Reloading Bench Build

I think you're off to a good start !

I don't care for bench mounted presses. The bench is never solid enough, the press vibrates, and it just shakes everything on the bench. Wood can be good for the work surface, but for a press stand I would never try to build one with wood. 1/4" plate steel, maybe 1/2". Since I don't have a XY plasma table or a welder that can weld that thick, I'd look at just using some pieces of plate, channel or I-beam and bolting it together. I'd also consider casting a stand out of concrete. For off-the-truck solutions, Baldor GA20 pedestal.

I know the guy that built that bench. His previous house had a bench that included large steel plates underneath the presses, no way they were going to move!



Nothing wrong with a wood bench, in my opinion. It is all about how solidly it is built. It is possible to have a steel bench that shakes, and a wood bench that doesn't move. And you can't have too many outlets! I went with quad boxes in my 12x20 shed (dedicated reloading room) and wish I had installed a couple more boxes than I did.

PhillySoldier said:

No clue what im doing w the electrical or spackling so this autta be interesting

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Might not be what you ~want~, but those 6 ft long power strips can sometimes be utilized in an attractive manner w/o having to mess with any wiring.
For small areas, the big box stores sell spray cans full of 'sheetrock texturing' you can use to texture the wall before painting, if that's what you mean by spackling.
(If you have a compressor, a simple 'splatter-gun' from harbor freight will do just fine)
Another 'wall' option might be a simple 4 X 8 sheets of melamine or FRP. Both are chemical resistant and easy to clean, unlike sheetrock,,,

30” is pretty deep for a workbench. Leads to clutter.
24” should be plenty for presses & gun cleaning.

Skgreen said:

Another 'wall' option might be a simple 4 X 8 sheets of melamine or FRP. Both are chemical resistant and easy to clean, unlike sheetrock,,,

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My prefab shed did not come from the factory with any interior work done. When it came to covering the walls, I ended up using OSB instead of drywall. I was not worried about seams (did not even treat them) but I like the OSB because it is strong enough that I can mount anything pretty much anywhere.

When I converted a one car garage to a workshop I did all the walls in peg board and that has turned out to be a good choice.

Aah, where to start....
Electric-It depends on what you plan to have plugged in on your bench. Also what else is already on that circuit. Is there a kitchen behind that wall with a refrig, microwave, toaster,etc. also plugged in??? If the circuit is not already loaded and you don't plan on running a lot of high draw stuff I wouldn't bother adding more outlets (given your lack of expertise). Just use one or two quality (with built in fuse) plug in outlet strips after you get the bench built.
Plaster?? wrong word choice I assume. I imagine you mean texture. You can buy ready made texture and roll it on but it is kinda expensive and it doesn't go far. You can mix some yourself buy just mixing joint compound, commonly called sheetrock mud, with water and rolling it on. Mix it very thin and almost soupy. Use a semi long nap roller, 1/2" to 3/4". Practice on something first to get the feel for the mixture and rolling technique--an old scrap of sheetrock or even a big piece of cardboard. After it dries then paint. The same roller can be used to paint with, after cleaning of course. haha.
Strength--My God, you've got three walls to anchor the bench to the wall studs. That bench should never move. No metal is needed. I'd use 2x4's for the framework and I'd make the top out of 2x10 or so. Given tha length you'll probably need a brace in the middle. It wouldn't have to be exactly in the middle. It looks like your existing tool box takes up almost half. I'd put the middle support leg just to the side of that so that the box would take up that space and the rest could have another shelf under the main bench. If you just wanted a smooth surface on the top you could put plywood on top of the 2x's and finish it to your choice, paint or stain.
I've been a painter/carpenter for 40 years, so this is a piece of cake for me. But it really is an easy project for anyony given the area you have to work with. Your hardest part is deciding on height, colors, finishes, amount of shelving above, etc.

Edit- On second thought you really don't even need texture on the walls because you'll be covering them up with shelves/stuff anyway. A couple of coats of paint with a long nap roller,3/4", would probably be fine.

