Reloading bench

[clong]

I am looking at building custom bench and shelves for a reloading bench. I am debating on making the bench top either 24 or 32 inches deep with the shelves above will be either 12 or 18 inches deep. Total width of the work station will be 72 inches with cabinets on both sides of the work area. Any preferences, and why?

thanks

[454PB]

First....Welcome to the castboolits forum!!


Both of my benches are 24" deep and 8' long. One is a casting bench, the other a loading bench. I put all my "storage" underneath on multiple layered shelves. The weight of the stored materials helps stabilize the bench. Cupboards are great if you have kids or others that can access the stored material, but it's a lot handier to have everything visible in my opinion. You are going to end up with a lot of weight in whatever storage area you choose, and cupboards need a lot of bolting to handle that weight. My loading room is part of my shop, locked up, and inaccessible to anyone except me and my wife (like she would care what's out there!)

A 24" depth is about all you need, the length is more important. Mounting multiple loading presses and boolit sizers takes up a lot of bench length.

[Pepe Ray]

All these msmnts are important to personalize a comfortable work area
BUT, the MOST important one is bench top height. Avoid future back problems. Be sure your bench is high enough.
Pepe Ray

[schutzen]

Second on Pepe Ray's bench height comment. I made my benches 32" tall and 32" deep with a 12" shelf over the rear. This gives me a clear 20" work surface and plenty of room for dies and other tools. The 32" bench height allows me to stand for heavy loading sessions or to sit on a stool for more relayed or complex sessions. I'm 6'3" so you may want to lower or raise your bench for your best work height.

[Pepe Ray]

WOW!!
Didn't realize I was THAT different!
I began with a salvaged, steel frame Butcher block top WB of 35" hgt. After trying it for a few weeks decided to add a second level for my presses etc. Raised a HD plywood top to 41.5" using 2x6 studding and ready rod drilled thru the wood.
I'm only 5'-11" and this has been nearly perfect for me. I only wish I had more surface top area.
I have a stool but rarely use it cause my setup requires to move from one work station to another, frequently. I can still use the stool with the higher bench tops.
TEHO. Pepe Ray

[schutzen]

All my presses are mounted on homemade mounts similar to the Dillion Strong Mount. Works for me, I can stand or sit.

[Nueces]

On the shelves above the bench, I'd go for no more than 12" depth, to avoid losing stuff at the back and also to allow more light to the work surface. I use an adjustable system, with vertical standards that accept shelf supports every 1.25 inches. It's no big deal to reconfigure if desired. Shelves are 'one-by' boards.

Plus, the 12" shelves can accommodate these:

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT?PMPXNO=2711680&PMT4NO=30431765

They are perfect for die boxes and supplies and the hollow 'handles' make them easy to retrieve from overhead.

Good luck with your design, Mark

[Bret4207]

I find a 10-12" deep shelf on a 32" deep counter about right. I like my bench about rib high, maybe a touch higher. You'll never have enough storage space. Low benchtops are good for small engine work, things like that, but you need something higher for precision work.

[Kraschenbirn]

When my wife and I bought our home in 1979, the previous owner...a restorer of old British motorcycles...left his engine-building bench in the basement. The 32"x60" benchtop (2x6s laid edge-to-edge) was built into a corner on a 2x4 frame sheathed in 1/2" plywood. After covering the old benchtop with 1/4" high-density underlayment, all I did was build in some heavy duty shelves underneath for bulk storage (bullets, powder, brass etc) and some "pigeonhole" shelves above to hold reloading dies, small tools, and reloading manuals. Mounted to the long side of the bench are an old Bonanze O-frame, a Dillon Square Deal and a Dillon "500" (a Dillon 450 with every upgrade ever available) while the end away from the wall holds a B&M powder measure.

Over the years, I've added some heavy-duty shelving to hold the .50 Cal. ammo cans I use for storage of loaded ammo and some countertop along the adjacent wall to hold plastic bins of empty brass and my case tumblers but the reloading bench, itself, has stayed pretty much the same.

