What is the height of your progressive (base to floor) for comfortable use

[H110]

This may be in a thread somewhere I did not see it.

What is the measurement from floor to base on your progressive or any other press that you find to be most comfortable? Do you load standing or seating and which brand press do you use. I am building a new bench and need to get a good average height.

Thanks for the replies!

[Moonman]

It depends upon your height. I have a bench 35 1/2" high and can stand or sit using a bar stool.
I'm 5'8". Tall people would need more height.

If you're building from scratch and have room you could possible have a stepped bench with two different heights that meet your needs.

[Ickisrulz]

This depends on how tall you are. I'm 5'8" and I have my presses at 41.5" off the floor (to their bases). I stand while reloading and use only single stage presses.

I have seen where people say they can use a stool for loading on a bench that is comfortable for them to stand at. I have not tried this though.

I think many people build their benches too low...hence the reason for strong mounts and press stands.

[H110]

Yea I guess your height would have a bearing. I had someone tell me to build it the same height as my belly button for standing. What do you guys think?

[Colorado4wheel]

47", I am 5'10". Standing. No stool. Press should have the handle at shoulder height. Read the Dillon Manual for a description. My SS is at 40" and it's perfect for that. But the progressive needs to be higher. YMMV.

[Walt]

My benches are 34" + 8 1/2" for the strong mounts. So my progressives are right at 42 1/2" working height. My Ultra Mag is on a 11" pedestal so it is at 45". I'm 5'9" and stand to use my progressives and Ultra Mag. I sit to use my Boss, primarily to seat bullets.

[turtlezx]

40" dont like bending over 6 4"

[williamwaco]

Here is my rule. I have used it for every bench I have ever built.

Stand erect with your feet in a comfortable position, working position, not a shooting position.
Pretend you are standing in front of a table and are picking up a pair of pliers.

With your hands in the position where you are perfectly comfortable and feeling no stress have someone measure the distance from your wrist to the floor.

That is the height of the ideal bench for you to work at in a standing position.

When your buddy tells you that is not the standard height for a work bench ( usually 36 to 37 inches ) tell him you are not the standard reloader. You are the EXCEPTIONAL reloader.

I am most comfortable with my hands extended straight out in front. This puts my wrists at the same height as my elbows. Some people prefer to reach down a little to the table top. They will build it an inch or two below elbow height.

It will ultimately be very unpleasant if the table top is above your elbows because you will have your forearms resting on the edge of the bench when you are working.

Then if you want to sit. Get an adjustable stool.

Make the bench for standing. You can adjust a stool but you can't adjust your legs.


.

[Pepe Ray]

After 73 yrs, most of which was spent in some type of labor, I've concluded that all professionally manufactured work surfaces are built to an out dated standard. This is one of the primary causes of back injuries.
To customize to prevent future back strain the standard should be determined by the height of the workers elbows, him standing errect, from the floor. YMMV
Pepe Ray:popcorn:

[Colorado4wheel]

Here is my rule. I have used it for every bench I have ever built.

Stand erect with your feet in a comfortable position, working position, not a shooting position.
Pretend you are standing in front of a table and are picking up a pair of pliers.

With your hands in the position where you are perfectly comfortable and feeling no stress have someone measure the distance from your wrist to the floor.

That is the height of the ideal bench for you to work at in a standing position.




Just to clarify, bench height and press height are two different things. On a Dillon with a Roller handle it's easy to determine height. It's at the socket of your shoulder. That should be close to preventing any "bending" while operating the handle. Stooping over to work a press kills your back. Same with a bench. If you look at a lot of the "ergo" handles for the LnL you will see they are designed for the handle to not go as low when it's in the most downward position. Hornady doesn't make a Strong mount so a lot of people have their presses too low. Their are some options now to get the press higher.

It's pretty simple to figure out for yourself.
1) You need to easily see in the case. Shoulder height does that.
2) You need to not bend at the waist to operate the press.

Figure those two out and your fine. Build your bench to make that happen.

The LCT is even worse. It has such a long stroke that it's nearly impossible to not bend at the waist while standing to operate the press. A roller handle solves this issue because you can move the handle more toward the back of the press. That keeps you from bending at the waist.

[1hole]

"What is the measurement from floor to base on your progressive or any other press that you find to be most comfortable?"

Ideal bench and press heights are totally different things, the photos I see show most benches are too low and so are most presses (and the positions for the powder measure and scales are usually poorly chosen too). You don't need my bench height or average bench height nor even the height to the base of the specific press you're going to use. You need a bench that comes to your belt/elbow for the position you're going to use. If you chose to make that standing, then it's easy enough to get a thrift shop/flea market "bar stool" so you will be about the same height when you do sit. Then plan to block your press up high enough to allow you to fully depress the handle without bending over.

[Colorado4wheel]

I agree. Picture of the press at 47", Scale at eye level and bullet bin at the heigth I like. Later I added a LCT on the left corner.

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r215/98sr20ve/DSC_3503.jpg

[noylj]

I load sitting down. A standard table height works perfect for me with Hornady L-N-L AP and Dillon 1050s.
Also, what is comfortable to me may not be for you. However, I have a bad back and arthritis, so my work space must be ergonomic. All I need for comfort is a secretary chair (no arm rests) and a rigid table.
I have used a friend's Dillon 650, with and without the Strong Mount, and "with" was too high for me (on a standard belt height work bench). A bench low enough for me to be comfortable with the strong mount would be too low for me to use for anything else.
Point of post: You have to find what works for you. Start without a strong mount and add one if needed.

[DaveInFloweryBranchGA]

I prefer my reloading press as Pepe Ray describes, with the operation area about even or just an inch or two above where my elbows are when standing. That way, I can reload comfortably standing or on a stool.

[Bill*]

My "bench" (a reinforced shelf) stands 35 1/2" off the floor. (that would be where the base of a Lee Pro 1000 is bolted) My padded stool is 30" high. I kinda sit 3/4 of my butt on the stool with one leg on the floor, and switch legs every 15-20 minutes. Sounds weird maybe, but it's very comfortable for me. (I'm 6 ft tall)

[Kevin Rohrer]

The bench top is 38" above the floor.