Bench top thickness for press

[Ola]

You probably all know this, but there is a huge difference also in plywoods. Here (Finland) we have 3 different kinds:

"softwood plywood" (made out of spruce, cheap, light, quite flimsy, ugly)
"birch plywood"
"mix plywood" (some layers are birch, some are spruce).

And , of course, I made my bench out of this "soft wood" version. It was not a fatal mistake, but I should have used birch plywood as a top layer. It would have made the bench even better..

[6622729]

I have a solid core door as a table top, covered with glued on laminate flooring. If I spill something, I just wipe it off. It's about 2" thick give or take 1/4" or so.

Have a blessed evening,

Leon

Me too! Solid core door with press mounted directly to it with 3 bolts. No backers, no other reinforcement. Cheap from Lowes or Home Depot dropped onto a set of steel saw horses. The whole thing can be broken down seconds to go outside for a good cleaning or to sweep up the reloading area.

[DerekP Houston]

I glued 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood together.

I took an existing worn out PC desk, added 2 layers of 3/4" oak plywood on top and reinforced the legs with 2x4's. There is still a slight bit of wobble to it which I wish I could fix, but it works fell enough for my purposes. I will eventually build a new workbench with 4x4 posts for legs and much sturdier but other projects came first. The idea of using a solid core door for the top seems genius!.

I should add, I need to lag bolt mine to the studs in the wall still...that would require moving everything *off* the bench though and getting it moved over slightly

[country gent]

3/4" plywood will work good with a good solid frame under it. 2X6s for sides 2x4s dront and back a 2x4 cross beam every 12"-14" with just 3/4" top cross braces need to be a little closer to give more support. These joints need to be glued and screwed together #10 3'- 3 1/2" deck screws at minimum and a good wood glue. The top needs to be flat and level no bumps or low spots and a nice rough surface. This frame is the strength and rididity to your bench top. when you install the 3/4" plywood glue with heavy glue you want to see a bead run out on the edges. I like the newer gorilla glues that expand into the wood grain. And now like a sub floor a #10X 2 1/2"-3" deck screw every 6" on each rail this pulls it down tight and flat to the sub frame. You can ether put the screw heads flush with the top or slightly under and .060-.090 below surface. If you inset them a drop of glue on each one and rough sand will fill them in making for a flat smooth table. Once filled level let dry and then finish sand. I drive them flush and let them show, this way when mounting a tool you dont "find" them drilling the holes. The bench tops strength and rigidity comes from the sub frame as much as the top. 2 x6s and 2x4s on edge provide for a very solid subframe under the top and the top provides strength to stop wiggles in the frame side to side.

[alamogunr]

If you look closely at the picture in the link I posted previously, you can see that the legs are 1 thicknesses of ¾" plywood. I used 2 thicknesses. Cutting a semi-circle out and a little work with a plane and sandpaper you have legs that will set on almost any floor w/o rocking.

That bench in the book shows 1" plywood but the author changed to particle board(MDF?) for reasons of economy I guess.

For some reason the author of the book only spec'ed the top to set proud of the front brace about 1". I sized my top to have the brace set back about 3". This allows me to use "C" clamps for tools that I don't want to install permanently.

Despite my preference for my bench, I can't find fault with anything that has been posted. Each of us has details that are important to us and can be modified to be included in another design. I won't be building another loading bench, but I enjoy reading about what others build.

[Tackleberry41]

I used a chunk of counter top I had pulled out of a business my ex used to own. Just cut a notch on the front edge for the press to sit back a little further and the bolts catch the 2x4 underneath. A turret press, so not doing any heavy work. But going to mount my single stage on it soon, dont see any issues.

[imashooter2]

2 inches minimum. MDF is junk and not suited to the task. Stiffness is what you want, not just strength.

[NavyVet1959]

stay away from the particle board period!Mine is made from 2x12s and is very sturdy,No problems what so ever.

Agreed. Particle board has it's strength in compression, not in tension. In other words, it is strong as vertical supports (which is why it is used on the side pieces of cheaper furniture and kitchen/bathroom cabinets), but has little strength if you use it horizontally as a shelf. And if you get it wet, it swells and disintegrates. Stay away from that stuff at all costs.

High Density MDF is different and many say that it is acceptable, but for the cost, I would just as well stick with solid wood.

[Guardian]

I've got multiple "reloading" benches and no two are made the same. Two of them I built and two were inherited, so to speak.

