Need help/ideas for new reloading bench

[n10sivern]

I need some help and ideas. I am about to build a reloading bench 24 feet long. It’ll be L shape. I want to put cabinets or drawers under the bench top . Should I bring them out near the edge or recess them. I reload both standing up and sitting down. There will be a space above the bench top and I’m going to build overhead cabinets as well. Any ideas on the depth of the bench top? Post pictures of your setup if you have a long reloading bench please. Also, please post pics if you are using a Tee nut system for attaching presses and accessories.

[Valornor]

Are you going mount your presses directly to the top or are you going to use a riser?

The ram of the presses extend down, and if you don’t recess the cabinets enough you’ll have trouble opening the doors.

Personally I’d prefer to hang the cabinets on the wall so I can get everything thing from a standing position.

The depth of the counter shouldn’t be more then 24 inches, otherwise it becomes uncomfortable to reach for stuff at the back.

My bench isn’t set up right now or I’d share a photo.


Check out my website www.theballisticassistant.com

[n10sivern]

I don’t use a riser for my single stage presses. I do for my XL650’s.

[country gent]

I would recess them some for several reasons 1) as stated a lot of benches hang under the bench top making drawers or door opening difficult. 2) when sitting it gives room to get closer to the bench. 3) dust dirt and crud doesn't get into the drawers / cabinet as easily.

On a bench 24' Your going to want a very solid top or the center will be springy. What you might consider is a bench top from 2 X 6 laid flat and on edge meshed in. Maybe 2 2X6s edge to edge and 1 on edge 2 together and 1 on edge then 2 more to width. the L joint should be at 45* angle for added strength. A pic of the stiffening ribs can be seen in my new shop post in our town here. Doweled and glued joints in the top. Another plus to the ribs is it gives a solid mounting for the legs. If you have a drill press this can be done with a simple jig.

Width is personal preference. A wider bench is harder to reach the back holds more clutter and is more work. The benefits are a wider solider footprint, room on the back for orginizers and or tool boxes and shelves. Om the L joint I believe I would cut the ends of the 2 sections at a true 45* and dowel a 2 x 6 to each edge then bolt or dowel them together.

With any project. make some drawings and decide what you want then put down the steps to make on paper along with a list of tools. Last a material list of what will be needed in materials fasteners glues and finishes. While a bench can be built with hand tools a power miter saw, drill press and table saw can really speed up the work. Making a simple jig or fixture to cut drill and produce multiple parts can a big time saver. ( on my bench I layed out the first 2X4 for the butcher block top. then drilled carefully. fastened a stop on one end and 2 on the top edge. this became the fixture and all 21 boards of the top were set in it and clamped then drilled with no lay out needed.

Think it thru before starting and follow the plan

[n10sivern]

Thank you country gent. My top is going to be 3/4” plywood with a solid core door over it and topped off with a stained ash wall panel for looks.

[Three44s]

I second the notion about not going too deep with your counter top. You will have to think about the cupboards clashing with tall presses however.

I do not have a track and nut system but it intrigues me. Plenty of flexibility with them. Currently I use a steel framed wood top table I built and use like an island. Everything is bolted to wood or steel bases and the presses are C-clamped in place.

As far as under the bench storage remember you need a place for your legs and feet if you plan any sitting time.

A long bench top as you suggest seems very long. Your mileage might vary but if I had that I would soon have 24 feet of stuff and no where to work as I am a terrible pack rat!

We all load differently though and I know folks that set up a trio of single stage presses and work right down the line so what you are planning might just be the ticket!

If I set up a bench in my load room I was also thinking of an L shape but the long leg would be perhaps 8’ with the shorter leg about 6’. On the end of the 6’er I would then drop to a pure sitting height and a casting bench for 6 more feet.

But as I use my table I also think about an island of a smaller dimension and a shape like one you can find in a recent post in the bench thread that is a sticky. (octagon or hexagon or there about).

Three44s

[n10sivern]

I plan to use the Tee nuts as I change equipment often. Currently I need a place for a Co-Ax, rockchucker, orange crush, and 3 XL650’s. Plus space for scales, trimmers, etc. Part of the 24’ will be used for gunsmithing and part for building flashlights.

[rancher1913]

review the reloading bench thread on here, many many ideas, all with photos.

[n10sivern]

review the reloading bench thread on here, many many ideas, all with photos.

Believe me. I have.

[rancher1913]

ar15 also has a reloading bench thread with photos

[n10sivern]

This is where my bench is going. Back wall and right wall up to the door. The back wall is 14’ and it’s 10’ to the door.

[rancher1913]

i would love to have that much room, mine is spread out in several buildings and kind of a pain when what you need is in the other shop.

[ulav8r]

The bench I built about 45 years has the top extending about 6 inches in front of the storage area below. It seems to work fairly well. Thinking about using drawers, I think I would leave about a 4-5 inch space between the top drawer and the bottom of the bench top so the drawers can be opened even with equipment mounted above them.

[Winger Ed.]

I don't like my bench to be more than about 30" front to back.
I can easily reach everything, but its not big enough to really gather all that stuff that wants to come onto it to die.

The one I have now- I'd scrounged a 1/4" thick steel plate for the top of it.
It's plenty sturdy for the presses, and for little things like a separate powder measure and a trimmer,
I drill and tap 1/4-20 holes to mount them.

[Petrol & Powder]

I used "T" nuts to mount some equipment years ago but ended up making a removable section with multiple "plugs". The lessor used devices are mounted to the spare "plugs" and slid into the bench as needed. That has worked well for items such as case trimmers, lubersizers, etc. that don't need to take up bench space all the time.
The primary items like presses are permanently bolted down.

