Portable reloading table

[BrutalAB]

Over the past year i found myself reloading less than id like because my bench is in a seperate building, with no cooling for summer and almost less than ideal heating (combo of propane, kerosene and a 5k watt ceiling heater)

So im thinking about a portable folding bench that i can use in the house and store in a closet or something. Ive seen a few plans from searches, but they used rather expensive folding saw tables.

I have 2 of these

274474


Id rather use what i have so im looking for input from anyone that has already made / used / attempted folding folding benches with the cheap stuff.

[jmorris]

Looks like a copy of the black and Decker workmate. Should work fine.

[Rcmaveric]

The workmates will work great.

That looks like the Harbor Freight one and it won't work. I tried with the cheap Harbor Freight one bent the legs the first day.

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[AZ Pete]

I used a similar B&D Workmate for a couple of years. Cut a top out of 3/4" plywood, glue and screw a 2x4 cleat to the bottom, that you can clamp with the Workmate, mount your stuff and go.

[BrutalAB]

Ill check tonight when i get home for exact brand. Used the harbor freight image because its in the same price range as mine are.

[onelight]

You have it give it a try, just need a small piece of plywood and 2X4 for a cleat .

[mdi]

Used this several years until I got a dedicated place to reload;

[AlHunt]

Plenty of people use the WorkMates and they work fine. If you could scrounge a window AC you might get more use of your shop. Unless it's like mine, too big and drafty to heat or cool ...

[country gent]

The work mates are good another thing is if you can build the seat into the portable bench so when in use your weight is added to it to help stabilize it. set up beside a table and set up the scales on the table not on the bench.

[country gent]

We had an old timer at the club that did a lot of loading behind the rifle range. he had a 2" square tubing tee. Slid into the hitch on his truck and bolted thru, had a screw jack and plate on the bottom. and a wood top. leg was long enough so when mounted the end gate could be down. He slid it into the hitch and pinned it with the screw jack he literally raised the back of the truck up 3-4" lowered end gate and he could load there with a very stable bench

[tankgunner59]

Man I love this place, we have a lot of ingenious folks here.

[BrutalAB]

Got off work early.

Starting on this now.

274509

Guess ill know in a little bit if its strong enough.

Shop is the size of my first house and only insulated with a single layer of blue sheet foam. Its not cheap to heat or cool and takes a while.

[BrutalAB]

274516

Ive tested it starting with sizing 350 legend and worked up to 30/06.
Then tested with boolit sizing.

Works fine.

Gonna use it starting this week.

Pretty happy i got this going with zero extra purchases.

Ill make it pretty after ive loaded a few hundred on it.

[richhodg66]

A gun store nearby had an estate sale close out from someone who was obviously an avid praire dog shooter, had a thing welded together which you sit on and the weight of the operator held it stead so you could sit and reload in the field. It had a complete Lyman Tru Line Jr. set up on it, so I assume he was loading .222 or similar and only neck sizing.

I'm surprised one of those work mates is heavy enough, good to know.

[onelight]

274516

Ive tested it starting with sizing 350 legend and worked up to 30/06.
Then tested with boolit sizing.

Works fine.

Gonna use it starting this week.

Pretty happy i got this going with zero extra purchases.

Ill make it pretty after ive loaded a few hundred on it.
You formatted yours just as I would have . With the operating lever inside the footprint of the stand . And the ability if sitting , to put a foot on the cross brace to hold the table down on the upstroke of the lever .
I bet that setup will work great !

[Green Frog]

This design has been around for 25 years or more... I've been "planning" to build one for at least 20 years!
Froggie

[richhodg66]

This design has been around for 25 years or more... I've been "planning" to build one for at least 20 years!
Froggie

Is this based on a Work Mate or similar?

Oops, guess I should have clicked on the plans and read it first. Thanks.

