How Thick

[Tamitch]

How thick should the top of the loading bench be? I was thinking that I would use two (2) pieces of one (1) inch plywood glued together. Anyone have any better thoughts?

[VHoward]

I used 2 layers of 3/4" plywood glued together and it was solid. The 1" plywood would be even better.

[Rory McCanuck]

If some is good, more is better. 2" should be nice and sturdy. Cross bracing and/or securing it to a wall is also very helpful.

[EDG]

If your table is 8 ft long 2 pieces of 3/4" are heavy enough. If you have a smaller table use the 1" for more weight.

My tables are 8 ft long with 2 pieces of 3/4" bolted together through industrial work bench legs - 3 sets per table. I am sure these tables would hold up 2 or 3 thousand pounds and cost very little other than the plywood.

I did not glue my 2 pieces of plywood together. I figured if I got a table top messed up I could flip the pieces for a new top surface.

[jeepyj]

In my opinion two of the one inch is more than enough. I use one layer of 3/4 with no problems for strength for both of my benches. I did run into problems when I was priming, on the upstroke I used to lift the bench a little so I made a bracket to bolt the leg to the floor.
Jeepyj

[juzme]

Any better thoughts?

Maybe not as good but works great for me: doubled 3/4"-plywood sub-flooring, glued and screwed, with "joist-like" braces of 2x4 on 24" centers, 2' x 8' plus attached to floor and wall. It's covered with half sheet of 1/4" screwed on for quick removal and replacement at the time when I'll surely screw up the top. Everything came from scrap out of our diy house remodeling- I seem to always buy too much material for some reason unknown to my wife, hee-hee.

[Virginia John]

I think the thickness is proportionate to the depth. The deeper, the thicker. I have a 14" deep bench with a 3/4" top cross braced and anchored to the wall. Works great for presses and I have 3 mounted to it.

[C.F.Plinker]

1 5/8 solid core door for me.

[jmorris]

Mine is just 1/8" thick steel on a 5" tall truss made from 3/4" box tube. No flex at all.

[dragon813gt]

Mine is four layers of 3/4" plywood that's glued and screwed together. One of the sheets is sanded pine but this was strictly for a nice top finish. The top is screwed to two large metal cabinets and 2x4s that are anchored to the block wall. The top barely flexes. You really want your bench top to have zero flex. The extra $35 for another sheet of plywood, assuming your bench is 8', is well worth it.

[mdi]

More than just thickness, a bench needs to be solid, inflexible, and ridged. I used 2, 1/2" pieces od plywood, but used extra heavy duty angle braces spaced 16" to bolt the top to the wall, and 2x4 braces across the under side every 16"...

[waksupi]

Here's an idea for you. This is my ratty old bench I build around 35 years ago. Four layers 3/4", with a cut out where various needed tools can be slid in and out of. It's nice to be able to easily mount a luberisizer, small vise, case trimmer, etc.Space saving bench top. Plywood top and bottom, pressed wood for center layers.

136157

[fatnhappy]

Mine is 3/4 steel from a road plate. It was one of my better decisions.

[pworley1]

Your plan should work just fine. Mine is a 2"x20"x12' piece of sweetgum.

[bangerjim]

Thikness is one thing.......2.5+" of SOLID oak/maple for me. Laminated.

More important are the legs and cross-bracing to prevent the "shimmy-shimmy-coco-bopp" when you are using your presses and such!!!! The top is only as good as the legs and bracing system you use!!!!!!!

4x4 OAK legs with 1" steel cross-bracing straps does it for me. Rememeber------the strongest form is the triangle......use a bunch of them!

banger-j

[jmorris]

More than just thickness, a bench needs to be solid, inflexible, and ridged.


That is what I was getting at in post #9.

This is the bench I was talking about laying on its back.

http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/vv5/qvideo/IMAG1238.jpg

[Kevin Rohrer]

I used 2x10 and 2x12s for my bench-top. It is plenty stiff enough.

[SeabeeMan]

Mine is 3 layers of 3/8" MDO, 48" wide by 24" deep. The first layer is solid and screwed/glued to the top of a 12 drawer college chemistry lab station. The second layer has 2 10"x10" squares cut out space evenly on the front edge. The third layers has to 6"x6" squares cut out directly over the lower 10x10's. Everything is screwed all the way through and help with construction adhesive. Presses and tools mounted to the stacked 6x6/10x10 squares with countersunk flat head bolts slide right in and lock. I'd thought about replacing the top layer with aluminum but the MDO doesn't mar anything.

[country gent]

The heavy bench top I built years ago is a butcher block style 3 1/2" thick made from 2X4s for top and 6x6s for legs in a well braced frame. My lighter bench top in 1" plywood on a 2X6 frame with 2 8ft runners spaced under it and cros braces every 12" width wise between the runners. The frame is glued and screwed together then the top glued and screwed down to it. Thick is good and solid is important but also remeber that finding Bolts long enough to go thru a press and 3 1/2" thk top with washers and nuts can get tricky at times. The top has wood dowels evenly spaced to alighn the 2x4s. when assembling every other hole is a dowel and oposites are 1/2" ready rod to clamp together while glue cures. WHen glue dies remove ready rod clear holes with lond drill and glue in rest of dowels. I used 1 1/4" dowels then a 5/16 to pin them in place.

[JWT]

3" thick ash for me with 3" square legs and bracing. Weight without tools in the drawers is arounf 400lb. This bench is also used for woodworking. I have a 1"x24"x6" steel plate milled for mounting holes for my sizer or press and powder measure that I C-clamp to the bench top. My eventual plan is to drill dog holes in the bench top that will accept pins in the plate.