Bill

[targetshootr]

Whatever you do, make it sturdy.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/targetshootr/Im002825.jpg

[brshooter]

I have (2) 8 ft. X 24 in. benches, 36" high. They have 3/4" plywood top and bottom with 2 pieces of 3/4" particle board in the center for a total thickness of 3". They are glued together. Before they were glued together I made cutouts on the top sheet of plywood and particle board. . 2 on one bench and one on the second. The top cutout in the plywood is 8" wide X 6" deep, the cutout in the second layer (the particleboard) is 10" X 7". Then I made a number of inserts to fit the cutouts of particleboard 10" x 7" and a number for plywood 8" X 6"cutouts and glued them together and checked them in individually in each of the three cutouts on the two benches for fit, sanding as necessary. Then I took one insert and drilled four 1/4" holes, one in each corner of the top plywood through the insert. Using this insert as a template, I drilled holes in the three cutouts and the rest of the inserts, now all are interchangable . Now I mount my presses, priming tools, small vice, lubricator, case trimmer etc. on these inserts using bolts and using a forestner bit to cut a recess on the bottom for the nuts and 1/4" X 3-1/2" bolts and wing-nuts to hold the inserts in the bench. This set-up works great for me, for I can remove all the tools and set them underneath the bench on shelves, and put blank inserts in the cutouts to give me an uncluttered workbench to work on anything without worring about hitting some thing.

[jawjaboy]

This one is from one sheet of 3/4" plywood. Top is 27" deep, bottom shelf is 21" deep. I forget the height offhand.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g194/jawjaboy/IM000162.jpg

This one is 48" x 48". One sheet again, cut in half, 5/8" plywood glued and screwed together. A work in progress.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g194/jawjaboy/IM000282.jpg

[1hole]

I like the option of working both standing and sitting, depending on the task and how I feel! After makeing a couple of loading benches too low I learned to make the top just under standing elbow high for precision work. I use a bar stool when sitting.

Even with that height, I don't like to bend over to fully depress the handle so I block up each press so I can get full lever travel without bending. That usually requires a couple of inches of lift.

Tops deeper than what can easily be reached across invite clutter along the rear. I perfer a max of 26" deep top, 24" is better. And as wide as I can make it for max working surface.

Upper shelves are best, for me anyway, if they are no deeper than a 1x8 board, actually 7 1/2" deep, with the bottom shelf maybe 10" deep to hold a powder scale at eyeball height.

Need two/three wider lower shelves tho.

And lots of light, I like to hang twin 4' floursent "shop light" fixtures over my head so the light falls forward across the bench top.

[floodgate]

One trick I learned (the hard way) with my built-in bench (pine butcher-block top, L-shaped, 72" & 39" along front edges x 16" deep x 37 1/2" high, 7-1/2" shelf along longer leg, 9" above bench top) is to run a continuous bead of acrylic caulk along back edges of top and shelf, against the wall behind, and smooth it nicely. Keeps little bits from disappearing between bench / shelf and wall, behind the cabinets it is set up on.

floodgate

[Ken O]

The most important is the heigth. What is the perfect higth? Its written on many sites and its elbow heigth. So it depends on your body, my elbows are 41".
I asked this question many years ago and was told the answer, but I still made them too low. I am on my third bench and made it the right height this time, (live and learn). At elbow height you have the max leverage for your press's, and you can see your components real well, especially as you get older and tired eyes, I'm 60.

[singleshotbuff]

+1 on benches at elbow height. My reloading/gun room is about 12X12, and I have benches around 3 walls, plus a section that juts out from a wall into the center of the room. This section allows me access to 3 sides of that bench, which measures 24"X48". I use this small bench for gun cleaning and smithing and have all my other benches set up for reloading and boolit sizing. Most of my benches are 24" deep, except 1 which is about 30" deep.