[BrutalAB]

You formatted yours just as I would have . With the operating lever inside the footprint of the stand . And the ability if sitting , to put a foot on the cross brace to hold the table down on the upstroke of the lever .
I bet that setup will work great !

Ive nearly tipped over a full size bench before (both towards and away from me, it was poorly designed, by me). I was watching out for it this time around.


Really surprised at how light this is. I do feel its just barely strong enough though. Hopefully i dont find out otherwise.

[Davy Sprocket]

I picked up this Dewalt table recently. It's 34"x24" on top not including the handle that sticks out the right side. It feels very sturdy. Still working on how I'm going to mount those two presses. It will be just shotgun stuff and cast boolit sizing though. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210103/f8edfa7574cacd205d55d4365c6cac3c.jpg

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[fatnhappy]

274522

Stiffer than a teenager on prom night. I use it at the range all the time. I have a stab adapter so I can pop it into a 2” Reese hitch should I wish. It’s actually convenient so I don’t need to load it into my car.

[Green Frog]

Is this based on a Work Mate or similar?

Oops, guess I should have clicked on the plans and read it first. Thanks.

Yes, I think the original design may even have been published by Black and Decker. The key is to not go with the very lightest of the Work Mate designs... some of them almost seem to be made out of beer cans while others are quite stout. The one I got is toward the lighter end of the spectrum and when I inherited a MEC 600 Jr that was already bolted to a 2X2' piece of plywood, I just attached that with a couple of C-clamps "temporarily" until I got around to making the other top module for a metallic cartridge reloading setup. That was at least 4-5 years ago and the MEC seems to have taken over that W-M by default. I guess I'll have to find another one to do metallics. It really was meant to have interchangeable (modular) tops when I started though. :roll:

Froggie

[Green Frog]

I've got an old 12 ga Glacier Bair shotgun press that is used very little and taking up space right slam in the middle of the front edge of my loading bench. I could put it on a piece of plywood like the MEC, then make up some sort of rack that could hold whichever shotshell press (or the metallic press module) which was not in use on the WM, and really free up some space on my main loading bench. HMMMM... :Bright idea:

This thread may have really inspired me.

[richhodg66]

Yes, I think the original design may even have been published by Black and Decker. The key is to not go with the very lightest of the Work Mate designs... some of them almost seem to be made out of beer cans while others are quite stout. The one I got is toward the lighter end of the spectrum and when I inherited a MEC 600 Jr that was already bolted to a 2X2' piece of plywood, I just attached that with a couple of C-clamps "temporarily" until I got around to making the other top module for a metallic cartridge reloading setup. That was at least 4-5 years ago and the MEC seems to have taken over that W-M by default. I guess I'll have to find another one to do metallics. It really was meant to have interchangeable (modular) tops when I started though. :roll:

Froggie

I have planned for a while to do something like this with a cheap Harbor Freight grinder stand. Didn't realize those work mates cost as much as they do, I got the grinder stand for $5 at Good Will. Thinking I'm gonna use one of the Lee bench plates on it so I can dismantle the press from it for easier moving.

[Greg S]

Got a friend who is on the road alot and got a rolling tool chest cheap and just rolls it into his hotel or air bnb place and goes to town.

Something like this but he only has 350 in it.
https://www.costco.com/trinity-66%22-stainless-steel-rolling-workbench.product.100491860.html

[country gent]

One thing that will make or break the portable bench or any bench is the top and side supports. A heavy solid top securely bolted in place will go a long way in relieving flexing as will any side supports. They wont fix everything but will help a lot. 2 x 8 down each side with 2 x cut to fit in between will stop a lot of twist and give. A good foot print also helps.

[W.R.Buchanan]

Look if you want to do this right,,, Get an Original Work Mate. Not a new flimsy one or a cheap imitation. I've had mine since 1976 and it is still solid. My top piece which was nothing more than a 2x3' piece of 3/4" plywood with a 4" wide strip screwed to the bottom to clamp in the Workmate Vice, is now being used as my Bros loading bench.

