Steel loading bench

[Ironwrx]

Hi. I currently have a loading bench made out off an old commercial sewing machine base with a section of old countertop screwed to it. It has served me well for the 3/4 year or so that I’ve had it set up. It’s nice because it doesn’t have a very big footprint, and therefore doesn’t take up much room.
However, due to more equipment acquisition, I feel I need to build a larger loading bench. A friend has a heavy commercial workbench with separate bolt on legs, and a 3’x4’ steel top. I think this would fit the bill nicely. But a big question I have is could I be heading for disaster using a steel top table for a loading bench?? What I’m concerned about is having a conductive table top and handling powder, cases, etc. ?? Am I over thinking this or is my static electric spark hazard a valid concern? Maybe a countertop over the steel surface would be smart? What do you all think?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211107/10b430db54c8f081fef4bb5b90e91ab3.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20211107/4dc5ae9a885aed1b706639ac58cd5b45.jpg


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[nhyrum]

Static isn't that much of a concern with smokeless prefer. What I'd worry about is using any sensitive electronics, you'd want to make sure the bench is well grounded, and I'd be wary of using anything with magnets in it, and having the steel interfere with the electronics. If you have to, I bet it wouldn't be too difficult to screw or fasten by some means a piece of half inch or so plywood

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[Winger Ed.]

My bench is steel. I used to scrounge 2 x 4 heavy wall tubing, and 1/4" plate from the shipping pallets
for big, high security safes, and have made all my work benches from it for about 15 years.

I've never had a problem with static. They sit on concrete floors, and I figure they ground themselves.
The one I use now is about 45" x 90", with two of the plates welded together for the top.

I really like it. It weighs at least 300 pounds, and is VERY stable.
If I need to mount small stuff on it like a powder measure stand, brass trimmer, sizer/lube press, etc.
I drill & tap 1/4-20 holes and bolt them straight to the top.

I never had to fill the holes, but if I did, I'd locktite a bolt in a hole, then cut & grind it off flat.

If you're concerned about grounding: Get one of those grounding rods at the big box store,
drive it into the ground outside, then run a wire through the wall and clamp it to your bench.
That's how a house electrical system is grounded,,,, it should work for static too.
Actually, static only builds up if it doesn't have a ground.

[jmorris]

My bench is steel with grounded outlet boxes welded to it and plugged into the household ground, never had a problem.

[jetinteriorguy]

You could just run a ground wire to a cold water pipe and clamp it to the pipe with a grounding clamp.

[Three44s]

My loading area is a table that works like a island.

It is made from very heavy t rail, round tube legs with round tube extensions inside the fixed tubes to give the table height adjustability. The top is chip wood sheeting. I clamp my presses etc. with C-clamps so the presses are grounded to the island on the underside but the steel table structure is not grounded itself.

I only work with smokeless powder however.

I have had no problems.

Three44s

[Mk42gunner]

The older I get, the more I'm in favor of small loading benches. You don't really need more than about three square feet at a time, and it seems the rest of the area becomes a "horizontal filing cabinet" that gets piled higher and higher.

At least with a small bench, I might put things up when done using them.

Robert

[alamogunr]

I built my bench from plans in an old book, The Shooter's Workbench. I took a few liberties with the plans and made my bench 8' long by 30" wide(deep). I did accomplish what I thought was my intention, to have plenty of room. It just gave me more room to put stuff on top.

Right now I've got a Dillon 550, a Redding T7 and a RCBS Rock Chucker, plus room for a couple of lube sizers, powder measures and assorted other stuff. I've got a tendency to leave things set up along with small tools used with the equipment.

Someday I'll clean up(or somebody else will).

[Baltimoreed]

My bench spans a long wall in a 10’x12’ kitchen addition I built eons ago. It uses corner cubicle desks on the ends with straight pieces in between. I have 5 presses on it, from left to right, a Bair/Pacific sg press, a Bair Kodiak single stage, a 550b and 2 Lyman T mags. The 550 and a Tmag are set up next to each other to drop loads in the blue Dillon box. It gives me a small work area. There’s a second Dillon 550 on a pedestal. If I possibly move I would take it with me and reinstall it. Wouldn’t change anything on it.

