Need some suggestions for bench top to use with tracks

[n10sivern]

A little backstory, I had to move back home to help care for my dad, and I lost my man cave. However, I’m working on that. My dad has a 14x24’ shed that was in some disrepair, but overall the frame was good. I’ve insulated it and replaced the Masonite walls with metal panels, added AC, rewired it, etc. I have my reloading benches in a storage unit, but I was never fully happy with them. I have 2 of the NRMA benches with MDF tops. So I was thinking, new shop new benches.

I plan to build about 20’ of bench, and I’m stuck on what to use for my bench top. I’m wanting to use rails on it. I’ve been looking at the orangealuminum quad T tracks because I can mount them from the bottom of the track, but they are about an inch square. If I use those, I’d figure my top needs to be 3-4”. I know I could just get butcher block but it is cost prohibitive for the amount of bench top I will have. Below is a pic of the track. Any suggestions?

[jaguarxk120]

If you use the quad rails on the bench top, won't they become dust/dirt collectors.
The rails will give you many options as to placing equipment, But
twenty feed of bench top can hold many presses and tools.

[n10sivern]

I wanted the adjustability so that I can move things around for Reloading, casting, sizing, sharpening knives, building and working on rifles, etc. I currently have 4 presses and plan to add 1-2 more progressives.

[nun2kute]

I have seen Alum. strip like that in woodworking magazines that is much closer to 3/8 x 3/4, about the size of the miter bar for a table saw. It will be shaped like one side of your pic. but rectangular, only needing a 3/8 dado for install. Rockler is one name I can think off hand. I agree with the dust collection comment, but anything you attach your gadgets to in order to attach to your bench will do that. I really like solid core doors for my bench tops, thick and solid. Add some cross support underneath during construction and a small dado wont matter. As for the top, the hinge side usually has enough meat to cut off the hinge mortises and clean up easily. Knob side I don't need (too wide for me) so I just rip to width and install a suitable strip of similar wood before re-finishing. Good Luck with your mancave.

[Rich/WIS]

Use 3/4 or 1" plywood for the base layer and 1" for the second layer. Attach the T-track where you want it on the base layer and fill in between with 1" plywood.

[15meter]

Do a search for: t-track aluminum channels.

This should get you a lot of ideas, most less expensive and easier to use.


Good luck.

[15meter]

Also consider bonding as well as screwing the track in. For priming/powder charging/seating you don't need much strength. For big case resizing I think you may damage/pull the aluminum track, even the one you pictured.

If all your reloading stuff has the same edge to hole or hole pattern spacing it could work. I'm not sure I could get it to work with the stuff that I own.

[David2011]

Those tracks would probably work best with the tools mounted on plates that all have the same front to back hole spacing.

[lawdog941]

I used 4-1x8 oak planks and then 3/4 oak plywood on top of that. Has a 4 inch overhang and is sturdy, but I have a tendency to overbuild. Glued the plywood and screwed it down also, Filler over the screws, sanded and varnished. Going on 10 years and hard to dent.

[leeggen]

I used 3/4 plywood base then glued and screwed the top sheet on, 3/4 ply top. I screwed the base sheet and glued it to the frame before I installed the top sheet. That gives you 1 1/2 inch plywood top, came out very sturdy. I have never regretted the way it worked out.
CD

[15meter]

I mortised a 5"x 18"x 1/2" plate of steel into my 2x6 plank top bench, identical plate underneath, 6 through bolts sandwiching the bench top.

The swiss cheese hole pattern is from several decades of reloading stuff: MEC Super 600, 600JR, 650, 9000G, MEC shell resizers, Pacific press, Texan presses, P-W 800, RCBS Rockchuckers, RCBS JR., RCBS A3, Lubrisizer, RCBS Bench primer, Powder measure stands, various trimmers, Lyman T-mag, Lee die cast C-press and a few others that I can't think of right now. A couple were wider than the plate so they got holes through the planks and T-nuts underneath for one side.



Hope you can make the T-track work, I don't think I could have, but I have bought/sold/horse traded more reloading equipment that most guys.

(for the guys who count, I came up with 30 different hole size or hole locations)

[kmw1954]

15meter I did kind of the same thing. I did a 8"X10"X3/8" plate drilled and tapped. works great.

[Winger Ed.]

That's a big bench.

I have a 3' x 7' welded steel frame table that weighs about 350 pounds, and the top is a piece of 1/4" steel plate I scrounged.

I drill holes & bolt the big stuff down. Less stressful things, I drill & tap mounting holes.
I can take the reloading gear off quickly, and it goes back to being my welding table.

[Three44s]

I have not done the track add on yet but have been thinking about it as well.

In my thoughts I have been dubious about alluminum products for fear they would distort over time and be more expensive. Thus I lean towards a steel track. Also I am a cheap skate and that brought me towards something in unistrut.

Most unistrut material is a bit more robust in dimensions than is logical but if one searches around there are some scaled down products available.

My .02 worth

Three44s

[str8wal]

My bench is 2x4's glued together. Hell for stout.

[tinsnips]

I use t-track with inline plates. Works great.

[n10sivern]

So I just picked up 4 solid core wood doors and 5 sheets of thin ash paneling that I’ll glue on top and finish. I think I’ll probably end up using T-tracks. Even if they don’t work out for my presses, I can use them for other items. I should have 26-28 feet of 1.75” benchtop now.

[glaciers]

I use glue lam beams. My current reloading bench top is 3 1/2 thick and 24" deep. My garage bench is 5 1/2" thick and 24" deep. Got these beams as scrap at the lumber yard, cut off's I should say. Got the bench lumber and more for other projects for $100 plus I had to load them and haul myself, they just needed to go away..

[onelight]

Man those glu-lams make quite a bench top . I don’t need any thing that stout but it can’t hurt anything and the price was excellent!good job !
N10 if you want to go cheap for each eight foot section if you make it 2’ deep 3 sheets of MDF rip first down the center long and glue the two halves together for a 2’X8’X2” top use screws for clamping and remove when glue sets.attach your tracks and cut the other sheet of MDF to fill between the tracks. If the tracks stick up above the fill in parts after glueing them on remove the tracks and rout the depth correction with a top bearing pilot bit , the fill ins will be your guides for the bit . And or add Masonite or your choice for a finish top if you don’t want to look at MDF.

[Three44s]

glaciers,

I see you got the twin brother to my powder scale. Go RCBS 304’s!

Three44s