PhillySoldier said:

Getting ready to start a project finishing off my garage and building a new reloading bench. Currently I have 3 different reloading stations and bench's - 1 station in the basement and 2 stations in the garage that hopefully all will be consolidated to the new bench

I have sort of a cubby spot in the garage 10' 6" x 4' that will be the new bench. Right now I have a toolbox bench w 650 in that area (pic attached). I wanna start by adding some additional electrical sockets to that area as well and finishing plastering and painting the garage. The 2nd pic is sort of what I aiming for except I want to do a full wall of cabinets for the base and only 2 rows for shelves. The counter top will run the full length and be 30" deep

And tips, suggestions etc are all welcome. If interested I'll post progress updates. No clue what im doing w the electrical or spackling so this autta be interesting

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Your benches that you have built are really nice man. Congrats. As someone that does a good amount of woodworking, I can appreciate that!

30" deep is great. Make sure you mount it high enough so you arent bending over when you run the press. I think Im at 44" tall, but Im 6.7". Being so tall, I can also reach the back of a 30" bench. More outlets, more better, but even a big power strip is usually adequate. Good lighting doesnt hurt either. An LED overhead light is your friend.

Real wood is nice, but as soon as you get any solvents on it, the finish is screwed. For the bench top material Im actually a big fan of 1 1/2" of particle board with a sheet of laminate over it. Particle board is inexpensive, but more importantly, it is a manufactured product that does not shrink or expand. Once you lay up the laminate on top, you can edge it however you want.

This bench below is my little bench (48"x24") that I built when I moved this summer as my garage isnt big enough for my big bench. Its nothing fancy, but the top is 1 1/2 thick particle board with a laminate top. Its edged with decent quality pine board, and the rest of the bench is pretty much 2 by material and what I had laying around. The lower shelf is jsut a piece of OSB, because I wasnt going to cut up a piece of good baltic birch plywood for a lower shelf. Its mounted to the wall with log home construction screws, and it doesnt move, at all.


Heres a pic with my press mounted with quick detach plates made a chunk of the same laminate I made the top from. 3" thick between the top and mount, it doesnt flex.

I also made a cover for the top of my freezer on the right for a little more work space, and so the top of my freezer wont get beat up.

This is my big bench. 108"x32", weighs about 450 lbs, strong enough to set an engine or a rear end out of a pickup truck on. In fact, I rebuilt a Dana 70 on top of this bench one time. Same top construction, laminate, wood edging, but the frame is full steel. Once leveled up with the leveling feet I added later, and screwed to the wall, it doesnt move either. Too bad my current living situation doesnt allow for it.

Don't buy expensive oak plywood, especially for the bottom layer, thinking it is stronger or something. All plywood is basically the same, just some has more layers than others. The thin oak layer (ply) is just a veneer. If you can find 7 ply, or even 9, that is all you need. I'd still recommend 2bys for a top covered with a 1/4" sheet of whatever you want-oak,mdf, whatever.

Heck, even use osb for a bottom layer if you're set on a double thickness system.

One more thing I just noticed. Decide if you want to build it for standing height or sitting. It can be both by just using a tall stool to sit on. If you do choose sitting height be sure to leave knee room if you are going to use cabinets below.

And if you expect help from your girlfriend, don't let her read your previous post.

labnoti said:

I don't care for bench mounted presses. The bench is never solid enough, the press vibrates, and it just shakes everything on the bench. Wood can be good for the work surface, but for a press stand I would never try to build one with wood.

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MY wood bench doesn't move, shake or vibrate one bit and is absolutely solid,



I can't see anything wrong with a properly built wood bench!

DM

go heavy and big. mount it to the wall so there I no movement. when you get the size you want, then super size it. same thing with the lights and plug ins. more is better. after you the bench in then you can start on the small stuff like shelves.

On your electrical. I would suggest putting 4 gang as suggested above the bench and add at least a 2 gang at std floor height. I did this in my shop and it allows you to plug the permanent devices (scales) down below so the cords are out of the way. Free up the upper ones for other uses. I put 2 3/4" sheets of plywood, screwed and glued, then covered with 1/4 hard Masonite for the top. The top is just screwed on so it can be replaced easily if needed.

I would also recommend setting the bench at sitting height, then use the strong mounts to raise the presses for doing the standing work.

The last one I built is 18” deep, plenty deep enough to clutter no need for more except to stabilize. Fixed that by making a shelf below that has plenty of weight and it’s L shaped, with adjustable rubber padded feet.