I also have one of the new cheapie ones and that one is my gun cleaning bench. It is not suitable for mounting a reloading press. It barely holds my plastic Gun Vice and a Rifle.

I also recently got a Harbor Freight version of the Jaw Horse which is a 3 legged Portable Work Support you clamp with your foot. I have a 2X4' piece of 3/4" Plywood and a chunk of 4x4 that gets chucked in the vice and it becomes a very sturdy Portable Shooting Bench, and it is solid as a Rock!

Sky is the limit on this type of stuff and the more ideas that are put out there, the better off we all are.

I am currently working on my simple golf bag cart conversion to Sporting Clays Caddie. I'll put somethign up when done..

[Land Owner]

Got a friend who is on the road alot and got a rolling tool chest cheap and just rolls it into his hotel or air bnb place and goes to town.

Something like this but he only has 350 in it.
https://www.costco.com/trinity-66%22-stainless-steel-rolling-workbench.product.100491860.html

Then, I was VERY fortunate. A co-worker sold me his KNAACK Job Box on steel wheels for $100.00 and I have never thought to turn it into a Mobile Reloading cart - till now!

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200772939_200772939

[bpatterson84]

Recall you can always mount any press to a 2x8 or 10 and set it on a table. You can make it as long as the table and use a small clamp on the other end to keep it in place or keep it under 3' and just set 40# or so of weight on the far end. This method works great and the press and mount can be put away when done.

[Rcmaveric]

I have always wondered about something like a role around tool box.

I told my brother when I retire I want to turn one of those box trailers into a mobile man cave.

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[trebleplink]

My shop is 800 square feet - block construction and not much insulation. I use a 225 kbtu forced-air heater. BUT I don't use kero anymore - the new ultra low sulfur diesel works very well and is significantly cheaper.

[1hole]

Look if you want to do this right,,, Get an Original Work Mate.

Get that powder scale lifted up 6"-10" from the bench top, your eyes will thank you and it will be MUCH easier/faster to weigh your charges.

[Green Frog]

Look if you want to do this right,,, Get an Original Work Mate. Not a new flimsy one or a cheap imitation. I've had mine since 1976 and it is still solid. My top piece which was nothing more than a 2x3' piece of 3/4" plywood with a 4" wide strip screwed to the bottom to clamp in the Workmate Vice, is now being used as my Bros loading bench.

I also have one of the new cheapie ones and that one is my gun cleaning bench. It is not suitable for mounting a reloading press. It barely holds my plastic Gun Vice and a Rifle.

I also recently got a Harbor Freight version of the Jaw Horse which is a 3 legged Portable Work Support you clamp with your foot. I have a 2X4' piece of 3/4" Plywood and a chunk of 4x4 that gets chucked in the vice and it becomes a very sturdy Portable Shooting Bench, and it is solid as a Rock!

Sky is the limit on this type of stuff and the more ideas that are put out there, the better off we all are.

I am currently working on my simple golf bag cart conversion to Sporting Clays Caddie. I'll put somethign up when done..

Randy,

The real B&D Workmates have been sold in at least 3 or 4 different grades. The lightest one, useful as not much more than a sawhorse for 2X4s is labeled 125, then there is a 250, IIRC and so on up to a 450 or more. The heavy duty ones are rated at 500 pounds or more, but just getting an original Workmate doesn't guarantee that you are getting a heavy duty one. I find that using a piece of heavy plywood as a top, well secured to the existing "wood" that came on mine, made it a lot stronger and more rigid, but the legs on the mid-weight example I inherited are not as heavy gauge steel as I would like. If this were going to be used as my sole (or even more often used) bench, I'd spring for the 450 model and never look back.

