40-82 hiker
04-27-2015, 01:52 AM
I'm rather bumfoozled with my back tonight and thought I would share a project to take my mind off of it. Our house is on one floor, and it is too small for me to have a reloading area in it. My workshop environment is too harsh to keep my reloading stuff in, much less reload in. I have to keep my stuff organized in boxes in the garage anyway. So, I have been relegated to using a portable table I had to carry in and out of the house to reload. Not good...
Years ago I used to have a room dedicated for reloading, with a nice very heavy bench I built into the wall. Now, I am lucky in many other ways, but not that one!
This last winter I made a portable reloading table that is working out great for me. Should have done it sooner... This would be great for a small apartment. Lee's small bench was sort of an idea starter, but looks to be too light and I do not like the design of the legs and a need for a block (sorry Lee).
I took a railroad tie plate and welded three black pipe caps onto one side of it, so I could remove the legs and hang it all up on my garage wall when not in use. I also put caps on the floor ends of the pipe to prevent cutting the carpet. It weighs 22 pounds without board or loading press, and it is very stable. I set the angle of the legs so there is no tendency for it to want to tip over when I apply pressure on the handle of a loading press or lube/sizer (the leg feet are 14" outwards from their attachment point under the plate). I am going to make a larger plywood top for it, but this is what I had on hand when I built it, and it is working out just fine for me anyway, even if a little small. Just waiting to stumble across a scrap piece...
It does not look like much (in fact it is downright ugly), but I have very little money in it, it takes up no room anywhere when I am not using it, it took little time to make, and it cost me little of nothing (I had a couple of tie plates I found mostly buried in the dirt near a line that has been taken up). It takes me about 10 minutes to get the stuff in from the garage and a press set up, and I do not find that much of a bother. I really like it! I used horseshoes to make the wall hangers (super strong, and very cheap!). I angled the outward side of the shoe away from the side screwed to the wall so I can get a drill in to the screws.
I have not found any downside using the CTP, Rockchucker, or 4500 on this bench. It certainly is nothing like setups most people have, but it suits my needs just fine. I've sized/lubed a couple thousand boolits, and loaded over a thousand rounds when I could, since I built this, and it is much better than what I was doing beforehand.
No v.2. This is it.
"Top" of tie plate drilled for my RCBS Rockchucker, Lyman 4500, and Lee CTP.
138044
Leg jigged up on my welding bench ready for welding the cap
138045
Legs screwed into caps
138046
Bench with CTP
138047
Helper with my 4500
138050
Hanging in the garage
138048
Just in case you like the idea. Cheap and can hold an elephant!
138054
Years ago I used to have a room dedicated for reloading, with a nice very heavy bench I built into the wall. Now, I am lucky in many other ways, but not that one!
This last winter I made a portable reloading table that is working out great for me. Should have done it sooner... This would be great for a small apartment. Lee's small bench was sort of an idea starter, but looks to be too light and I do not like the design of the legs and a need for a block (sorry Lee).
I took a railroad tie plate and welded three black pipe caps onto one side of it, so I could remove the legs and hang it all up on my garage wall when not in use. I also put caps on the floor ends of the pipe to prevent cutting the carpet. It weighs 22 pounds without board or loading press, and it is very stable. I set the angle of the legs so there is no tendency for it to want to tip over when I apply pressure on the handle of a loading press or lube/sizer (the leg feet are 14" outwards from their attachment point under the plate). I am going to make a larger plywood top for it, but this is what I had on hand when I built it, and it is working out just fine for me anyway, even if a little small. Just waiting to stumble across a scrap piece...
It does not look like much (in fact it is downright ugly), but I have very little money in it, it takes up no room anywhere when I am not using it, it took little time to make, and it cost me little of nothing (I had a couple of tie plates I found mostly buried in the dirt near a line that has been taken up). It takes me about 10 minutes to get the stuff in from the garage and a press set up, and I do not find that much of a bother. I really like it! I used horseshoes to make the wall hangers (super strong, and very cheap!). I angled the outward side of the shoe away from the side screwed to the wall so I can get a drill in to the screws.
I have not found any downside using the CTP, Rockchucker, or 4500 on this bench. It certainly is nothing like setups most people have, but it suits my needs just fine. I've sized/lubed a couple thousand boolits, and loaded over a thousand rounds when I could, since I built this, and it is much better than what I was doing beforehand.
No v.2. This is it.
"Top" of tie plate drilled for my RCBS Rockchucker, Lyman 4500, and Lee CTP.
138044
Leg jigged up on my welding bench ready for welding the cap
138045
Legs screwed into caps
138046
Bench with CTP
138047
Helper with my 4500
138050
Hanging in the garage
138048
Just in case you like the idea. Cheap and can hold an elephant!
138054