Distance between presses.

[starmac]

I am setting up a new bench, and space is a premium. What would be the minimum distance between hard mounting single stage presses you would use?

I could go with the rocklock or similar system, but would rather have them bolted down and ready to use at all times.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

i would go 2 feet for a minimum set all your stuff out and see what you need
all i need by my presses are boolits and my loading blocks my powder measure
is mount above my bench so its out of the way

[Artful]

I only set up one at a time - but most seem to prefer plenty of elbow room
http://rugerpistolforums.com/forums/attachments/reload-bench/2572d1337704785-show-us-your-reloading-bench-sany1847.jpg
http://www.pdgnetworks.com/images/Bench.jpg
http://www.xdtalk.com/forums/attachments/ammo-can/8825d1330059502-if-you-could-rebuild-your-reloading-bench-dsc00026.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8CPGiAq.jpg
http://clanbaker.org/bench.jpg
http://www.shootersforum.com/attachments/handloading-equipment/10852d1328492200-hornady-lock-n-load-ap-strong-mount-reloading-bench-001.jpg
http://www.spolargold.com/mikeg.jpg
http://ultimatereloader.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Bench_wide-small.jpg
http://ar15barrels.com/gfx/dillons.jpg
http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/attachments/general-reloading/6490d1196360663-thinking-about-re-loading-need-advise-reloading-bench.jpg

[brtelec]

I use one of the Lee bench plates and it becomes a moot point. These are especially nice when space is at a premium.

http://www.titanreloading.com/press-accessories/lee-bench-plate

[GP100man]

starmac

I have mounted the first press on the far rt. then give enuff space inbetween em to have plenty of elbow room.The one on the far left I leave enuff table top to accomidate a couple of loading blocks .

This cobbled up table is 72"L x 24"W. I have 2 set up almost identical ,with the other with a 450 & Star sizer & 1 press.

http://i746.photobucket.com/albums/xx110/GP100man/102_0032-1.jpg (http://s746.photobucket.com/user/GP100man/media/102_0032-1.jpg.html)

[prs]

Elbow room is all that matters. The more room Ya have, the more clutter you will collect. Caution! You MUST muster the necessary disipline to NOT have different powders or primers on the bench at any one time.

prs

[Dan Cash]

Too much room is an invitation to clutter. I like enough space to put an ACRO bin/loading block on each side of the press. My powder measures are on mobile stands that sit to the rear of the loading block. Empties come from the left and finished goes to the right. Some of you fellows must only worship your bench and presses. There are others of you to whom I can relate.

[runfiverun]

I have 4, 0-frame presses in about 3 feet on one bench.
I also managed to get 4 550 dillons in under 6 feet, and make everything useable without banging my elbows and hands.

[Walter Laich]

Mine are about 18" apart

[WILCO]

What would be the minimum distance between hard mounting single stage presses you would use?

Whatever distance gives you the most comfort when working.

[starmac]

RFR That seems like it would be crowded, but does give me hope. lol My bench will only be 5 foot long, because of what I am building it out of, but I only have 6 foot of space for it anyway. I understand about clutter, as I am the king of clutter, but I have about 12 feet of shelving all the way to the ceiling to take care of most of it. lol.

[62chevy]

RFR That seems like it would be crowded, but does give me hope. lol My bench will only be 5 foot long, because of what I am building it out of, but I only have 6 foot of space for it anyway. I understand about clutter, as I am the king of clutter, but I have about 12 feet of shelving all the way to the ceiling to take care of most of it. lol.

I only have a 5 foot bench but no shelves yet. Have to store all my reloading and cast stuff there too but it works mostly. I have to use that bench for other things too so mounting presses there permanently just don't work for me.

[dverna]

Artful,

I have NEVER seen four Spolars set up. I thought I was lucky to have one (with Hydraulic) and a PW 800+ (Electric Drive); and my buddy was greedy having two Spolars. Four is just conspicuous consumption.

