Lee 3 legged reloading stand

[ascast]

Lee 3 legged reloading stand -anybody use one? have anything to report? I like the look as I could work some case in the warm in front of the boob tube. I'd get more done. I need to full size 30-06 and neck expand the same. Will I need to bolt this to the floor or weight it up to really work good? thanks all

ps I think the currently on sal rig looks a bit under built. I have lots of junk around and can built a little beefier model; that's my plane anyway.

pps will build for ROCKER CHUCKER press

[Baltimoreed]

I had a pedestal built for my Dillon 550 and bolted it to the floor. I bought the square tube, made the top and bottom plates and had a local weld shop weld it up. Very solid with a small footprint so it’s close to the wall and I can get close to it. I reload sitting in a tall swivel chair.

[mdi]

Hopefully an owner will reply. The only "non bench mounted" method that ever worked for me was a Workmate. I tried a HF grinder "table", but it was too light, something I thought of when I looked at the Lee press stand. I could add weight (lead bars) to the Workmate and rest my feet on the cross bar and it was stable enough to size 30-06 Garand brass.

[deces]

It's weighed down with a cinder block, I guess you could pack the cavities in it with lead ingots for more stability if that's your only concern. I like the idea of the integrated benchplate & storage for other plate mounted tools.

[Kenstone]

OK
Here is a stand that deserves serious consideration:

https://www.harborfreight.com/univer...=grinder+stand
On sale now for $33, that will save you $100 over the Lee stand.
You could mount the press cattycornered (over one leg) for the same rigidity as a 3-legged stand.
I have one but have a drill press (and a wooden riser) on it.

You could vary the riser height to get the proper height or cut the feet/legs off if it needs to be shorter.
The thing is rock solid, and you could stack patio blocks on the shelf or hang blocks under the shelf via wire like the Lee pic shows.
And build wing shelves that fold down for more room for components.
It's what I would do,
.
Edit: folding wing shelves on a FA stand:

FA stand:
https://www.amazon.com/Frankford-Ars...2-63e904010ad0
Adjustable height, folding shelves, all that and it folds up for storage, read the reviews.
.

[414gates]

https://ysterhout.net/docs/press_bas...s_base_mk1.htm

[DougGuy]

For usually less than the price of the Lee stand, let me offer an alternative.. Food for thought if you will..

Attachment 305698

This is commonly called a "tripod" in the pipe business, these things are THE handiest work spaces for pipe and other things, they are portable, the legs fold up, and they are very strong and very stable. You can mount a press to a 2x6 and bolt or c-clamp the 2x6 to the tripod, you could use a plece of steel for this purpose, you can use the chain vise to hold a large tray with tools or bins for ammo by putting a leg on the end, the possibilities are endless and you can use it for a ton of other things. Plus it will easily hold it's resale value.

Just tossing this out there as an idea. I worked around these things as a pipefitter/pipewelder for many many years, They will hold a ton of weight. I own two just out of how handy and usable they are for just about anything you need a secure hold for.

You can often find these for sale used in Craigslist or Marketplace for pretty affordable prices. I gave $100 for the last one I bought used.

Compared to a tripod, the Lee stand is out of it's league, no comparison in strength and durability, and the tripod is infinitely more usable than the Lee.

[hporter]

I have the Frankford Arsenal stand. It is pretty sturdy. I started off with the old pedestal stand that Midway sold. It was OK, but not very solid. I used mine when I lived in my RV during rig builds in the shipyard, so being compact and easily stowed was a consideration.

The FA stand is just big enough to mount an Inline Fabrication quick change riser on. Not sure that would be of any value for use in front of the TV. Be careful if you pop spent primers in the living room. Wives do not like to find them in their vacuum cleaners......

[ascast]

wow I can see I not the only guy who wants to reload in front of the boob tube wheres its warm. I used the "work mate" type table. It was Ok, I added a lot of weight for stability. Looking for a smaller foot print. I like the "flower pot" concept and will trhink that over. I kinda like smaller weights adding to one big as opposed to a concrete block. The "Dillion" was good, but In the room center more/less. The threading table would be great, maybe a bit big for the living room but maybe not. I will keep my eye out. The small harbor freight looks about right And at a price I can't build from scrap for less. It looks like the force lines on the down stroke woud be nside the feet, so no chance of tipping over. I'll be thinking that over more. thanks all

[ascast]

and the FA looks like a good design too.

