Show us a picture of your reloading bench

Don't bust a gut laughing too hard, but here is my "temporary" reloading bench! It is just what it looks like, a 3/4" piece of plywood sitting on a couple of heavy duty steel sawhorses. I recently bought a 6.5 PRC and of course couldn't find a single round to shoot, other than paying the ripoff prices over on GunBroker.com. IMG_0005[1].JPG
So, after over 20 years since the last time I reloaded anything I started digging for all my reloading equipment, plus ordered dies and bullets to roll my own.
I'm using a Lyman S-T 6 station press, and have my old heavy duty Herter's single station and a RCBS single station press as backups.
 
USNvet said:
Don't bust a gut laughing too hard, but here is my "temporary" reloading bench! It is just what it looks like, a 3/4" piece of plywood sitting on a couple of heavy duty steel sawhorses. I recently bought a 6.5 PRC and of course couldn't find a single round to shoot, other than paying the ripoff prices over on GunBroker.com. View attachment 1094622
So, after over 20 years since the last time I reloaded anything I started digging for all my reloading equipment, plus ordered dies and bullets to roll my own.
I'm using a Lyman S-T 6 station press, and have my old heavy duty Herter's single station and a RCBS single station press as backups.
Click to expand...
Good thing you're a pack rat like the rest of us and saved all that stuff. :thumbup:
 
Offfhand said:
The press was made by Bob Dodd (Who passed away only last week.) who operated as RFD Rifles in Arizona and was noted for his beautiful knives and superbly made powder measures and loading presses like this one. The press is now being made by John Loh, who has maintained Dodd's quality standard. (Loh also makes a top-of-the-line front rest for benchrest, check it out.) The press has been improved even more with Jim Carstensen's internal "microclick" die adjustment system. (Carstensen Precision) also shown in pics.View attachment 1062254 View attachment 1062255
Click to expand...

Gerstner Tool boxes with gold plated hardware...wow! Wish I'd thought of that when I had access to a plating lab.
https://www.ebay.com/b/Gerstner-Tool-Boxes-Chests/39731/bn_57667357
 
USNvet said:
Don't bust a gut laughing too hard, but here is my "temporary" reloading bench! It is just what it looks like, a 3/4" piece of plywood sitting on a couple of heavy duty steel sawhorses. I recently bought a 6.5 PRC and of course couldn't find a single round to shoot, other than paying the ripoff prices over on GunBroker.com. View attachment 1094622
So, after over 20 years since the last time I reloaded anything I started digging for all my reloading equipment, plus ordered dies and bullets to roll my own.
I'm using a Lyman S-T 6 station press, and have my old heavy duty Herter's single station and a RCBS single station press as backups.
Click to expand...
I especially like the SwissMiss. :D
But, seriously, no food or drink at the loading bench. It's a safety issue. :scrutiny:
 
trekker73 said:
I dont have a reloading bench as such. I have a small hardcase with a lee handpress and components and that travels to wherever I need to reload. Sometimes even in the TV room : )
Click to expand...
I started reloading with a Lee hand press, back in 1987.
Loaded thousands of rounds. Just the hand press and a set of Lee dies with the instructions and a powder scoop.

No table, no scales, no tumbler, no manual. No problems.
 
They sure do! A buddy of mine turned me on to them, I have their quick mounts on everything now. I’ve never gotten anything from them that has disappointed me, top quality stuff. I wish I had installed the flush mount bases a long time ago, it’s nice to be able to put everything in a storage dock and have the entire bench surface available.
 
LAH said:
I use them on everything but the 1050 Dillon. He even made one for my old Pacific "C".
View attachment 1099041
Click to expand...

That’s cool, I have a really crappy Lee single stage (can’t remember the model) that I use for decapping and with my Redding bulge buster die for 40’s, they didn’t have a top plate for that model so I got a blank one and drilled the mounting holes on my drill press, worked just fine. I almost got rid of it when I added the Frankford Arsenal M-Press but it works well for those two purposes as long as I keep the ram lubricated.
 
kalielkslayer said:
Do you have to countersink the flush mounts?
Click to expand...

To flush mount it to the bench you need to use a router to sink it a little. Inline also has a piece to raise the flush mount up a little bit if you don't want to do the router work. I've got the spacer piece with mine and it's solid.
 
David J Rossman said:
That’s cool, I have a really crappy Lee single stage (can’t remember the model) that I use for decapping and with my Redding bulge buster die for 40’s, they didn’t have a top plate for that model so I got a blank one and drilled the mounting holes on my drill press, worked just fine. I almost got rid of it when I added the Frankford Arsenal M-Press but it works well for those two purposes as long as I keep the ram lubricated.
Click to expand...
Too late now for you but for far less $$, and if you have Lee equipment or other brand with a small base Lee’s mounting plates work great.
DB35BB12-3BE3-4DC1-93CF-B6BFFE4F6057.jpeg
3610127F-588A-4ED6-B93B-48AF1A575B75.jpeg
 
CQB45ACP said:
Too late now for you but for far less $$, and if you have Lee equipment or other brand with a small base Lee’s mounting plates work great.
Click to expand...
I had that mounting plate bolted to my bench between two Ultramounts for a while to switch between my Lee Classic Cast single stage (SS) and their bench priming tool. I have three metal mounting plates as well as two wooden ones. I also have the RCBS bench mounting plate which I'm not currently using either.