Most people will not even know what a Spolar is.

Nice set up.

Don Verna

[Old Caster]

Completely depends on which presses you are talking about. My 3 550's are so close to each other that I take the handle off the press to the left to make it easier and faster but that is all the room I have and would rather have them farther apart. I have the presses just far enough apart so that the bullet catchers will not bump the next press.

[RP]

I would set the presses where you think they will work then sit or stand in front of them check for work room. Now that sounds simple but make sure you sit or stand how ever your going to use them. And place the items you will be using and see how it flows as if you were loading. That's reaching and transferring items are easy motions. Don't forget where your finished rounds will be place. If your going to size lube pad if sizing maybe a tray or other item to catch primers. I have moved my presses several times to find that sweet spot but it keeps moving depending on what I am doing and which press I am using. My answer for the last move was flat stock drilled and tapped to fit my presses up and down the entire length which is around 8 ft. Then I placed a shelf to set my presses and sizer and hold them in place with a single bolt. I can have several presses active at one time or just one. I have found if your able to move things around its easier to keep clean. Good luck

[DRNurse1]

I am not sure how I would use more than one single stage press at a time.

I have two progressive presses set up at right angles on the left end of my bench so they can share the same case feeder (Dillon XL650), one with a small primer system and the other with a large primer system. The 4 foot bench is 32 inches wide from the wall so there is room for my boolit cache (a pet food dispenser from Petco) on the left of both presses, and the bins on the right. I put my scale and calipers on a stool to my right regardless of which press I am using.

I happen to use the large primer press more, so it is on the side parallel to the wall and the small primer press is perpendicular to the wall (more cramped feeling, but in reality the same amount of space). I put my Lubricator sizer at the right end of the bench, perpendicular to the wall as well, leaving a lot of space on the bench for clutter, I mean, useful reloading-type work.

I STRONGLY ECHO the advice to have only one powder and primer type out at any one time. Those pesky small primers will fit in your large primer system and the mess is remarkable after only 10 to 30 incorrectly primed cases. I do not return the powder to the can, nor clear the primer cache, but that is a reasonable recommendation when you complete a reloading session. I suppose I could use both of my presses simultaneously if I had another lever puller....etc, but I think it unwise both from the above component advice and the space limitations in my reloading room.

[cummins05]

Best advice I can give is screw them down temporarily with drywall screws and fenders wachers and see how it all fits that way if you wanna move it its just a small hole in the bench

[saphelps]

Probably waaaay too close but works for me.

[starmac]

Well I just put the last screw in this thing, until I get a forklift over here tomorrow and get her set in place.
The table top itself is actually an old commercial cutting board from one of the camps on the slope. It measures 30 inches deep by five foot long, but the back foot of it is covered with shelves that are three foot high. It should take care of my needs for a long time to come. lol
I will see where and how I want to mount the presses when I get it upstairs.

[boltaction308]

I recently got the rockdock system and really like it. The rockdock system provides a VERY stable mount, in fact it can be more stable than just bolting to a table.

[Wayne Smith]

Starmac, before you bolt anything down think of where your powder measures will be. Do you mount them deeper, and reach, or beside your press, or are they mounted on the press? Which measures are used with which press? Are your presses dedicated for pistol and rifle or are they used for both? Do your loading blocks go in front of the press (I have a Brown Bair that mounts on top of the bench) or do they go beside the press? Lots of details to think about in the actual use that go well beyond the physical space for the press. Clamp a press or two to the bench and actually load some before you start drilling holes.

I load sitting in an old office chair on casters that swivels. This impacts how I mount things.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Art: Four Spolars is a bit much. Most people don't even know what a Spolar is. His sign says "No such thing as too much ammo." That's good cuz a complete moron can make 800+ rounds an hour on a Spolar. He definitely is into his sport if he was willing to make that much of a commitment to it. They are about $1700 each. But they do hold value well.

Hope he shoots a lot.

