Reloading bench surface

I bought an NMRA bench about 44yrs ago off a fella. He'd used a dark wood grain formica on top of 2 sheets of 5/8 ply. When I moved into current place, 4 yrs ago, there was a sheet of whire marble coloured formica here. Top was getting beat up a bit, it's been thru 1/2doz moves over the years, various presses R&R'd put the white stuff on. It really made a nice difference in brightening up that workspace, easy to see powder granules. The other half of my bench setup is plywood, sanded and coated with spar varnish, works well enough, nice and light to see stuff on. presses are on it, scales on the NMRA bench. We had stainless counters at work on the parts and service counters, they do get beat up looking. pics to show difference
 

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My first bench I used a topper of 1/4" MDF. My first bench was small and was able to be covered by a single 2'x4' piece for like $12. Made it cheap and easy to replace the topper when it got stained or damaged. I just looked and Home Depot has 4x8' sheets of 1/4" MDF for about $30
h ttps://www.homedepot.ca/product/metrie-standard-hardboard-1-4-x-4-x-8/1000167410?rrec=true
 
Puck board would work really good
It’s hard and tough
Plus it’s white so it would brighten up the area your working in plus be easy to see spills and anything you drop or place on it
 
Had some scrap oak veneer plywood, a couple of coats of hard wood floor sealer. 15 years on, gun solvent and others stuff on it and still going.
 
Deathrawt said:
Puck board would work really good
It’s hard and tough
Plus it’s white so it would brighten up the area your working in plus be easy to see spills and anything you drop or place on it
Click to expand...

Any issue with static? I'm not so much concerned with static spark, more with "sticky grains" of spilled powder clinging to it
 
The top of my bench in my gun room where I occasionally load ammo and work on guns is made of 3/4" plywood , topped with laminate flooring .
It is tough as nails, resists spills of oil,etc. and looks great even after 20 years .
Cat
 
I used one of the old wooden office desks, of which used to be 100s around available for next to nothing. Had to narrow up the center pencil drawer to mount the press tight to the upper right hand drawer. Two large drawers on each side & one, for lack of better explanation, writing pull-out slide on each side. Toped of with a triple row of open shelving exactly same depth as a die box, holds bullets & dies in individual caliber compartments. Been the same for 30+ yrs, never a need to upgrade.
 
45ACPKING said:
I've finally gotten around to fabricating a reloading bench and am getting near the end and am contemplating what to dress the surface with.
It is constructed with a welded frame of 3/16 x 1 1/2" steel bed frame angle with 2 sheets of screwed and glued 3/4 MDF for the top. I could epoxy paint it or something but I have a crop section of 3/16 stainless steel that would fit it just nicely. It will also have a spot for a barrel vice to bolt on and it why i went so heavy duty.
Any downside to using stainless as the working surface on a reloading bench? Would be impervious to any solvents or oils and easy to clean up so to me it's an attractive option over some kind of out of a can coating

thoughts?
Click to expand...
Double layer of 3/4" melamine, solid & super easy to clean.
 

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Go with a wood top, it’s so nice and quiet, no worries about setting tools or gun parts down. I also like the look of old worn in benches.
It’s also easier to modify, drilling holes to mount things etc. I wish mine was butcher block style.
 
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