Bench 1
I built using 2x4 pine framing with 4x4 pine legs and single layer of 3/4-in oak plywood 2-ft x 4-ft for the bench top and a shelf. The major design flaw was insetting the plywood into the 2x4 framing. This made the press sit on the top edge of the front 2x4 and resulted in twisting, pulling the screws out in time. It would have been fine for typical reloading duties had the plywood been placed over the 2x4s and had cross braces under it. Live and learn. It's survived through later modifications. Adding a Inline Fabrication double bin bracket to the LNL-AP stiffened it considerably. It will be retired before much longer. That's the left bench in the first pic of post 1351 here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ch-pics/page68

Bench 2
This bench came with my wife. Seriously! It was built entirely from 2x6 pine. There was 1/8-in or so spacing between the top planks. It's not a bad bench, but allows little stuff to fall through. It worked just fine for her setup. I just used it for a prep station. That's the right bench in the first pic of post 1351 here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ch-pics/page68

Bench 3
I built this bench a couple years ago. The legs are pine 4x4s with pine 2x4 framing and triple 3/4-in oak plywood bench tops on top of the framing. Pine 1x3s were used to trim the plywood. It's heavy and it doesn't move. I'd do that again. That bench is shown in post 1364 here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ch-pics/page68

Bench 4
This is an industrial bench that was used for metal working. It's a metal frame with a 2-in thick butcher block top. I had my swaging presses set up on it with no issues. It's stout! I did build risers for the presses since the bench was so low. I don't have a photo of mine, but here's something similar. http://p2.la-img.com/1325/33582/13631178_1_l.jpg

[NavyVet1959]

Not to hijack the tread but in also getting ready to build a bench. My plans called for 2x4s to box the top with a 2x4 every 2 foot for a cross brace. I was gonna top it with a sheet of 3/4 plywood. I figured it would be sturdy enough for my needs but after reading what the rest of you have built I don't know if I'm thinking to flimsy. I done for see it ever getting hard shop use but I don't want it splitting out with my single stage. Might go ahead and install the plate I made for the current desk set up I have been running just in case.

Personally, I would I would use box joints on the corners and rabbet an edge on the inside of the box (using a table saw or a router) for the 3/4" plywood to sit down into so that the edge of the plywood does not show.

I have a piece of 3/4" plywood that I glued and nailed a 1x2 trim piece around the edge to hide the grain and give a bit more resistance to bending that I originally made for a computer table top across two 2-drawer file cabinets over 30 years ago. I sanded, stained, and then put tung oil on it and it is still around and being used to this day -- not as a reloading table top though.

If you really want strong supports for a reloading bench, put the table top on top of cinder blocks that are mortared to the concrete while also being filled with concrete in addition to having a piece of rebar inside of them.

One thing you need to consider though with any design is whether your placement of the support boards will interfere with the bolts that you use to bolt the presses to the top.

[NavyVet1959]

Bench 3
I built this bench a couple years ago. The legs are pine 4x4s with pine 2x4 framing and triple 3/4-in oak plywood bench tops on top of the framing. Pine 1x3s were used to trim the plywood. It's heavy and it doesn't move. I'd do that again. That bench is shown in post 1364 here: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...ch-pics/page68

You bring up a point here that probably should be elaborated on... It's often nice to have multiple levels in your reloading bench since sometimes you want to perform an operation standing while other times you might want to do it while sitting.

When I'm casting with my bottom pour pot, I like to be sitting and the bottom of the pot at a level that allows me to see the stream of lead going into the mold more easily. Sometimes though, I like to cast with a bottom pour ladle that I created and as such, I want the top of the pot to be lower than my elbows. Depending upon whether I'm sitting or standing, that means up to four different levels for the pot.

For reloading though, I can either stand or sit if I use a bar stool and it equals the same level.

Just something to consider...

[Hick]

My bench is a 30 inch long piece of un-reinforced 2x12 pine in a corner of my den, sitting on a tiny 'Walmart' desk, bolted to one stud in the wall just to eliminate the wiggle.

[dikman]

Bottom line - make it as thick as you can! I saved the benchtop when we replaced our kitchen - approx. 2" thick, dense moisture-resistant particle board with a laminate top and attached to a heavy subframe. Even this can move slightly when seating primers!!!

While cantilevering it out from the wall, as you're suggesting, might look neat in my opinion there's no substitute for having good solid legs near where the presses are located.

[irishtoo]

2 layers of 3/4" mdf, glued and screwed together, then cut and trimed to fit a section of wall in my garage. it rests on 3 industial lab cabinets. finished with several coats of varnish. 10 years so far so good. irishtoo.

