reloading bench design question

[Char-Gar]

It my move in June, I have been slow in getting my shop set up, but now it is starting to come together and it is time to build my loading bench/table. The bench will have a 1.75" solid core door for a top and will set in the middle of the room so I can work on all four sides.

My first thought was to build it with about 3" of top sticking out from the frame to attach tool with bolt drilled through the top. I am starting to reconsider that, and think perhaps I will be better off having the top flush with the top of the frame and attaching the tools with some kind of big lag screw. All of the tools are down stroke.

This will give me more shelf space under the bench and it will be well weighted down with brass and cast bullets, and I should not have to bolt it to the floor, although that is always a possibility.

Give me your thoughts on the above issue.

I had also thought about using four 4X4s for the legs, but now am thinking about using six 2X4 (three to the side).

Give me your thoughts on the issue.

Also give me some thought on the height of the table. I prefer to load standing or sitting on a stool.

Thanks for any thinking the collective brain can provide.

[schutzen]

Put 3/4" plywood over the top of your door and have an over hang. Bolt you presses to the bench. Lag screws work loose over time.

Also I would anchor any free standing bench to the floor.

[targetshootr]

I used 2x6s secured to the wall studs with 3/4 plywood on top. I saw a bench at Home Depot and copied the way it was made.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/targetshootr/Im002825.jpg

[largom]

I have a bench in the center of my loading room. It measures 31 in. high X 32 in. wide X 62 in. long. Top is a solid desk top 1 1/2 in. thick. I used 2x4's for the legs and have two shelves underneath full length & width of bench. Being able to use all 4 sides is a big advantage.
I also agree with using bolts instead of lags for your tools. If you can't find bolts long enough use All-thread cut to length with nuts top and bottom.
My bench is not anchored to the floor. I have enough items on the shelves to hold it down.
LARRY

[FN in MT]

I've done three benches over the last few years. Two for myself and the other for a friend. All of them were taken from the NRMA plans one sees advertised in the gun rags. My original NRMA bench is now 30+ years old. Has been taken down and moved several times...yet it is still as solid as a rock.

I think the solid core door is a good idea. Same for adding the 3/4" plywood to the top. That will give you even more space and allow you to BOLT presses down. I don't care for lag bolts either.

The NRMA plans have been on this site I beleive. If Your interested PM me with your e mail and I can send the pdf file.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h274/montanaguy375/DSC00073.jpg


The NRMA plans are for a six foot bench. This one is modified a bit and is 36" wide and 8 feet long. I needed the room for my spolar loader and now my STAR sizer is on the left side. One can keep a good supply of components underneath. The legs are 4x4's and the way the sides and back are designed they "box" it all in for added strength.

FN in MT

[crabo]

MDF would give you a slicker top, especially if you put a coat of polyurethane on it.

[cheese1566]

I just started building the NRMA designed bench. I went with 2x4's side by side instead of the 4x4's. This way is a little cheaper, but actually only 3x 3.5". I screwed them together with wood glue to make them. Only problem encountered was bolting through the 3" side and the seam.
I used 2x4 studs that were longer than the specs. When the frame was done, I had enough left to add a support in the middle of the top and bottom shelf framing.
Planning on using 3/4" MDF for the top and lower shelf. Eventually using 3/4" MDF for the shelving unit.

[leftiye]

I made a bench back in the 70s that I'm still using. It is 2'by4'and I'm finding it too small nowadays (was planning to build another the same size to supplement it). I used 3/4" plywood for the top. By itself it is too flexible, though it works. If I were to use 3/4 ply again, I would back it with a 3" angle that was bolted to the bench's frame. One great idea is to make moumting plates on your different presses and a plate mounted to the bench that accepts whatever you need to use at the moment. Another idea I like is to have two or more presses available to use at the same time. Also multiple lubrisizers (for the different lubes) though they need not be all mounted at once. The above mounting plates should all be the same so that you can mount several of whatever you need whenever you want.