[Savage99]

Tamitch
My first reload bench was made in 1986 when I started reloading. It is made from 2, 3/4" particle board (heavy and solid) pieces screwed together and 1/4" hardboard glued to the particle board with 1x2 pine pieces screwed and glued to the edges for appearance sake on top of a 2x4 frame with 12" centers on the cross that the particle board top is attached to. Leave some sort edge in the front of your bench (about 2" therebouts) so you can temporarily clamp things to your bench. I put several coats of urethane on the hardboard to help clean up a little easier and things don't soak into the hardboard (keeps things perrty). This is then bolted to 4x4 uprights that are all bolted together so I can take this beast apart to move and I put some big adjustment screws on the bottom of the 4x4 posts so I can level these benches out (put a small block of wood under these screws, especially if your bench is on carpet). I made another shelve to go under this table to hold other things as my reloading grew. All the pieces are numbered so I can get it put back together after moved. I have since built 3 more of these beasts (dimensions vary) as this addiction (excuse me, Hobby) grew. I put ammo, reloads, bullets and other items on/in the bench to help stabilize it. Over the years I have added some enhancements such as a means to move things from bench to bench depending on what I am doing. One bench works as my leather bench but right now I temporarily have my lubesizers on it with c-clamps. Just play around and get ideas off the internet and here for what will work for you. Also keep in mind that if these benches are in the garage or outside, (i.e. my casting bench) solid wood will expand and contract, not so much in the house. Also, now days I have noticed some cheap plywood has empty spots in them so spend a little more to get good materials and stay away from roof sheathing for a top, OK for shelves(?) but I wouldn't use it at all. I have seen some benches that are pieces of woodworking art and pretty thick, made from some pretty exotic materials. Minimum thickness (I made mine at 1 1/2"), depends on what you are willing to spend on materials and how much effort you want to put into building the beast. Good luck and hope to see what you come up with.

[goblism]

I think the thickness of the bench really depends on what you will be using it for too. I have noticed that my normal reloading and sizing of various calibers isn't too demanding on the bench. Swaging bullets is a different story. I have 2 layers thick of 1" plywood with 2x6 bracing that is tied to the front of bench where a 4x6 covers the area that mounting occurs. This is than tied to 4x4 legs and a wall. It is very rigid and probably overkill but when I am swaging I don't have to worry about the bench being the weak link like I did when I had only a single layer of 3/4" plywood on top of 2x4s.

[Lead Fred]

My reloading table is a 1950s dinner table, an inch thick with Formica top. Its as old as I am, and in much better shape

[dale2242]

Mine is made of 4x12 doug fir.
Overkill I suppose but very sturdy.....dale

[Savage99]

Tamitch
Go over to "The Handloaders Bench" forum and there are a bunch of pictures and how toos and links on building a reload bench and storage. I am looking to maybe modify mine somehow as I am spread out horizontally vs vertical.
This is another forum I go to all the time along with this one. Hopefully this will get you going, maybe idea overload. I am looking forward to see what you come up with. Your bench will always be a work in progress.

[firebrick43]

Do you have time or money. I have made 4 benches(1 woodworking, 2 shop, and 1 reloading bench). They are cheap and very strong as they are 3 1/2" thick but more importantly so are the legs and stretchers on the base that are mortised and tennoned together. The base is just as important as the top.

Any my way I have about 100$ in each one. Maybe 120$ in the reloading bench due to the shelf. A buddy has more than that in his rickety bench made of ply and legs screwed together with strong tie brackets. But he was impatient to spend the time.

I followed this plans for my first woodworking bench and the technics are the same that I used in my reloading bench.
http://www.picnicpark.org/keith/woodworking/workbench/BobAndDavesGoodFastAndCheapBench-ne.pdf

if you are genuinely interested I can provide a google sketchup file of my bench.

[edler7]

Mine is a inch and a half thick solid core hospital room door with a 3/4" thick MDF topper and 4x4 legs.

It's pretty sturdy.

[Walter Laich]

mine is just one of those wooden work benches you get from HD. Attaching to wall made all the difference in the world.

[ole 5 hole group]

2X12X16 well braced and secured to the wall with 2 lower shelves makes for a good bench if you have the room/wall space. Loaded ammo and lead on the shelves haven't changed the shape of the boards in over 20 years. It was expensive then but over the years that painful experience has subsided and I did recover financially.


Nothing moves or sags and I have three electrical 4-socket boxes spaced evenily(sp) which is helpful.

[USMC87]

I used 2x2 angle and bent them to 90 degree angle, I anchored them to the concrete wall with 1\4" concrete bolts. The top is 2 feet wide x 6 feet long 1\4" thick steel plate, I have a copper ground rod in the ground 6 feet and grounded my table top to the rod. I was advised to ground the table as it is all steel construction.

[McCarthy]

I bought a lab workbench with adjustable height.

http://ep.yimg.com/ay/bizchair1/laminate-top-workstation-production-bench-24-d-x-48-w-height-adjustable-re2448-bpi-5.jpg

http://www.bizchair.com/re2448-bpi.html

Capacity: 1600 lbs

Works great!

[lightman]

I would think that 2 layers of ply wood would be sturdy enough. It really depends on what is under it. My bench top is made of 2 X10's supported underneath in 4 places. I also have an additional piece under each press, running front to back. Probably overkill, I know, but its sturdy!