[jetinteriorguy]

wow I can see I not the only guy who wants to reload in front of the boob tube wheres its warm. I used the "work mate" type table. It was Ok, I added a lot of weight for stability. Looking for a smaller foot print. I like the "flower pot" concept and will trhink that over. I kinda like smaller weights adding to one big as opposed to a concrete block. The "Dillion" was good, but In the room center more/less. The threading table would be great, maybe a bit big for the living room but maybe not. I will keep my eye out. The small harbor freight looks about right And at a price I can't build from scrap for less. It looks like the force lines on the down stroke woud be nside the feet, so no chance of tipping over. I'll be thinking that over more. thanks all

I have used the HF drill stand and it didn’t work well. It’s constructed of too many pieces and even though you tighten all the bolts to the breaking point it still flexes way too much to work well. I actually wound up modifying it for a bigger footprint and made it into a work table to hold my chop saw when doing outdoor projects.

[mdi]

Or you could get a Buchanan Hand Press. No worries about room, foot print, stability, etc.. IIRC Mr Buchanan is a member here and asked for info, opinions of the members when developing the tool. ; https://buchananprecisionmachine.com...eloading-press

[deces]

The Frankford Arsenal table looks like a glorified Ridgid flip-top support.

[Kenstone]

I have used the HF drill stand and it didn’t work well. It’s constructed of too many pieces and even though you tighten all the bolts to the breaking point it still flexes way too much to work well. I actually wound up modifying it for a bigger footprint and made it into a work table to hold my chop saw when doing outdoor projects.

I have found the HF GRINDER stand to be rock solid, my other post:
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...=1#post5473203
Is that the stand you experienced the flexing with?
My experience has been just the opposite!
jmo,
.

[gumbo333]

Lots of good stand ideas. But reloading in front of the boob tube might not be the greatest idea I have ever heard. Might lose your concentration. Just me!

[jetinteriorguy]

I have found the HF GRINDER stand to be rock solid, my other post:
https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...=1#post5473203
Is that the stand you experienced the flexing with?
My experience has been just the opposite!
jmo,
.

Yup, that’s the one. I was using it with a Lee Loadmaster so I was cranking on it pretty good.

[dverna]

Yup, that’s the one. I was using it with a Lee Loadmaster so I was cranking on it pretty good.

I agree with you. I tried a "cheap" stand and it will not work well with a normal press that hangs over the edge as the downforce tends to tip it. They will work with something like a Star reloader or Dillon 1050 where the force is closer to the center of the stand.

Those stands work with a drill press as the load is centered. I used a slightly larger version for a small jointer.

[Kenstone]

Thanks for reading and responding to my post.
I just want to add that I have read the reviews of that HF stand and what other reloaders had to say is quite different from your experience.
I used the search feature in the review section to search for all reviews posted by reloaders and got about 43 reviews, all 5 stars.

https://www.harborfreight.com/univer...=grinder+stand

To quote a few:

""I used it for a reloading stand. Working better than lee reloading stand and cheaper just put a top on it and went to reloading""

""Replacement for my Reloader, Lee has the same stand only there's is labeled Reloader mount and it's $130.00. You can use this with little to no modifications.""

""Used for a reloading stand. Well-built and decent weight. So far very happy saving money and having a solid reloading stand.""

""Bought this and made a reloading table out of it. Works great and much cheaper than actual tables made for reloading. Heavy duty and easy to put together.""

Those HF stands are on "clearance" now, so I plan to buy one soon as they may be discontinued.
I am considering buying an Inline Fabrication Quick-Change Riser to mount cattycornered, to put a stand leg out in front of the press, as well as out-back of the press for less tipping/flexing.
jmo,
.

[kungfustyle]

I have one of the Lee stands and it works great. 30-06 down to 380. Akro bins fit the front of the stand and makes it quite handy. I modified the plate for an RCBS Rock Chuker and Lyman 4500 so I can swap them out with my Breach Lock pro, works like a champ.

[technojock]

Way back when I live in a small apartment, I bought a Lee hand press. Back then I used it for everything, now I mostly use it with a universal decapping die or expander and to seat primers. It's a bit of a handful for sizing '06 cases but I've done a lot of them with it. It would be a cheaper alternative to setting up a portable reloading stand.

Tony