It is pretty stable and only a little harder to switch plates than the Inline Fabrication (IF) Quick Change plate. The way the Lee plate is bolted to the bench make that portion of the bench unusable when the press is removed. The biggest drawback is that it's design doesn't allow mounting accessories around the press. The Classic Cast SS, that I originally bought the plate mount for, now has the IF Case Auto Eject attachment, while my newer Lee APP and ACP have side bins mounts attached
 
9mmepiphany said:
I had that mounting plate bolted to my bench between two Ultramounts for a while to switch between my Lee Classic Cast single stage (SS) and their bench priming tool. I have three metal mounting plates as well as two wooden ones. I also have the RCBS bench mounting plate which I'm not currently using either.

It is pretty stable and only a little harder to switch plates than the Inline Fabrication (IF) Quick Change plate. The way the Lee plate is bolted to the bench make that portion of the bench unusable when the press is removed. The biggest drawback is that it's design doesn't allow mounting accessories around the press. The Classic Cast SS, that I originally bought the plate mount for, now has the IF Case Auto Eject attachment, while my newer Lee APP and ACP have side bins mounts attached
Click to expand...
It’s not perfect but it’s great for Lee equipment. I do all my 9mm on that press and my 45acp priming/expanding. Just twist out the breech lock and twist in the next. Used to use my Lee turret there until I got the T-7 which is a foot or so to the right and mounted semi permanently.

Im a low volume pistol only loader and it works fine
 
kalielkslayer said:
Do you have to countersink the flush mounts?
Click to expand...

Yes, I installed 3 of them in my bench, one for the vise near the tools and then two on the long leg of the bench spaced far enough apart to use the powder measure and press with a beam scale between them.
Inline Fabrication tells you to route out the bench to precisely 7/16” so take your time setting the route depth because you definitely don’t want to route too deep. I made a template using some 1/2” plywood I had in the garage. I mocked up one of the mounts with the required 1 1/2” overhang and made sure it was square. Then I clamped it to the plywood and screwed pieces of wood tightly against the mount on the three sides. Then I removed the mount and used a top bearing flush trim bit in my router to cut out the space that the mount was clamped to. Once that was done I removed the pieces of wood that I screwed to the plywood I sanded the splinters off and moved the template to my workbench, clamped it to the location I wanted the mount to go and verified that the mount has the proper overhang then I routed out the bench top. I cleaned the corners up with a chisel since the bit profile was more rounded than the mount corners and it wouldn’t sit flush all the way to the back of the cut out.
The instructions say to cut an additional 1/16” depth at the back of the notch to accommodate the top plate tongue which I did on the first one I cut out, I didn’t do it on the second two and they work just fine without it.
 
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CQB45ACP said:
Too late now for you but for far less $$, and if you have Lee equipment or other brand with a small base Lee’s mounting plates work great.
Click to expand...

That’s looks convenient but I do like how when I remove the pores from the Inline mounts they are the same height as the bench top, there’s nothing in the way of things on the bench or for me to scratch my arms on when I’m not paying attention.
 
David J Rossman said:
Yes, I installed 3 of them in my bench, one for the vise near the tools and then two on the long leg of the bench spaced far enough apart to use the powder measure and press with a beam scale between them.
Inline Fabrication tells you to route out the bench to precisely 7/16” so take your time setting the route depth because you definitely don’t want to route too deep. I made a template using some 1/2” plywood I had in the garage. I mocked up one of the mounts with the required 1 1/2” overhang and made sure it was square. Then I clamped it to the plywood and screwed pieces of wood tightly against the mount on the three sides. Then I removed the mount and used a top bearing flush trim bit in my router to cut out the space that the mount was clamped to. Once that was done I removed the pieces of wood that I screwed to the plywood I sanded the splinters off and moved the template to my workbench, clamped it to the location I wanted the mount to go and verified that the mount has the proper overhang then I routed out the bench top. I cleaned the corners up with a chisel since the bit profile was more rounded than the mount corners and it wouldn’t sit flush all the way to the back of the cut out.
The instructions say to cut an additional 1/16” depth at the back of the notch to accommodate the top plate tongue which I did on the first one I cut out, I didn’t do it on the second two and they work just fine without it.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

On my island I have a 9” mount at one end, a 4.5” mount at the other. And they are perfect for what I do on the island; vise, gun vises, etc.

I did buy a flush mount to put where I have my shotshell reloader. The current shotshell reloader Is a single stage for 12 gauge that I use a lot. The 20 gauge one would fit in the same holes I drilled for the 12. So not a big project to change them out.

But I have a 12 gauge progressive machine I’ve never used. That’s where I think the mount would come in handy.
 
David J Rossman said:
That’s looks convenient but I do like how when I remove the pores from the Inline mounts they are the same height as the bench top, there’s nothing in the way of things on the bench or for me to scratch my arms on when I’m not paying attention.
Click to expand...
I understand. The bench isn’t reloading only…it’s my work bench. So, I can remove stuff easily enough except the T-7. It can be taken off but it’s too heavy and no place to put it anyway.

Here’s the way the entire bench looks in three stages: normal (when not in use for reloading), to ready to go with Uniflow, to the way I actually do it. Progressive guys are probably gagging about now:)

C947EEAE-BE08-440C-9F1A-F79070948016.jpeg
33F53931-FB3C-4393-9797-BF292ED7EA29.jpeg

A90B8AE8-CEA2-41FA-8328-4D21837D9FC3.jpeg

Underneath are various related supplies and a completely worthless collection of mid-60s through mid-70s Road & Track, Car & Driver, and other car mags I can’t bear to trash.
 
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