The depth of the bench top is somewhat dependent on whether you are sitting or standing. I can tolerate a little bit more distance to the back wall if I'm standing but 24" is about the norm.

Bolt the bench to the wall, bolt the bench to the wall - seriously.
I use a ledger board screwed to the wall studs with carriage bolts inserted from the back so that the threaded portion extends out. The bench has a corresponding board with corresponding holes so the bench can be slid over the carriage bolts and secured with large washers and nuts. That provides a rock solid bench that can still be removed if needed. Securing the bench to the wall makes ALL the difference in the world. For years I tried to make strong, stand-alone benches and I now wish I had just bolted them to the wall.

If you mount cabinets on the wall over the bench, remember they will reduce useful height over the bench and they will shade the bench top. plan accordingly. I like shelves over the bench but you have to plan that a bit.

Lighting is key. When I built my current set up, I used halogen lights because they were readily available at the time. If I was starting over today I would probably use LEDs. The halogen lights make very bright white light that is nice to work in. They also make a lot of heat, which is a plus in the winter, not so much in the summer.

Install long power strips along the back wall a few inches above the bench top. Calculate the number of outlets you need and then double it ! (I'm not kidding!)

I have separate benches for reloading and cleaning/working on guns. The reloading bench top is cabinet grade plywood, well sanded, stained and sealed with polyurethane. It is a nice surface to work on and easy to clean.
The gun cleaning bench top is lower grade of stained plywood with a linseed oil finish. It is intentionally cheaper because it gets beat up and exposed to solvents, oils, grease, etc. That system works very well. Every now and then I put another coat of linseed oil down.

Make sure the bench top has a little bit of overhang so that there is a small lip. That makes mounting presses easier. Mine has a 1" overhang and that works well with a Dillon 550 and other presses. It gives you enough room to get nuts and washers in place without being so long that it would flex. Speaking of washers, a section of 3/4" angle iron with holes drilled in the appropriate places will spread the load out better under the top than individual round washers.

When bolting presses down, use nuts and bolts with machine threads as much as possible and avoid using lag bolts.

When building the legs and frame for the bench, use carriage bolts, nuts and washers to attach the legs. Use diagonal braces on the legs. Glue and screw the top frame together and use long deck screws to secure the joints.

Good Luck !

[country gent]

My new work bench is almost done. I gave the bottom side legs and feet the last coat of boiled linseed oil today. It is 35" wide, 99" long and 35" tall. its wider than some benches but along the back will be my gerstner journey man base and top box, My Dads gerstner apprentice box and base, and my Grandfathers gerstner journey mans base and top. Mine are walnut dads and granddads are oak. You want some bench under them since the older ones don't have drawer stops in them. So these take up some of the extra width also. Bench top is 3 1/2" thick with 5 2 x 7 1/2 stiffening rail that also form the leg mounts. No screws nails or metal in this bench. This is a work bench for in the new shop not a reloading bench but the idea is the same. and a solid bench is important.

[country gent]

On my reloading bench I made quick mounts up that work nice, Base is a piece of 1/3" X 6" cut 8" long. 4 1/4 20 holes tapped 3/4" in from each side. 2 pieces of 1/4 x 1 flat stock with matching clearance holes 3/4" from outside edge. 2 pieces of 1/3" x 1 1/2 flat stock cut same length and same hole patter countersunk 3/4" from outside edge. This makes a quick release clamping mount that can be inset into bench top if desired. Insert is 1/4" X 6" flat stock that equipment is bolted to. this slides in screws tightened and its solidly clamped in place. I have 3 of these on my loading bench and they work great. the bases are inset into bench top bolted and epoxied in place.

A solid vibration rock free bench makes big difference in how scales and powder measures perform. The longer a bench gets the stronger it need to be to resist this. Drawers are nice especially if you can make them yourself and size to what you need. I prefer drawers to shelves as they pull out giving easier access than shelves do.

[Shawlerbrook]

With 24’ you could always skip the cabinets under the presses and just use recessed shelves. Looks like you will have a nice, roomy workshop.

[Shopdog]

All I'm gonna say is,doors on the stowage units keeps the contents way more dust free. Cleanup is,wipe the doors down and done. Stay away from paneled,fancy doors too... slick,no moulding,plain doors are the easiest to wipe off. Shooting some paint or clear coat makes them even easier to wipe off.

Oh,and yes the "top" needs to hang over the face frame a bit to clear the press linkage.

[Green Frog]

My bench wasn’t built, it kind of “happened” as my father and I added more stuff over about 20 years. The main bench started life as a drafting table my father and uncle built to go along with the blueprint table they were using at the time. It is way too deep and reaching across to the back is a chore at times. Also, a window impinges on one back corner, good for ventilation and light by day, but limiting wall cabinet potential. We did set the table so we can work down one side (toward the window) so the extra depth comes in good there. Across the front we have (l to r) a TruLine Jr, a Bair 12 ga shot shell loader, a RCBS Jr, and a 450 Lubri-sizer. With the passing of both of my parents over the last 3 years, I’ve fallen heir to the house and the mess that is the reloading bench. I plan to remove the little-used Bair, and perhaps replace it with my Lyman All American, then probably replace the RCBS Jr with my recently acquired Herter’s Super U. I may be able to clear access to the third side and mount my MEC 650 Jr press in 20 ga.

A couple of comments directed at the OP’s questions... I have and like open space under this bench and the work bench where I do my casting. I often sit on a bar-type stool while working and like a place for my knees to go. Depending on height, a shelf or rail for my feet seems to work well. I would consider an ankle height shelf upon which I could put shelves or drawer type cabinets, appropriately set back from the front of the shelf to leave leg room. Also, I would emphasize stability, whether from bolting to the wall, extensive bracing, or whatever. That is a vital feature of a good loading bench.

Regards,
Froggie