Making your own loading block

[pertnear]

I see shooters making there own special purpose loading blocks. For sure the standard block are pretty cheap & amply available. But the DIY'ers may want a tall, thin, thick spread out, large/small number of holes, etc. It seems like you must have a CNC machine to make one. Also, I guess you need a flat-bottom mill for the work.

Can you get by with a plain drill press & fostner bit & old drill bit ground flat? Anybody tried it?

[Winger Ed.]

Get a wood boring, flat paddle, bit and block of wood.

I made one like that for .50BMG out of a piece of 2 x 10 I scrounged up somewhere.
The holes work well at about 1" deep or less for regular cases.

For 9mm, .45ACP, even a 1 x something will work.
Just stop the hole about 1/4" from going all the way through it.

[Bazoo]

I've made a bunch with a forstner bit. You don't have to do anything else. I use woodtech carbide bits from woodworkers supply for most of my forstner bit needs. (I might add, those woodtech bits need the shaft relieved with an grinder for chip clearance. It's a five minute job and makes for a fine bit at a reasonable price.) I've given a couple away in the swap box. And I've sold a few on ebay.

I use hardboard for a pattern. Cut it to size, lay out my marks with a combination square, drill extremely careful with a 5/32 twist bit. Then use that for a pattern to lay out multiples. It's easier to hit the ring made from marking than a pin point.


This one is ash with several coats of lacquer.

[Froogal]

Drill holes in a length of 1x6. Drill all the way through, and then glue a thin piece of plywood on one side. No special equipment or tools needed.

[country gent]

Ive made a lot on just a drill press with a fostner bit. Its all in how you set up the drill press. When I make a run of loading blocks here is how I do it and my set up.

I first cut sand and lightly finish the wood to size. I give them 2-3 coats of an oil finish lineseed tru oil ect.
I then lay them out for the holes working from center line out. A square and pencil dividers / pencil compass make the lines and hole spacing from center easier also.
Make you center lines in each direction Set dividers to desired hole spacing and now work from the center point out in each direction.For each row work from the line out to each edge then the square to make the straight line.

Setting the drill press up will make this easy or tedious. I clamp a rail across the table starting at the center row. to hold the bock in the x axis on center. I like a piece of the wood ( same thickness as the blocks. clamp this down so the bit is on the center line when seated against it. Chuck drill bit in chuck and lightly push the point in enough to see rotate and do the push again when the second is in the first your dead tru center. Now align the drill in the center hole and with the square make a pencil line across across rail to match with the blocks.
Set the depth stop start shallow and work into depth.
Now when drilling the blocks remove any chips with a brush set block against rail and align the line with the one on the rial and drill when the center line of holes are all done in each block set rail back for the next rows. And drill the next 2 rows. Remember your working from center so this rail setting does the two rows on each side of the center. Then continue to reset the rail for each of the next 2 rows.

The rail and line make this much easier and faster than aligning the drill on each cross by eye. It also helps keep drills from grabbing and the block spinning free.

I find by working the first few coats of oil in before drilling is it helps make cleaner holes with a better finish. I also find the pencil lines sand out easier with the wood finished some.

Dont just limit your self to wood. I have used scrap lexan from work for some very nice blocks.

[Scrounge]

I see shooters making there own special purpose loading blocks. For sure the standard block are pretty cheap & amply available. But the DIY'ers may want a tall, thin, thick spread out, large/small number of holes, etc. It seems like you must have a CNC machine to make one. Also, I guess you need a flat-bottom mill for the work.

Can you get by with a plain drill press & fostner bit & old drill bit ground flat? Anybody tried it?

I have a few here my dad made of pieces of scrap wood with an old Craftsman Drill press. I remember a piece of steel plate he had hanging on the wall next to the drill press with 50 holes in it for easily making more when he needed them. Might be easier with CNC, but it's certainly doable without. Particularly if you have more time than money, and a drill press.

I have that drill press now, and have made a drill gauge similar to his plate, but it's also doable without the metal template. A cheap X-Y table might make it or the template easier, too.