SSB

[Adam10mm]

I got the 2x4 Basics kit from Cabelas a little bit ago. I'm going to put it together soon. My bench will be 7 feet long, 30" deep, and IIRC 34" high plus the top. Debating between 5/8 plywood doubled up or butcher block ($$$). The top has to be at least 1 inch thick. Going to have two SS presses, a MEC600jr, and a future Dillon 550 on it, so it needs to be sturdy.

[clong]

Thanks for all the replies. A lot of great information. Now, to try to incorporate it into the design. Construction starts 10/15/07.

[Buckshot]

http://www.fototime.com/A782708BD691A43/standard.jpg

This is my reloading bench. It's 41" tall, 24" deep and 8' long. The legs are 1/4" 2x2 square steel tube and the frame is 1/8" 2x2 square steel tube. It's all welded together. The 1/8" wall tube was used for the frame as it's easier to drive a self taping tech screw into it :-). The top is three 2x8's and is overlaid with a ripped 4x8 seven ply oak faced cabinet plywood. It's 3" thick :-).

Remember to deduct the thickness of your bench top from the framework! The steel on the wall side is bolted to the wall studs and each front leg has a welded on 'L' bracket that is attached to the concrete floor with a powershot stud.

The cabinets above it are 16" deep, which plenty of headroom plus they're not so deep that stuff gets lost in them. Out of the photo to the left are two 4' wide x8' tall 16" deep cabinets with doors and removeable shelving. I thought I'd never fill it all up, heh!

Just remember that any horizontal surfaces you create (and it doesn't matter how many sq ft they are) you WILL accumilate stuff to cover it all up.

..............Buckshot

[Cherokee]

clong - You did not ask but I'll tell you this---Lights, lots of light - Outlets, more than you think you'll need. Light colored walls and ceiling so light is reflected.
:castmine:

[EMC45]

+1 on the lights. I have 2 4 ft lights. One over my loading bench and one over my wrenching/cleaning bench. Also have a double fixture with 2 100w bulbs. Buckshot, what's up with the toilet paper holder on your cabinet?

[Old Ironsights]

+1 on Height. Mine is Adjustable - and portable.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y180/MrMisanthrope/IMG_5834.jpg

1940s/50s Hospital Bed Table. 3/4" ply top on heavy steel tube frame.

[Buckshot]

+1 on the lights. I have 2 4 ft lights. One over my loading bench and one over my wrenching/cleaning bench. Also have a double fixture with 2 100w bulbs. Buckshot, what's up with the toilet paper holder on your cabinet?

............That's rolled paper towels. I was too cheap to spring for the dispenser :-)

............Buckshot

[stocker]

Bench width might depend on how you want it to sit. If you are mounting a long edge tight to the wall there is no need to make it very deep. Probably 24" would be O.K. , to reduce clutter. But if you put a short end of the bench to the wall in a manner that gives you walk around 3 sides capability or place it free standing in a room then wider is the way to go as you can mount equipment on either long side. If it were 48" deep for instance you can mount a row of low cabinet shelves with compartments on both sides right down the middle for storage on the bench. One side dedicated to brass cartridge reloading, opposite to shotgun or bullet lubing etc.. I built one ( 48" x 72") for a friend and he reloads on one side and ties flies on the opposite side. Top center dual storage cabinet with different depths of shelves for the difference in common storage containers for the two disciplines. Wish I had a picture of it as the top is supported by shelved floor cabinets for additional storage down to floor level. Kind of like an old style "partners" office desk except the storage under the top is on the narrow ends and provide 18" deep shelves. This was a heavy duty unit with 2" thick laminated top and arborite surface. Made to dissemble into 4 major components (2 end cabinets, table top, top central cabinet) He has it sitting in the middle of his hobby room and can walk around all four sides. Finished weight was more than 200 pounds and it doesn't budge on the floor.