Extended service life

[kentuckyshooter]

Im attempting to save my reloading bench. Right now im using an old computer desk for a reloading bench. Not the most sturdy of platforms but its what i had on hand when gokt started in reloading. I only reload pistol cartrages on a lee single stage but the repeated stress has caused the glued togather sawdust that passes for wood nowadays to start breaking. Im attempting to save it by plateing the bench top where my press is with a peice sheet metal i had laying around. I plan on chucking the desk and building me a good bench when my wife and i can get our own place. In the meantime i would hate to spend the money to make a small bench im gona have to disasemble latter to build biger.

Anyone got any sugestions how to shure up the desk if the plate dont work?

[MrWolf]

Not sure how your desk is set up but try using 2x4's with the small edge up. You can then put whatever on top of that to smooth it out if necessary.

[NavyVet1959]

Remove the top and make you a new one out of 2x12s or whatever you can find connected together lengthwise with glue and dowels or whatever for additional support holding it together. Design it right and you can just move it to your new location and throw the old table base away when it is time to move. I have one of those that started life as a table under a loft bed I designed over 20 years ago and has gone through several reuses over the years. It's currently made into a reloading table that I can access from both sides.

[jcren]

Check local lumber yards for a blank slab solid core 1-panel door. Should be able to get one under $100

[country gent]

If the sheet metal is heavy enough and overllps the press mount area by a couple inches around. Get a piece of 2X12 and some heavy clamps. epoxy it down to the bench top where you want it. use the length of 2 X12 to provide even surface force when glueing. clamp and let epoxy cure. JB weld is good here and can be spread with a putty knife paint scraper. After epoxy cures ad blots or screws into the edges and center. Then drill for press. I would consider doing the whole desk top if possible. Easier would be to make a new top from wood. 1X3s or 2X4s on edge doweled together every 6"-12" on center makes a very solid top. I Did a bench top like this for reloading it dosnt give bend or spring. Glue the top together and glue the dowels in place pining the outside 2 boards to the doewels on each side. Then fasten this to the existing legs back and parts of the computer desk. A jack plane can be used to smooth flatten the top of the glued together top when cured. When I did my top ( 32" deep X 8' long) I used 1" dowels and left 3 out for 3/4 ready rod these were used to clamp together when assembling the top. I glued it up on 5 dowels and 3 threaded rods. WHen top was assembled and clamped together I layed it flat and drilled for 3/8" wood dowels to lock doewls and top together in 2 outside boards on front and back. leae these proud so they can be trimmed later. My locking dowels go thru on the joint of the 2X$ and dowel 1/2 in each and opposite sides from inner and outer board. Glued together with a solid even coat of glue and clamped together not squeezing all the glue out this is a very solid bench top. the dtrawback is at roughly 3 1/2" thick finding bolts long enough can be tricky.

[C. Latch]

My bench is made of an old computer desk, but it's laminated wood strips, and to strengthen it I laid a 1"x8"x24" oak board - a few dollars at Lowe's - where the press is bolted down. This has worked very well so far. YMMV.

[Half Dog]

Home Depot, and possibly Lowes, have a section for damaged / reduced wood. I have built a couple of items with that wood.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I've got a beech jeweler's vice with a large semicircular cutout in the front, like London aldermen were once said to have in their dining tables to accommodate the result of high living. Fix the press in the middle of cutout like that, and you can apply downward pressure without its having to be fixed to floor or wall. It is handy if you want to move it about.

For a general workbench I built the frame of 2x4s and 3x3s, and bought a 12ft.x2ft.x1½in. kitchen worktop in laminated beech for the top. I nearly did myself a mischief getting it into place, but it totaled a lot less money than a ready-made workbench of similar size and construction. I finished off the six legs with steel box and plate feet made for securing posts to patios, but it was so heavy that I never had to bolt it down.

[DerekP Houston]

I just slapped a double thick layer of 3/4" oak ply on top, glued to the old desk surface and drilled new holes to mount. With ~200-300 lbs of lead on the bottom shelves/drawers it doesn't move much.

Oh FYI make yourself a 12"x12" mounting board for the press, makes moving it around in the future much easier. Just use 2 big c-clamps to attach it to your bench and you are in business.

[Frank46]

See if you can scrounge up a couple three drawer file cabinets that are the same height. Buy I sheet of 1" think plywood and cut it so that you end up with two pieces the same size as the tops of the file cabinets. Use carriage bolts through the wood into the tops of the cabinets. I did this when I first got married and did reloading. When I got the house just took it apart and movers stuck it in the truck. Space the cabinets apart enough so's you can sit close in to work the press. Frank