-
6 Attachment(s)
Press Mounting Plates
I'm in the "one mounted at a time" category because my bench is a shelf the width of an "under the stairs" closet:(.
Wandering around my local steel supply store I found these 6x6x1/4" plates with a 1/2" hole in each corner.
They were $4 each so I bought a bunch to bolt under all my presses to standardize the press/bench bolt pattern.
I mounted the presses kitty-corner to get the center/rear bench bolt furthest away from the press to minimize rocking.
I didn't tap the press pattern holes in the plates but used T-nuts instead.
For the Lee presses I had to cut the plate corner back further and weld on a wider strip because the side mounting holes were further apart.
The hand knob/bolt on the Loadmaster is because the press is on the storage shelf, not the bench.
That other pic is most of the presses on the storage shelf.
I have 3 all-thread studs mounted in the bench and use coupling nuts to bolt the presses down.
Attachment 259560
Attachment 259533 Attachment 259535
These plates have proved to be rock solid under all presses.
works for me,
:mrgreen:
-
I have a Rock Chucker and a Dillion 550 both mounted on either end of a six foot bench. Drawers under the bench hold all the different tools. Shelfs above the bench hold books. At the end of the bench I have milk crates to hold lead ingots for when I'm ready to learn how to cast my own and along the wall I have 5 gallon buckets to store my empty brass. How this helps.
-
1 Attachment(s)
All presses are clamped to the bench when needed, the others live on a shelf under the bench
-
My loading bench has a Dillon 550, a Lyman TruLine Jr, a Kodiak(?) Bair (12 ga shotgun) an RCBS Jr and a Lyman 450 Lubri-Sizer bolted down. There is also a MEC 600 Jr 20 ga on a plywood plate clamped to a B&D Workmate. In addition there is a Lyman All American that clamps to my work bench and a little CC Johnson Red Head (uses 310 size dies) on a board that also clamps to the work bench. There is another TL Jr attached to a board to clamp to the bench around here somewhere, and a Lyman Comet C-press, a Herter's Model 3 and a Super-U that aren't being used at all. Oh yeah, then there's the Star Progressive (38 Spl) on its own portable base. Is that enough?
Froggie
-
When I built my bench way back in 1995 I set it up with bread boards that slide into a series of slots in the front edge of the bench, a very similar system to what blind shooter uses.
I have enough presses that I can have a separate press configured for each stage of the reloading process, for every caliber I can think of reloading. I has served me well all these years, though the amount of actual reloading is very minimal these days.
-
Mine are in boxes if I still have them Otherwise just under the bench in a organized “pile”.
Expanding my room as we speak and a third bench is going in with two additional presses mounted!
CW
-
My "Main" press is a lee hand press. It lives loosely just to the right of my chair on the top of one of those plastic drawer sets. Drawers are full of reloading stuff from cleaning kits, to powder dippers to scales and digital measureing devices.
I have a Lee classic cast C press mounted inverted under the table to the left of my chair for sizing/gas check work.
I also have a larger Lee "Square frame" mounted on bench that gets used some for full length resizing of rifle brass. Or any job that needs more power than the hand press can easily provide.
I prefer the vastly increased "feel" of the hand press when setting bullets.
Deprime and prime both happen off press with hand tools.
The Lee hand press has no problems sizing .30-30 brass but 7.62x54r can be a handful even with imperial sizing wax.
Deprime happens upstairs with a Frankford Arsenal hand unit, then brass gets a good citric acid wash, half hour soak, rinse.
Then I like to clean primer pockets with a brush and roll each brass on a cotton towel laid on my leg. Any splits, or problems make themselves known quickly and get sorted out.
Once clean and dry they go through sizing die, get primed, laid out in loading trays for charging and bullet setting.
It may be a bit odd but it works for me.
-
My presses are mounted on high mounts and on 3/4" square pieces of plywood. I've installed T-tracks on the bench and can easily move my presses along the bench or remove to get more space for other activities.