[Char-Gar]

A couple of follow up questions.

1. What is MDF?

2. How much overhang?

[cheese1566]

MDF is medium density fiberboard. I think it is a composite of saw dust and binders. It is not the same as particle board found in ready to assemble furniture. In the midwest, it usually runs about $25 a sheet for 3/4". It is hard, smooth, and accepts paint. It also is easily cut and routed like plywood, but remains straight and unlikely to warp.
Allow enough overhang in case your press pivots to the inside at the end of the cam stroke. Too much and the top can flex a little on the bigger sizing jobs.

Also, you may want to use his idea of mounting plates as he describes above. Some of the mounting holes in my presses on the current bench lined up with supports in the table. I found some scrap plates at a machine shop about 4x6". I drilled and tapped holes to line up with the press mounts. Then the plate was mounted further into the table top.

[AZ-Stew]

Keep in mind that some presses require the linkage to move behind the vertical center plane of the press. If you put them up against a barrier under the bench top, they may not allow the press handle to move all the way down.

My 2' x 12' bench top is three layers of 3/4 plywood, laminated together with Gorilla Glue. The top surface is oak veneer 3/4 inch plywood to prevent the top from accumulating a bunch of dents that will enevitably result from dropping tools, etc. The legs are 4x4 and the rest of the frame is 2x4. I have drawers in the two end columns for die sets, moulds and other handloading tools. The frame is lag-bolted to the studs in the shop wall. It's like working on a block of granite.

One more thing... I made the mistake of using a polyurethane stain finish for the bench top. It's nice looking and all, but Hoppe's #9 eats it. When I'm cleaning guns on the end of the bench set aside for that task, I have to be careful to wipe up drips immediately. If I were to do it over, I'd stain it with a water or oil-based stain, then coat the top with that stuff they use for decopage. I think it's impervious to almost anything.

Regards,

Stew

[jdgabbard]

MDF is good, unless it gets wet. Be sure to seal it!

[Bloodman14]

Chargar, another name for MDF is 'Masonite' (brand name?).

gunnerd

Lead Forever!

[crabo]

Masonite and mdf are not the same.

[montana_charlie]

I have used a variety of furniture as reloading surfaces, and have come to one conclusion that I never ignore any more.

I demand that my powder scale is mounted at eye level, and that it is on a surface which is not connected to the bench.
An eye-level scale makes it easier to see the alignment of the pointer with the lines, and being disconnected from the normal vibrations generated in the loading bench saves wear on the agate bearings and pivot knives.

Beyond those two things...anything that is sturdy and comfortable is acceptable.
CM

[Sprue]

I have used a variety of furniture as reloading surfaces, and have come to one conclusion that I never ignore any more.

I demand that my powder scale is mounted at eye level, and that it is on a surface which is not connected to the bench.
An eye-level scale makes it easier to see the alignment of the pointer with the lines, and being disconnected from the normal vibrations generated in the loading bench saves wear on the agate bearings and pivot knives.

Beyond those two things...anything that is sturdy and comfortable is acceptable.
CM

+1 I concur

[jsizemore]

Chargar, may I make a suggestion. Build yourself some sawhorses out of 2x4s with 3' legs. Throw your door up on the sawhorses and see for yourself what you need for work areas. Instead of permanently attaching your press to the table, mount the press or whatever to a 2x6 and then screw it or clamp it to the table top and see if that what you need. If it was me, I would mount the press on the end with the top hanging over the sawhorse about 6-8". I think you'll find that the table has a signifigant amount of mechanical advantage over you and your press. You can clamp the door to the sawhoses so the door doesn't flop around. If the door is too far above the floor, just cut the legs back and try again. Here's another plus, if you want to load at the range for load development, just unclamp and/or unscrew your press on a board and to the range you go. You can nail a 2x4 across the legs and have all the shelf space you need. And when you need the space, you can break it down and play with a new toy. That 1 3/4" door must weigh about 100 lbs. Good luck Jim