Homemade Reloading Press

[kir_kenix]

So here I was bumming around school and I found some big 'ole hunks of alluminum. I'm talking big here, 12"x12"x60". Asked the machine tool instructor here what those were for and he said they had been here for the better part of 6 years and nobody had ever touched them.

Ran next door to the computer lab and drew up some plans to build a simple reloading press on solidworks that would be capable of performing 99% of my reloading needs. Not that I really "need" another press by any means (I think I have 6 or 7 on my bench at home), but It would be pretty cool to have one I totally designed and built myself. Today I'm just going to true up the block and fine tune my design but I figured I'd try and chronicle my build here because somebody would find it interesting.

Decided to make a simple design that is enclosed on 3 sides and have plenty of strength to resize most cases. The press will stand 8" on the bench, and be about 4.8" wide. I'll try and attatch a few screen shots, but I'm not too computer savvy so we will see how it goes.

[kir_kenix]

Oh, and I don't have a handle attatched yet, simply because I was too lazy to add it to the drawing.

[Just Duke]

Keep us updated on your progress KK.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Now would be the time to either design the press with a back angle in the base or design a angle block (ala RCBS angle plate) and use it when the press is finished. The design looks doable to me!Robert

[yondering]

Sweet! Please keep us updated, looks like a fun project.

I have one suggestion, while you're still in the design phase: Make the lower part of the press, where the ram fits through it, longer, to provide more bearing surface on the ram, and ream the ram hole larger so you can press in a steel or bronze bushing. The bare aluminum may wear out pretty fast.

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

Since you didn't post many dims., my suggestion might be N/A. I would insure the die (top) plate be as thick as possible to eliminate as much spring as possible. What grade of Al are you working with?

Sounds like a fun project,

Regards,
Everett

[kir_kenix]

yondering, I'm planning on using a steel bushing in both the "ram hole" (not sure what it should be called, but I like the ring of ram hole for some reason), and of course for the die. Thinking of extending it about another 1" so the ram has more bearing surface. I believe this is 7075, and was donated from a company that makes bushing for airplanes.

springfield, the top plate is going to be .750, with an oversizes steel bushing pressed in from the bottom. I had considered both .500 and a full inch, but I think .750 will be plenty for most resizing.

hardcast, I drew up a base for it to bolt to on my table with a bit of angle, very much like the RCBS unit. That part is not really going to be much of a priority for a while tho, and I'll probably finish that some other time.

I like the idea of having a one piece linkage assembly. I thought that having a much longer linkage assembly would have to give me more mechanical advantage over a greater distance then most presses. My ram is to be 1.5" in diameter, really just so I don't have to turn down any mild steel down any further then I have to on the lathe. I also havn't incoorperated any sort of priming feature, but I think I'll probably build something similar to Reddings slide bar priming assembly.

Oh, and I guess my crude prints don't show it, but the ram is drilled to deposit primers in a little tray behind the ram.

All I got done today was cutting the block to a usable length and facing it up all around. Monday I'm going to start making some serious chips if the school is open on Presidents day.

[scrapcan]

cool. You should look at the making a swaging press in the swaging section also. You might be able to make another press for swaging as it read like you have a bit of material on your hands. Here is a link

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=73164

I hink you could adapt a design similar to what you are looking at.

[scrapcan]

or here is the anywhere press that would be fun to have a copy of. make a couple ofshoots will you.

http://www.riflemagazine.com/magazin...=80&tocid=1132

[heathydee]

Here is mine. http://www.weaponsguild.com/forum/in...?topic=39400.0

[kir_kenix]

Thats a really nice press you built there heathydee. Mine will be much more like your MKI or MKII that you built. I've been doing a bit of looking around today and I think My press is not going to be as heavy duty as some of the behemoths out there, but I think I should reasonably be able to resize most '06 and smaller size cases without much deflection.

I thank you for chronicling your buld so well, especially the part about the shell holder. I was planning on doing mine by a slightly different precdure, but after seeing how well your shell holder worked out, I think I will probably just go that route (except I'll probably use a setsrcew to hold it in). Your linkage assembly is much more elegant then mine as well, but I'm not much of a welder so I'm going to build everthing on the mill and I think it will be strong enough for its intended purposes. I think I'm going to change my plans so as to beef up the 2 "sides" as well. Hope mine turns out anywhere nearly as nice as yours, and I'll be plenty happy. Thanks for the link.

[blikseme300]

Here is mine. http://garagegunsmithing.com/index.p...php&f=34&t=119

Man, you really take things to the extreme. I call "uncle" on your great work.

Bliksem

[machinisttx]

They may have already covered this, but in case they haven't---Dimensioning hidden features is bad practice in drafting.

[deltaenterprizes]

The "Z" shaped links from the frame to the ram are weak points.

[JIMinPHX]

They may have already covered this, but in case they haven't---Dimensioning hidden features is bad practice in drafting.

I'm glad that I'm not a draftsman then. I do that all the time.

[ANeat]

The "Z" shaped links from the frame to the ram are weak points.

Thats what I was thinking, enough pressure will straighten them out

I like it though, should look cool all milled out of aluminum

[jhrosier]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but it ain't going to work.
The design is nearly impossible to machine as drawn and has several weak points.

Aluminum is just about the worst material that you could choose for a press.
Every sharp corner is a stress point that will eventually fail.
The sharp corner on the edge of the recess will keep you buying bandaids for years.
The inside corners of the recessed area are impossible to mill with conventional tooling.
The linkage will fail for sure.
The base is a shade thin for heavy use and doesn't allow the mounting bolts to be placed for strength.

It is a pretty drawing though.

I do this stuff for a living, BTW, not design work but manufacturing engineering.
I send experienced design engineers back to the drawing board regulary to redesign parts for manufacturability. They really hate it when I point out features or dimensions that make the product either impossible to manufacture or prohibitively expensive.

3D modeling can be fun but can quickly lead you down the wrong path design wise.

Go find some photos of an RCBS AmmoMaster press if you want to build something stout and simple. Buy the toggle link and ram from RCBS and make the rest yourself. I have one and would be glad to help you with some dimensions or photos if you decide to go this route.



Jack

[357maximum]

I have always lusted for one of these myself.

http://www.sinclairintl.com/product/...Turret-Presses

If I had skill , ability, machinery, and the money I would build one. If I had the extra money I would buy one. I am drawn to it for some reason.

[scrapcan]

357maximum,

I was lloking for the name of that press and who sold it. for the life of me I could not remember where I had seen it. I too like the looks of it. But if I remember as sold it is set up for the short action class of cartridges. If one could stretch it out just a tad to fit 30-06 length it would be a great thing to have around.

Didn't thay make or sell a small folding press also? I can't seem to find it either.

[357maximum]

I actually want one because it has the short throw. I would still have my co-ax for the longer rounds.

I am not familiar with the folding press...it is very possible.