[Winger Ed.]

. It just gave me more room to put stuff on top.

That's always been a problem for me.
I'll build a big long workbench thinking, 'Ahh, this'll be great'.
It seems like in a matter of minutes, the top piles up with stuff that jumped up on it, to lay there and die.
Then I'm left with a space about the size of a shoebox lid to actually work.

My Dad commented one time that, "Nature hates a vacuum, and seeks to fill it".

[1hole]

Static builds on insulators, not conductors.

[Ironwrx]

Static builds on insulators, not conductors.

My concern is not that the static would “build” on the bench, but that built up static would find ground on my bench, and spark near powder, and ammo.


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[jmorris]

This is the steel bench I built last, for loading.

https://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?167000-Reloading-bench-progress&highlight=Reloading+bench

[Three44s]

As usual, very nice!

Three44s

[Char-Gar]

In my 37 years as a Pastor, I officiated at about 300 or more funerals, and folks die from many things. One fellow was electrocuted when he touched a steel work bench top had a plugged in drop light on it. Obviously something was malfunctioning, but I don't know what. The result is I would not have a steel top work bench in my shop...wood all the way,

[Hossfly]

My main bench is a 2’ X 6’ steel table from machine shop bout 750# so it’s got plenty strength 1-1/4” top. It don’t move or flex when presses are working. Haven’t noticed any static with any electronic devices however it is not forgiving when dropping something on it, like wood would be. It sits on bare concrete floor, in the barn tack room.

[Ironwrx]

My main bench is a 2’ X 6’ steel table from machine shop bout 750# so it’s got plenty strength 1-1/4” top. It don’t move or flex when presses are working. Haven’t noticed any static with any electronic devices however it is not forgiving when dropping something on it, like wood would be. It sits on bare concrete floor, in the barn tack room.

I am not concerned about static and sensitive electronics. I am only concerned about a stray spark coming at an inopportune time (like when I’m measuring and dispensing gunpowder!![emoji95][emoji95][emoji95]


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[jmorris]

If you’ve been staying up at night because of the worry, you might watch this video.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm6PEdBcQ6s

FWIW I still use a pneumatic vacuum to suck up powder but there are lots of folks that use electric powdered vacuums to suck up powder, I consider that much, much greater risk.

[oley55]

jmorris, great video link. it would be interesting to see a similar experiment on primers though.

[jmorris]

Any spark would likely just go to the conductive cup. The remington EtronX rifles had to use special primers for their electronic ignition system.

Do you think manufacturers use wood or plastic equipment? There is metal, motors, actuators, collators, conveyors all over the place.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rCZHG_eEak

What makes that safe and a metal reloading press mounted to more metal potentially dangerous?

[gnappi]

I have the same bench legs in service since the 70's set on concrete. It has a 2" thick maple top on it and 2x6's as shelves on the supports. It's rock solid and will outlast me for sure.

Your top looks like some type of whiteboard / formica materiel, I'd think that may be a static generator before the legs being an issue.

[15meter]

In my 37 years as a Pastor, I officiated at about 300 or more funerals, and folks die from many things. One fellow was electrocuted when he touched a steel work bench top had a plugged in drop light on it. Obviously something was malfunctioning, but I don't know what. The result is I would not have a steel top work bench in my shop...wood all the way,

This by far over static electricity.

Smokeless powder is not easy to ignite. Prove it yourself, take the equivalent of the your heaviest charge, put it on the bottom of an empty tin can. Using a wooden kitchen match, try and light the powder.

You'll be surprised how close to the powder you have to be before an open flame starts the powder.

And if you're still worried, a simple ground wire to the steel top guarantees to eliminate the problem.