Loading Bench

[Beekeeper]

I know that there is at least a thousand years of experiebce here so figured there was no one better to ask.
Whew now that I have blown the smoke I guess I better ask the question.
Where I live I have a 2 car garage but have to keep 2 cars in it(homeowners assoc rules).
I want to build a reloading bench that is portable, on wheels if possible.
I have looked at some for apartments and think I can do better.
I have a pipe mounted over the hot water heater guard pipe to hold a press for sizing and boolit sizing but no way will I use it to reload ( like to live a little too much) so wanted to make something portable for seating boolits and the normal pressures of reloading.

Am open to all ideas and would appreciate any input.

Jim

beekeeper

[Leftoverdj]

Go looking for rolling tool cabinets. You are going to need all the storage you can get, and this is a case when buying is easier than building. Get one with locking wheels. Top the cabinet with a section of solid core door overlapping the cabinet by about 3". Fit all your tools with standardised 3/4" plywood bases and drill the perimeter of the top to match.

You are not going to be able to build a mobile bench anywhere near big enough to hold all your tools and have work space at the same time so build it for quick change on and off, and provide storage for the tools not in use.

[pdawg_shooter]

I have used a B&D woorkmate bench in the past I clamp a 2'x4', 3/4" plywood top with a 2x4 cleat on the bottom in the workmate when I need extra room. Also works good for clamping a rifle cleaning vice in.

[montana_charlie]

Where I live I have a 2 car garage but have to keep 2 cars in it(homeowners assoc rules).
What if somebody in your neighborhood could only afford one car? Does the association provide a 'filler car' for the other bay?

I want to build a reloading bench that is portable, on wheels if possible.
Do you plan to store the bench in the garage?
Do you plan to reload in the garage?
Is there room in the garage for the bench to be used without backing a car outside?

CM

[Beekeeper]

Montana Charlie,
yes,yes and yes.
I can take car out of Garage as long as I am working inside.
Cannot leave it outside all night so everything must have a place to be stored during the night.
I don't think they are into filling up your garage for you but have the rule you must park your cars in the garage. Have a neighbor with teenagers and more tha garage space cars that is in the process of sueing them for giving him a citation for too many cars.

Leftoverdj,
I was thinking along those lines but wanted to see if anyone had a better idea.

pawdawgshooter,
Have a workmate and use it for everything else but hadn't thought of useing it as a reloading bench.
Will have to give it a try, may still buy the rollaway to store everything in.

Thanks Guys I knew I could count on you all for some good ideas.

Jim

beekeeper

[Leftoverdj]

Jim, if you have any industrial salvage houses near you, go browsing. I get my best ideas from someone else's junk. One of my benches started life as a very heavy chem lab work table. Another seems to have been a welding table. I do not need mobility, but I could easily have added wheels to either while I was adding shelves. Another possibility is to add folding wings for workspace. The wings would not have to be nearly as strong as main part of the bench, but extra space sure makes reloading easier.

[JesterGrin_1]

To be honest there are a bunch of designs. Go to a thread heading Loading Bench Pictures. Of which will give you lots of ideas. But the point is you will have to figure out where it will be when you store it inside and then build it to those specs. But just add Wheels. As for wheels I would go with the larger type with the brake on them so it will not move around and also be easy to roll over small bumps and such.

The other problem is you need to MOVE to a None Communist area. :)

[mike in co]

i'd skip wheels and go with hinged off one wall...the forward wall ??

hinged legs.....heavy solid top...... oak laminate, i used a 3x8 office table.

use a pulley set up to lift and lower.....just mount one tool at a time, small things could be permanent.

mike in co

[JesterGrin_1]

Or a Solid core slab door would work great. If you call around at a few lumber yards you might find a blem at a cheap price. :)

[waksupi]

If your local lumber yard has it, truck decking will work very well. Basically, laminated 2X2's.

[clong]

At my old place i mounted a solid core door to the wall using the hinges. Made legs that folded up as well. Lift door, lower legs, C-clamp tools to door and go to work.

[qajaq59]

If you do use a table with wheels make sure they are the type that you can lock. Otherwise you'll be chasing it all the time as you are sizing. Trust me, been there done that.
And hit some of the used furniture stores. They often have those old heavy wooden desks that are as sturdy as a rock. And they're cheap because no one wants them.

[wallenba]

Check out Pat Marlin mount too at Http://www.lsstuff.com/patmarlin/
It allows you to use different presses in one space.

[jameslovesjammie]

When I first started reloading in my apartment I used to have an old Microwave stand I found on the curb on trash day. It was a little tall when I sat in the lazyboy, but I actually liked it better that way. There was a corrugated door that I stored my components in, and it was large enough I had a MEC 600 jr and Lee single stage set up all the time. Was on wheels too!

I bet you could get one for less than $50 brand new, or go garage saleing. I don't know if I would pay that much for new, since that would put you close to the price of a cheap toolchest. Check Sears for a damaged/dented unit and you'll save quite a bunch. All my toolboxes were dented but functionally perfect and I saved a bundle!

[montana_charlie]

Is there room in the garage for the bench to be used without backing a car outside?
Montana Charlie,
yes,
Then, I am not sure what you need us to tell you.
Build a bench for the garage and reload on it - without moving the car out. If you want to wheel it around, well...that's an option.

I thought you had a space problem, and needed a bench that 'disappeared' when you wanted to get the car inside.
CM

[sheepdog]

Harbor Freight has a real nice bench like that for not much.