Made the 5” tall truss from 3/4” box tube with cross braces where the presses bolt down and modular mounts so they can be swapped without having to have every bolt pattern everyone has ever used drilled and tapped into the bench top.

Two switches on the bench one controls the dentist (super quiet) air compressor, the other shuts off all of the outlets.

All steel, more ridged than any wood bench I have had or used and light enough I moved it from the shop to the reloading room by myself, in two sections.

Your thought process is sound. My 2 words of conflicting caution... plan your bench to be as deep as you might ever possibly want it, and don’t make your bench so deep that it becomes a clutter catcher.

My suggestion, put the toolbox on the weak-hand side. You want to save as much usable room as possible and you waste a foot or more by forcing yourself away from a wall to use your strong side arm. I would also make a point of putting a lip around the edges of the bench, ever so slight along the front, but just enough to discourage wayward items from going AWOL.

I built my bench modular because I knew it would be moving away from a rental house I was in. Yours can be modular or it can be built into the home utilizing the support structure of the house. I would caution against what SOUNDS better there as a bench takes a lot of pulling tugging and force, don’t build the bench itself to the house, but give yourself a way to attach it with a couple screws to keep it locked down. Triangle brace everything you can.

My bench is very strong. It was also incredibly cheap and easy to build. It is a simple 16” by 6 ft bench. The legs are 2x4s and the table top is supported on 3 sides by 2x4s. The front is a 4x6 which was intentional for securing presses to. Overkill for sure, but I have yet to find a press I can’t secure easily with an impact driver and some 1/2x4” lag bolts or 6” carriage bolts. I built the supports as I do home and deck floors, parallel runners with lateral supports about every 18”. Lateral supports courtesy of 4” torx head deck screws. Table top is a piece of plywood thoroughly screwed to the support “ladder” then a tube of construction adhesive squirted out all over it and another piece of plywood screwed down onto the fresh glue. Once it was dry I used my circular saw to trim all of the edges at once to make them nice and even. Triangle brace everything you can, and incorporate triangles into the leg support design too.

As for wiring, if you are sensible you can do anything with the help of a YouTube video. I added a 15 amp breaker and ran 10-2 through the ceiling to my old bench. Haven’t done it on the current bench yet but it’s in the plan. A 15 amp will hold about 4 or 5 duplex outlets so long as your not running high draw equipment and not running it all at once. My advice for the electrical is to have a single 20 amp plug and 20 amp breaker installed then put all of your plugs that you want actually ON the bench, and run a pigtail to your outlet. It’s easier to run a big power bar, but I prefer a few double gang boxes where I decide for them to be rather than a single plug every 6 inches whether it’s needed or not.

Last but not least, storage is critical. You have a nice tool box, but consolidating 3 into 1 may be a bit of an issue. I would put in some storage over the top of the toolbox in the form of cabinets or shelves. Over the toolbox because your not going to be as comfortable working out from under the bench as you will be if you can stretch your legs under then bench. You can’t stretch your legs there anyway since the toolbox is in the way.

Don’t forget a radio and for heavens sake build in a cup holder UNDER the working surface to keep your beverage from spilling on the tabletop, but also to keep powder and crud out of your drink.

I just realized that I have built too many benches and learned all of this through trial and error. At least I used scrap lumber for my first few benches or I would be a grand in lumber into my benches. But I have a solid reloading bench, general purpose work bench, fly tying table.....

Edit to add a recent cluttered photo.

I bought two work benches at Lowes that come with electrical sockets and even USB ports. I ran a cord for Christmas lights behind the bench; that's a cord that has sockets every few feet so the lights, sockets, etc. on the bench are all powered. I made a top by screwing/glueing two pieces of 1 inch plywood together that is 12 feet long and 2.5 feet wide that runs across the two work benches. Each bench has a large drawer and two smaller drawers below the top as well as a metal shelf on the bottom. I made a frame to go under the metal shelf out of 2X6s cut to size so I could probably put 500 lbs. on the shelf without distorting it. After the shelf is loaded with stuff the bench will NOT move at all even though it's not attached to the wall or floor.

My bench isn't pretty but is very functional and durable.