Loading bench pics

[Kevin Rohrer]

I always thought those holywoods were big but when you see them next to a regular press they really stand out

They are tall, but their footprint is less than the Dillon or P-W in the picture, so they work well in a confined space.

[Dekota56]

Chrisx1 what a set up, Love it.

[GLShooter]

Ten years ago I posted up my reloading room but PB took them all away. Still basically the same but a bit more cluttered. If things work out we are planning a move to the country and I'll have a completely dedicated building for my goodies.





Greg

[1989toddm]

Ten years ago I posted up my reloading room but PB took them all away. Still basically the same but a bit more cluttered. If things work out we are planning a move to the country and I'll have a completely dedicated building for my goodies.





Greg

Are all 4 of those blue machines Dillons? If so what are the model of each?

[GLShooter]

Top pic l-r Dillon 650 then three Dillon 300's the Lyman AA Turret. Bottom pic left side MEC 9000G, Dillon 550, STAR and another AA Turret with a MEC JR in the back.

Greg

[Vegas Vince]

Finally finished LED lights & camera with 32 in monitor.
Darn I love being old. Poor eye!

[GLShooter]

That is nice and sanitary. Great job!!

Greg

[onelight]

Very nice !

[1989toddm]

Top pic l-r Dillon 650 then three Dillon 300's the Lyman AA Turret. Bottom pic left side MEC 9000G, Dillon 550, STAR and another AA Turret with a MEC JR in the back.

Greg

Thanks! Never saw a Dillon 300.

[BIGOX]

Here's my station. Still moving things around.

[lightman]

Here's my station. Still moving things around.

Nice collection of vintage powder cans on the overhead shelf!

[Blindshooter]

Update on my last bench addition. That Mett2 foot print is awkward, its sort of just toe nailed in temporally. The preprimed 3/4 plywood was a mistake, added another coat of primer with some semigloss added and covered up most of it with tool box drawer liner. Added a 12in shelf underneath and called it quits for now.

[chrometip78]

Gone through several different iterations of loading bench and downsized to this portable bench. Also made a swappable press mount cause it's fun. Also made a mount so I could use a vise cause I had the stuff and why not.

[Three44s]

Chrometip78,

I think your portable reloading stand looks great! It is nice to have some storage for most used items and having it on rollers to save the back in having to lug it around.

I see one problem however and that is how stable it might be. I have loaded for many years and the first 3+ decades I used a single stage RCBS Jr on a DIY stand that had a longer stance and no wheels. Yes I had to lug it around and that is not fun.

Your press has more leverage and fairly short arms running parallel to the floor with wheels on their ends, hence you can roll it around. It seems that those short runners and wheels at their ends makes things less stable, especially on carpet.

Can you elaborate on how your stand is working out for you. Could you compare it to your other systems you have downsized from?

Thank you in advance

Three44s

[chrometip78]

Thanks Three44s. Understand what you're saying and it would be an issue if this setup was light as it probably looks. The metal rolling stand is an old rolling projector stand for schools, old enough to be made in California, it's really well built and much heavier than it looks. It does have two pivot points (1 on opposing feet for uneven ground and one on the top for the telescoping center section height adjustment) that can be an issue with resizing stubborn rifle brass like machine gun fired 308 but putting my feet on the stand's feet is enough to remedy those issues. Suppose I could fill the stand's base with lead and weld up the pivots but it hasn't been enough of an issue to worry about. The plywood bench portion itself is portable, actually clamped to a piece of 1 1/8" ply that's fastened to the metal cart and just serves as a clamping surface. I made the portable bench tall enough for my comfort without having to raise the metal stand's telescoping top. Plus the top pops off, can sit on the stand's feet and roll under my shirts in the closet for compact storage.

I started out reloading with everything solid mounted to stationary steel tool cabinet/bench with a 2 1/4" subfloor plywood top (doubled up 1 1/8"), it was solid and worked great for years. But my reloading supplies outgrew the cabinet's storage and moved elsewhere in the house and garage so the storage factor was no longer a concern. Then I stopped reloading for several years after marriage and a kiddo, just didn't make the spare time to get out in the garage and reload. Learned that my father in law reloaded in the living room while my wife was growing up, so it wasn't anything new to her and I only needed what I was working on at the moments so I started portable setups. First was a homemade stand out of plywood that worked fine but I had to pick it up to move it and was actually less stable than my current setup, then a portable plywood top that could be moved around but it was surprisingly big to store and still need something to be mounted to (TV tray or kitchen tables didn't really do the trick). Got this metal stand when a school was clearing out old furniture and originally used it in the garage as a rolling tool cart. Then I got the idea to use it for a reloading cart, fastened a 1 1/8" plywood top, mounted my press and measure to it and it worked great for awhile. The adjustable height was nice for storing away vs reloading but it didn't raise up quite high enough to be comfortable for long reloading sessions, the telescoping part was more prone to pivot with stubborn brass, and it didn't have quite enough working storage. Used it for awhile like that and it worked well, my issues are more nitpicking than anything else.

Researched portable benches for awhile, then designed my current top with swappable press mount and so far it's the best setup I've used, not really sure what I would change or make better. I'm sure there are things that could be improved but I'm not sure what I'd be willing to sacrifice or take the time to change at this point, it's been working great for awhile now. Hope that answers your question.

[chrometip78]

Also, decapping, cleaning, and casting all still happen outside or in the garage. Only the clean processes are done with this setup in the living room, allows me to spend time with the fam, crank out ammo, and a pleasant way to ignore the TV.

[Three44s]

chrometip78,

Thank you! That does the trick, well done. I see how heavy your base looks. Everything is a compromise and you have loaded on a completely solid bench and this iteration of a loading system is suiting your needs now.

I wanted potential newbies who would be considering such a build to remember that physics 101 always applies.

In my instance the portable stand I built only had the press mounted on it, later I added a removable tray for cases to be processed and still later a powder measure could take up the location in place of the tray. My powder scale went on a table that I would bring the reloading stand over to it but they were physically isolated enough so as to not jostle the weighing operation.

My stand was built out of 2x4 lumber with the press mounted on a riser capped with a steel plate with angle iron short legs running down the vertical wood and lagged into it. The base was situated about 2/3 of the way to one end of the press riser and the handle facing the long end. I pulled a chair over the base and when needed my right foot could rest on the base to prevent excessive lifting due to a more difficult lifting of the press handle.

My stand had no wheels so it had to be packed around but being mostly wood it was more cumbersome and bulky but not objectionable heavy. If I had fashioned a seat to it that really would have added bulk to reduce movement but it would have needed to be removable for moves.

Best regards

Three44s

[chrometip78]

Three44s,

That's a good point, I should mention that the feet of my stand stick out further than the press which makes a huge difference. If the press was flush with the feet or base, it would be much less stable and would take a lot of weight to offset the press's leverage.

If I didn't have this cart, would use a Black & Decker Workmate with my setup clamped to it. Plenty stable but can be collapsed to store or move. Not quite as convenient but definitely workable.

[LAH]

Top pic l-r Dillon 650 then three Dillon 300's the Lyman AA Turret. Bottom pic left side MEC 9000G, Dillon 550, STAR and another AA Turret with a MEC JR in the back.

Greg

I began in 73 with a Lyman All American Turret.

[GLShooter]

They are great little presses. Stout and strong.

Greg