Need Some Help With A Reloading Bench Design

[Bigscot]

I am in the process of building a Man Cave. A 20x20 insulated shop. In which I will move my reloading equipment. What I need assistance with is designing a reloading bench. I have an RCBS Rockchucker, a Dillon 550 and a Lyman 450. Along with the accessories. I also have 2 MEC reloaders.

As such, I am would like to see some of the benches and/or plans for the benches you use to get some ideas.

Thanks for any input or ideas.

Bigscot

[dragonrider]

This the one I built,

http://www.shotgunsportsmagazine.com/downloads/bench_plans.pdf

an efficient and strong bench.

[runfiverun]

i use a simple kithen counter top.
they look good and are easy to keep clean.
you do have to make a cut on the edge for the rock chucker.
but the dillon with a strong mount and the mec's bolt right down.
i use a 2x6 for the front, a 4x4 mounted to the wall, and supports in between.
with legs spaced near the equipment,and counter drawers/shelves underneath for storage.

if you have a cement floor a carpet strip is a good idea also.

[cheese1566]

This the one I built,

http://www.shotgunsportsmagazine.com/downloads/bench_plans.pdf

an efficient and strong bench.

I built this one also as a winter project a few years ago. I am looking maybe building another! Only thing I did different was added a cross brace from front to back in the center under the top, and moved the area for the powder scale (drop down door in the center) to the top rather than the center for a better viewing height of the scale.

The great thing about it is that it is modular in construction and can be unscrewed and taken apart for moving. But once together, it is pretty darn solid and stiff.

[gnoahhh]

Whatever design you settle on, make it twice as strong/heavy as you think it should be. You'll thank me the first time you heave on the press handle to move a tight case. I would also recommend using nice dry lumber- kiln or air dried- so as to obviate warpage and it's effects on bench stability years down the road. Spend a little more at a good wood dealer for oak or something similar, not the semi-green warpy 2X material found at the big box home centers. I made my last two benches L-shaped instead of just a long one to hold my presses and casting gear. It's right handy to spin around 90º on the stool to grab something or perform another operation at a separate work station. Build lots of storage- shelves and cabinets- even if you don't need it. You will.

[Isaac]

Check down to the Reloading Equipment Forum. There is a sticky for posting photo's of loading benches.

Isaac

[btroj]

For mine I used stock base cabinets on the bottom. I left a nice, wide knee hole. The knee ole was braced across with 2x4 lumber to provide support for the counter top. The top is made of 2 layers of 3/4 inch plywood glued and screwed down. All of this is attached to the wall in the room. I then filled the screw holes in the top and painted everything wi a couple coats of oil based garage floor paint. After 6 years the paint is discolored in places but has not blistered or peeled due to solvents or oils.
This baby is solid as a rock, has plenty of storage, and fits my needs. Pretty easy to build too.

I would post photos but the bench seems to be missing under large amounts of stuff.

Brad

[Char-Gar]

I used a solid core door set on a frame of 2X6s. I used deck screws and carriage bolts to hold it together. I topped the door with a sheet of birch. There are two full shelves below the top. I used molding on the edges that formed a slight lip to keep things from rolling off. I made the bench 41 inches tall so I could use it standing or with a shop stool.

It sits in the middle of the shop so I can work on all 4 sides. It is so heavy there is no need to anchor it to the floor.

[Matt_G]

Spend a couple of hours looking thru this thread.
Loading Bench Pics (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=12392)

You'll get all sorts of ideas, trust me.

[alamogunr]

I built mine from an article in Handloader, #69, Sept-Oct '77. It is also featured in a book by the author of the article but I don't remember the title of the book. The author's name is John Mosher.

Hold on! I looked him up on a book search site. The book is "The Shooters Workbench".

I made a few modifications to fit some unique material I had access to such as 2' thick super dense particle board for the top. This material is(was) used as structural supports inside huge power transformers. The top alone weighs almost 200 lbs.

Even built exactly according to the plan, it is a sturdy bench.

John
W.TN

[dnotarianni]

I'm using 2 6' steel workbenches that are grounded to eliminate static electricity. Carpet looks nice on floor but generates static electricity and powder gets stuck in the fibers.
dave

[cajun shooter]

Allow me to jump in with a few things I have learned in over 40 years of loading and casting. Don't bolt anything to your bench. Use a SYSTEM that is sold by one of our forum members, Randy Marlin or mount each piece to a piece of wood. This will allow you to always have enough room on your bench top. I bolted everything when I was young because that is how the gun writers told you. If you bolt it to a piece of wood and then C-clamp it when needed you will have the entire top if you need to do a different project. My Mec Sizemaster is mounted to a piece of 2x12 and clamped with two 6 inch clamps when loading. This will also allow much less stress on your bench. Include some drawers and shelves under the top and a backboard of heavy pegboard or plywood so that tools or the Dillon boxes may be mounted to hold tools and accesories. Items like die nuts, Extra parts for all equipment and so on.Later David