Your Friend the Frog

[W.R.Buchanan]

I got mine right after they first came out, when I got it it was my work bench, and then I made it "dedicated loading bench" when I got my Rock Chucker. Prior to that I was loading my .243's and .44's on it using Lee Loaders. I had my Powder Scale, Trickler, and loading blocks all set up, but when I got the S&W M29 in 1978 I realized I needed faster ammo production. Hence the Rock Chucker.

I still have mine but it is currently folded up and sitting on the landing between the floors in my shop. I think it is the heavy duty one? due to my purchase date.

Randy

[kevin c]

Got a friend who is on the road alot and got a rolling tool chest cheap and just rolls it into his hotel or air bnb place and goes to town...

I take it he drives his own truck, which has an RV ramp?

Man, I was thinking you'd need more weight for a bench like this. Or maybe it's just me and my long shafted oversized expander that sticks, lifting the side of my whole 5' bench, even though the other side is bolted to the wall.

[barrabruce]

I’m way off the mark with all this.
274717
Just watching telle doing a few..
No rush.
That’s it I tried but the photo always ends up upside down[smilie=b:
Looks like I will have to get more organised with loading.

[Land Owner]

The picture HAS to be upside down (on this U.S.A. server) because you took on your side of the globe.

[fatnhappy]

I’m way off the mark with all this.
274717
Just watching telle doing a few..
No rush.
That’s it I tried but the photo always ends up upside down[smilie=b:
Looks like I will have to get more organised with loading.


I was going to ask if you lived in the Australia.........

[Baltimoreed]

My wife, Weimaraner and I were moved into a small fema trailer after Irene wrecked our house. While our house was being repaired I built a single stage stand out of a homemade stand alone grinder stand that I found in a junk store. I slid a bunch of barbell weights onto the pipe and mounted my press on top. Was awkward but I was only building cas [pistol] ammo. Got me by until we got back home again. I was still working full time then and my wife was dealing with her stroke. Was a very long year.

[David2011]

If you have the room a roll-around tool chest makes a great reloading bench. I used one for a bench while living in an RV for a few months. I put it on 2x4 “skids” instead of the wheels for increased stability. The storage was a big bonus in cramped quarters. The only problem with the one I bought was that the glides were very low end and made of soft steel with no ball bearings. A heavier duty model with better glides would have been much better, especially when the drawer is loaded with boxes of bullets.

[Green Frog]

Well once again we see that “Necessity is the Mother of Invention.” There are enough good ideas that the reader should be able to figure out how to adapt one to about any need. :coffeecom I’ll mention that in an old NRA reprint booklet I saw plans for one tha folded up like a folding chair. I started building one but didn’t like where it was going and never finished it. Under different circumstances though... :rolleyes:

Froggie

[BrutalAB]

Update:

Loaded 250 9mm this week. For comparison my entire 2020 loading was 300 9mm, 300 350 legend and about 50 30/06.

Thoughts:

Definitly feel like this has a lee feel to it (nothing is overbuilt, everything is the minimun strength it needs to be) but it works.


I mounted a powder thrower on the opposite side of the press. (Related to which press i choose, the handle does not give the clearance needed to use the lee auto drum properly) so after expanding i flip the table around and charge.


I went with the single stage only becauee it was a new press that i hadnt mounted yet. If i had already mounted, i would have pulled off my lyman t mag turret. That being said, i definitly feel like the lee press i chose is superior in this particular use:
It is much much lighter
It has a much smaller foot print in every respect.
The spent primer catch is 100%

I do find myself laying one or both of my legs/feet on the cross braces to make up strokes better, but a foot on one of the legs is enough, it really doesnt take much.


Having a turret to avoid batch loading would have been nice, but the quick change bushing system is pretty nice.


If i needed more strength in this, i would take 4 "L" brackets and make a slot directly under the press for a 2x4. Run the 2x4 from underside of the table to the floor. A couple of those bolts that take cotter pins to make it fast to remove and assemble, and possibly some felt or scrap carpet or something on the floor end of the 2x4.