red Jobmate).
 
I left the original top in place and added 3/8 steel plates top and bottom for the Forster Co-Ax. The press is affixed with bolts. I also have a Dillon 650 mounted on a strongmount with no extra re-enforcing. I have stored pails of lead bullets on the bottom shelf to give weight/stability. The set-up works well.
 
I replaced the top with a good thick piece of plywood and painted it. Mounted the press directly with bolts. I also screwed the whole works into the wall for more stability.
 
"...the galvanized pressboard..." That have a sheet metal cover? Particle board breaks when you look at it. Had to put a square foot of 1/4" mild steel plate(got it from a guy I shot with for free) on my bench. One inch thick particle board top. Friggin' thing broke on its very first use.
Drilling either galvanized sheet metal or a 1/4" of mild steel can be done with a regular hand drill. 1/4-20 bolt in each corner and 3 to hold the press to the plate.
 
My Dillon 550B is mounted on a Strong Mount off to the right hand side of the bench. Not all the way over, but te loaded round bin is almost flush with the end of the bench. The MDF top is screwed to the frame from underneath, and the strong mount is mounted on top of two small sheets of aluminum sign face that make a square 'washer' on the top side and underside so I was certain nothing would pull through. Overkill all the way.

I would take some pics and post them, but I left my camera at work. Try to correct that and edit this post. That frees up the rest of the bench for books, mould storage, Misc junk, and the pegboard holds lots of crap. I mean indispensible supplies.

The underneath is loaded down with more supplies, and best of all, there is just enough clearance for .50 cal ammo boxes to store more goodies. I was thinking of mounting my single stage on there too, but I would lose some good workspace. So I'll leave it, and my luber-sizer on 2x6's that I C-clamp to my Black & Decker Workmate. I also use the workmate for casting with the electric pot. That Workmate has been a kickass loading bench for many, many years now. And for a myriad of other uses too.
 
I added an 1/2" plywood sheet that I glued with PL Premium glue. I also drilled all four corners, including the bench frame. I then bolted everything down using lock-nuts and large washers. Diddo for the press.
 
I just added a one side nice sheet of 1/2" plywood attached with PL, sanded it a bit, stained it (with a polyurathane component to allow some additional protection and smoothness) and then bolted my press directly through that....works like a dream, total cost $18 and about an hour work.
 
I have the older style with no steel top. I bolted the press with big washers right to the top, and the only other modification was putting "L" brackets on the back corners to hold the table top down. Either mine didn't have the hardware to attach the wood to the metal frame, or it wasn't designed to.
 
I bolted a 4" x 4" x 25" down the right hand edge of the origininal top. Bolted the press to that and it works fine.
 
I didn't use the steel board, I used the other one and put 2x6 boards on top, and underneath attached it all together with large bolts and washers. Works real well, and I have the steel topped board on the bottom part of the bench.

Great bench for reloading, and it was free with CT money.. ;)
 
I don't have one of these benches, but the answer is almost always to use 1/4" bolts, fender washers and locknuts.

If you're mounting into SOLID wood, lag bolts will do just as well.
 
My 550 with strong mounts has been bolted to the original CT bench top
for the last four years
Never had a problem
But only loading pistol cartridges
 
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