-
My presses are mounted on high mounts and on 3/4" square pieces of plywood. I've installed T-tracks on the bench and can easily move my presses along the bench or remove to get more space for other activities.
-
I got a 550 a rockchucker and a Lyman 450 on a 4 ft bench. I just got a new to me star lubesizer. I'm probably gonna do some hillbilly engineering or build a bigger bench. My casting stuff is on another bench. After 30 years of playing with reloading this casting thing had got me ramping up my my involvement. Dang you lightman!! Lol!
-
Sorry Bud! Life is tough! :drinks:
At least I didn't influence you to buy a boat or airplane!
-
I only have 2 presses, a Rockchucker and a 550. They are mounted on opposite ends of my 9ft bench, leaving the middle open for scales, loading trays, powder measures, bullet sizers, ect. I have owned a few other presses but I just don't have the need for very many.
-
The T track is an awesome idea. However, I went easy for me and use the Inline Fabrication mid height mount and hang all of the presses not in use off of my cabinets. I use Inline's hangers too. My wife was surprised by how many "things" are hanging up and inquired if I really need all that stuff. As usual, I asked about her jewelry and she walked out....
-
Great posts. For me it's "where do I put the presses that I'm not using?"
Some are under the bench, some on a shelf, others on the floor.
Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
-
I forgot the two MEC shotgun presses I also have mounted, for a total of 4.
-
1 Attachment(s)
I have three mounted on the bench ready to go
Attachment 259556
I have no idea why the picture is sideways, same thing happened tp my avatar too!:mad:
-
1 Attachment(s)
My benches are sized for four presses plus elbow room for trimming, my big RCBS/Oahaus 304 scale, misc measuring and loading tools, etc. All presses are bolted to a rigid laminated edge glued 1 3/4” top. I’ve got brass threaded screw inserts stationed to provide anchoring for mobile bases of my trimmer, a priming tool, etc. . The reason for having four or more presses bolted down is cause I like to have four to six various cartridges ready to load and fine adjust for my rifles. The dies are set and ready to go when I come back from the range and need to bump a shoulder, adjust seating depth or crimp and with BP compress more or less.
My Hollywood Universal is set up with ten dies for three cartridges two of which are BP. There are two other Hollywood Senior single stage that I use primarily for seating larger rifle, resize or punching wads etc and two All Americans each with three or four dies for my larger pistol ammo. I also have a small arbor press for hand dies. I two Stars which are set up just for 38 wadcutter mid-range and 45 acp soft ball match ammo and mount up on small portable straddle bench. So I want and need my presses with dies rigged and ready. It’s been my experience after 47 years that die set up takes a lot of time that can be used on more importantly elsewhere. But honestly folks I’d still be happy with a single Rockchucker or Hollywood Senior.
-
I have all my presses and other tools mounted on 10"x10" pieces of 3/4" ply wood with bolt holes in each corner. My bench has 4 "stations" that have matching bolt holes. So when I am ready to use a press I just take it off the shelf, line up the holes and bolt them down real quick.
-
Got the InLine Fab quick change plates for 2 of my 550Bs & a Lee classic turret.
Another InLine Fab riser with the Lee quick change plates for 2 single stage presses & a vise.
-
One 6' bench has a 550b on right corner, Rockchucker 2' to left, second 550b 2' to left, and 3 powder measures on left corner.
Second 6' bench is where a lot of the swapping of presses takes place. Everything mounted on double plywood boards and c-clamped when I need them.
But, I have an ace up my sleeve. Open step stairs coming into basement. With a triple thick plywood extension that bolts under a specially braced step, I can c-clamp anything I want there for just occasional use.
With 16 presses, 5 bullet sizers, 3 case trimmers, and 7 powder measures there will never be enough bech space.
And for the "need" for all those, the c-h 4 hole is all 30- 30, the lyman all american is all 8mm, the homemade Dunbar is 30-06, the rcbs piggyback is 44 mag cast mid- range, etc.
And with 3 550b presses, a star universal, lee turret I love having stuff set up and ready to load when I have time.
Steve