Randy

[Salmon-boy]

http://www.spolargold.com/mikeg.jpg

Ok, this is now my Desktop image!!

The bumper sticker is what makes it for me.. My wife says "Wow! I can't believe how tidy it is!"

[geargnasher]

I thought I was the only one who grain-matched drawer fronts. Excellent!

I've studied the metallic-cartridge loading press spacing thing quite a bit and came up with a very firm number, just can't remember it right now. I'll measure when I get home.

Gear

[Petrol & Powder]

924299243092431


I've got two benches and one is dedicated to the Dillon 550 and a single stage press. They are about 24' apart and the Dillon got the prime real estate. The second bench is used mostly for cleaning, repairs and other functions. That bench has a removable section that allows me to slide in replacement sections with other tools mounted on them. A shotgun shell press, a case trimmer, my lubersizer, etc.

[bigtee]

I have 3 presses on a 4' bench, sometimes it's a little tight, but never much of a problem.

92433

[gefiltephish]

92455
This is my bench. The tracks are embedded into the benchtop and you mount/slide your equipment up and down the entire length of the bench where ever you need/want it at any time. Never worry about drilling holes into the wrong place again. I did this 2 or 3 years ago and have no regrets what-so-ever.

More images here, but they don't enlarge for some reason.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?12392-Loading-bench-pics&p=1477760&viewfull=1#post1477760

[geargnasher]

924299243092431


I've got two benches and one is dedicated to the Dillon 550 and a single stage press. They are about 24' apart and the Dillon got the prime real estate. The second bench is used mostly for cleaning, repairs and other functions. That bench has a removable section that allows me to slide in replacement sections with other tools mounted on them. A shotgun shell press, a case trimmer, my lubersizer, etc.

I remember reading an article in Guns n Ammo back in the early 90s (Jeff Cooper's column maybe?) about building a bench with the removable press mounts like this. Good idea.


The magic, minimum measurement for press spacing, including progressive, turret, single-stage, etc. is 25" on centers, with the right side of the press base set back three inches from the right margin if on a corner or against a wall, unless you have a roller handle and you might need to move the press an additional inch or so to the left. Try as I might, 24" between press centers just flat out wasn't enough.

Gear

[jmort]

"Most people don't even know what a Spolar is"

I thought it was a wad, which it is, but obviously it is much more.

[Petrol & Powder]

Geargnasher - Thanks, but make no mistake, the removable mounts are not my original idea. I'm certain I stole that idea from someone else.
Gefiltephish - I like the rails !

My latest bench incarnations are still a work in progress. Each time I move or reconstruct a bench, I incorporate some new ideas. Immediately after completing a bench I think of something I could have done better and launch the design phase again. I did the math and if I'm correct, I'll have the perfect bench setup 11.7 years after I die.

[quasi]

I have a 7 foot bench, and all my presses, sizers and powder measures, case trimmers are mounted when I need them via c clamps.

[MBTcustom]

I have a 7 foot bench, and all my presses, sizers and powder measures, case trimmers are mounted when I need them via c clamps.

I gotta say that after chewing up the front edge of my workbench with holes drilled for every shape and style press I have, and more as they came, I ended up having more holes than I had little screws to plug them If you know what I mean. No tellin how many little parts, screws, boolits, primers, and gas checks fell through all those darn holes!
I unloaded my bench last year, and flipped it around (not an easy chore, it's built like a tank with a top 4" X 3' X 8' and framed with 4x4's braced in every direction with 45* angles).
I was trying to devise a way of holding the presses on there solidly enough for the most rigorous sizing operations, while not compromising my work surface in any way. I've been using C clamps. LOL!
If I have a really tough sizing operation, I strap the press to the milling machine table with toe clamps (Nothing like 3700lb of workbench to give you a little bit of stability!)
Anyway, this works and I don't see any reason to change.

[fredj338]

I have three presses mounted & went with 18" space between each as min. Closer & it's crowded, further & you need a lot more bench.