[samari46]

I've made a couple using a fostenr bit and some 1" ballistic grade lexan. The same stuff they make bullet proof windows out of. I coated one side with layout die and laid out where I wanted the holes. Set up the drill press and started drilling. One block holds about 100 cases and the other 50 this was for 45/70 brass. Had the depth stop set to avoid drilling all the way through. Some 400 & 600 grit silicon carbide paper to clean off the die and layout lines. The 600 to smooth everything out. This stuff can be cut on a table saw using a 60 tooth carbide blade and feed the lexan in slowley. Frank

[Czech_too]

Made several from scrap 1x6's, some for a particular cartridge (.223 & Hornet) for a tighter fit. Found a site that allows you to print out a graph paper layout to your liking for spacing. A Forstner bit and drill press is used. I always do 51 holes in a block, it suits my 'method' of loading.

[William Yanda]

Spade bit, hose clamp, and a hand drill, the hard part will be laying out the lines.

[mongo40]

I just use my drill press and appropriate size forester bit for what ever size I need, lower it down on the outside of the wood for how ever deep I want it, mark the shaft with a sharpie or piece of tape then get after it. Just made this one for my 4570 out of a couple of pieces of scrap white pine glued together as I wanted something a little deeper.

[alamogunr]

I too used a Forstner bit in the drill press. Made the blocks from leftover hardwood flooring. Probably did the spacing of the holes the hard way. I cut spacers to the size I wanted between holes and placed them one at a time after drilling each hole. I made all the blocks and the spacers the same size and only vary the hole size. Haven't made any blocks in awhile but still have all the spacers.

The blocks I have don't work too well for rifle brass so I'm considering making more from thicker material to accommodate deeper holes.

[Green Frog]

I’ve got some scrap clocks of machinable white nylon and a set of Forstner bits... that should give me a good start.

Froggie

[roverboy]

I made a couple about 5 years ago on a CNC mill. Made them out of 1" aluminum. They're 50 round blocks, and I programmed 10 holes .500" deep and altered the Y axis for every 10 holes. Didn't take a long time, and didn't want to program all 50 holes for just 2 parts.

[dverna]

Pistol ammunition is produced on progressives so blocks not needed.

I have one of the commercial plastic ones and have not used it in over 15 years. I find them useless at best, unsafe at worst for rifle loads Easiest way to get a double charge with light loads is to use a loading block. Always safer to pick up a sized/primed case, drop the powder and immediately seat the bullet. If someone gets a double charge using that method, they have problems.

There might be a reason to use a loading block but I have not figured it out yet. Why do you use them?

[Bazoo]

I load everything single stage. I have my primed brass ready in a Tupperware, charge it with a powder measure and stand it in the loading block. Then I check with a light for safety but never find an issue. Then I grab one from the block and seat a bullet in it. As it comes off the press it gets a quick wipe and inspection on it's way to whichever method of storage it will receive.

If I use a powder scoop, normally I just charge 5 at a time and stand them on the bench, then seat a bullet to each.

I had a missed charge 7-8 years ago and stuck a bullet in my 1911 barrel. I was charging while distracted. I don't recall if I was dipping or measuring. Only time I've ever had a problem, and I learned from it, giving charging my undivided attention now.

[3leggedturtle]

I drilled a block of wood the rim diameter needed then i glued and/or epoxied a 1/4" piece of plywood on for the bottom. Cheating, i know, but its held up since '78. Todd/3leg

[Wayne Smith]

Pistol ammunition is produced on progressives so blocks not needed.

I have one of the commercial plastic ones and have not used it in over 15 years. I find them useless at best, unsafe at worst for rifle loads Easiest way to get a double charge with light loads is to use a loading block. Always safer to pick up a sized/primed case, drop the powder and immediately seat the bullet. If someone gets a double charge using that method, they have problems.

There might be a reason to use a loading block but I have not figured it out yet. Why do you use them?

I have a bunch of 5/4 white oak - and made mine in that. I use them because it's easier to pick up a piece of brass from the block than from the plastic 50 round box.

[Petrol & Powder]

drill holes in a length of 1x6. Drill all the way through, and then glue a thin piece of plywood on one side. No special equipment or tools needed.

/\ this !!!! /\

[Kev18]

For the simple minded people with a minimum of tools: A hockey puck and a drill.

[Bazoo]

Kev, how many holes you get on a hockey puck?