[Blanket]

my favorite bench is 2x8 frame, 4x4 legs, 2x12 front to back, covered with 3/4 marine plywood and vinyl laminate

[RogerDat]

You have a choice a lot of strength in a thick / solid top or a good amount of bracing in key locations. My top is 3/8 OSB with glued strips of it running front to back. So 3/8 for about 60% and 3/4 for about 40%. I used plans for this one http://www.familyhandyman.com/worksh...bench/view-all

However I added a front to back angle brace for the shelf underneath and short block of 2x4 under front edge where press is mounted. Presses are on 5/8 plywood bases which are attached with counter sunk bolts and wing nuts under the bench top. Whole thing is glued with construction adhesive (liquid nails) and screwed with counter sunk #10 screws. I have no problem with frame flexing, and not much flex in the table either. However if I was doing it over I would purchase 3/4 plywood and use screen molding to finish edges. I had the two sheets of glued up OSB already in the basement, wife practiced tap dancing on it, replaced with better dance floor so kept price down by using once fired OSB for bench top.

Guess you could say my reloading bench top was "reloaded" wood.

[metricmonkeywrench]

All, thanks for all the input and an update of sorts from some Q&A I have gotten. I probably should have included more detail up front. The bench will be an L shape 6 ft on the long leg and about 2ft on the short side near the window with a 2ft working depth. I'm including a picture for the lay of the land below. The press will be mounted to the right on the short leg of the L. The blue dots indicate the locations of the studs I have available to work with. the lamp is sitting about where the corner of the bench will be. Laying on the floor is one of the triangle braces that I am building for the general supports. I have yet to build the press support but more or less double width on top and a second down brace. Because of the hardwood floors I am determined to not have legs, but if need be I can add them later. A couple other thoughts, I have a heavy benches in the garage built of 2x4's, a kitchen counter a bench of kitchen cabinets with 3/4 ply and a sears shop table covered in a 1in thick block of MDF. As this is in the house proper and I'm not planning on rebuilding any transmissions or engines I believe I can get away with lighter construction except for the press area.

[Boolit_Head]

I've had lighter benches with the idea of strengthening around the press. It did not work well, you are better off to overbuild a bit.

[dpoe001]

My bench is a little heavy duty built in the late 80s.i went to an old barn that had fallen down i found a 2 inch thick about 12 foot long piece of chestnut i cut it in three pieces and put an 1/8 inch steel plate on top.At the time i wanted something heavy duty I was young and everything was free.

[NavyVet1959]

All, thanks for all the input and an update of sorts from some Q&A I have gotten. I probably should have included more detail up front. The bench will be an L shape 6 ft on the long leg and about 2ft on the short side near the window with a 2ft working depth. I'm including a picture for the lay of the land below. The press will be mounted to the right on the short leg of the L. The blue dots indicate the locations of the studs I have available to work with. the lamp is sitting about where the corner of the bench will be. Laying on the floor is one of the triangle braces that I am building for the general supports. I have yet to build the press support but more or less double width on top and a second down brace. Because of the hardwood floors I am determined to not have legs, but if need be I can add them later. A couple other thoughts, I have a heavy benches in the garage built of 2x4's, a kitchen counter a bench of kitchen cabinets with 3/4 ply and a sears shop table covered in a 1in thick block of MDF. As this is in the house proper and I'm not planning on rebuilding any transmissions or engines I believe I can get away with lighter construction except for the press area.

Mount a 2x4 as a cleat around the wall where the back portion rear and right side of the L shape is going to be. Put lag bolts into every wall stud. That will give you pretty good support. Even better would be to take out the sheetrock where the cleat would be and mount it directly onto the studs in the wall.

I can understand you not wanting to have the legs showing in your house, especially with the wood flooring, but you need to remember, using angle brackets like that are going to be able to withstand less downward force than if you were to put legs on it instead. Personally, I would put 3 legs on it -- one at the inside corner of the L and one on each end of the L.

One thing to consider with respect to an angled bracket like you show in your photo is proper joinery of the various pieces of wood. Just nailing or screwing the pieces together is not going to give you the strongest support for that sort of shape. Having a cutout on the back and top inside parts of the bracket and having the angled portion shaped so that it will slip into these cutouts will give you even more strength when you glue & screw the pieces together.

Plus, how many of these angle supports are you looking to put under there? I would think that you would need at least 3 and I might suggest even 4 of them -- 2 for each leg of the L. When you do that, you might start wondering how "open" it really is...

It really depends on how far you go into the reloading hobby. Many of us started out with just a single stage press mounted to a board that was then C-clamped to a coffee table, kitchen counter, or whatever. Eventually, we progressed from that.

Apparently, you have radiant heating where you are going to be putting the reloading bench, so putting cabinets there might not be the best idea for a reloading bench, but there should still be room for you to put shallow wall cabinets there to store things that you are not currently using -- powder, primers, dies, etc. Having a window there, you could even build a fume hood around it and be able to cast inside.