Building My New Reloading Bench

I'm a "newb" here, but i'm not a newb to guns and reloading. I started reloading in the 60's, so i have a few reloads under my belt...

Over the years, i've had several reloading benchs, and even reloading rooms, but i decided i would build myself one last HD bench, in my basement, for reloading and other "hobbies", and start moving my "keeper" reloading tools all into one area...

So, here's the story of how i built my NEW HD Ash Bench,

Because my basement is unfinished, and always will be, i just don't need anything fancy, or made like fine furniture! I've already been there done that...

SO, i hatched a plan to mill a big log into thick slabs of lumber, and have that be the bench top. I figured i'd just cut some big blocks off a second log, and use those for the legs. I also wanted shelves going up on the back of the bench to put reloading tools on.

A several days ago, i was measureing some logs i harvested out of a pasture i cleared, and decided that a 22" (on the small end) Ash log i had, would work for this project.

So i grabbled the Ash log with my loader tractor, and moved it to the mill site,



and loaded it on the mill deck. This is a nice log!



I got started milling, by takeing an outer slab off and chainsawing it up for firewood. Eariler i had moved my sno-mobile trailor into place, to put all of the firewood on, makeing it easier to move it to the wood stove.

Anyway, i decided i wanted my table top to be 3-1/2" thick, and the shelves to be 2" thick, so i made the cuts to get what i wanted, turning the log as needed.



Takeing the outer slabs off as i go,



And continued makeing thick cuts to get the needed lumber,



Pileing it on my tractors pallet forks,



Until i was finally down to the last cut, splitting what was left of the log,



And here's the lumber i milled out of the Ash log, ready for the next stage to be made into a HD bench!



Next, we will put the bench together,

DM

I decided to square up an OLD oak log i had lieing around, and put lengths of it under the top for the legs, so i took the tractor and grabbled the log out from behind some other logs i have here,



With it on the mill, i got started by taking thick slabs off it, as the outer surface of the log was rotted from the log laying around for a LONG time,



With the first slab off, i turned the log and took another thick slab,



And continued on around,



Until, i had the log squared up into a 18" square "cant",



So, i grabbled the cant up off the mill, and moved it to the back door on my house, then measureing off the length i wanted and chainsawed it off,



And with a helper, we stood it up and moved it into the basement,



With two blocks now moved into the basement and set into place, i nailed a 2"x12"- 27" long piece on top of each block to set the top pieces on. So, it's now time to move the top pieces down there too. The first piece was 4" thick and 12" wide,



The second piece of the top is, 3-1/2" thick and 18" wide,


The idea of two different thickness' of the top is, i wanted the back of the top to be "thicker", to elevate the things sitting on it, that way, it's much easier to get at them better. It also gives a 1/2" lip, so what ever gets pushed back on the bench hits the lip, and doesn't push the things already back there out of place. AND, the last reason the back board is thicker is, it has to support all of the shelves and the weight that's on them, as i will be pileing some pretty heavy things on those shelves, like lead bullets!

Anyway, i think the top looks GREAT!



Next, there are shelves to build!

Now it's time to get a couple shelves on it... I got started by cutting another chunk of 3-1/2" thick by 18" wide plank off, the extra 8' 6" piece i milled out of an ash log, the other day,



I marked out all the cuts i needed to make two uprights to hold a shelf, and because it was so thick, i had to cut it from both sides,



It didn't matter that the cuts weren't "clean" because now that the planks were cut to a size i could handle, i could take them later on up to the shop and clean them up!



I also had to knotch them out, because of the two thicknesses of the bench top,



So i cut the knotch, and then took them to the shop and ran them over the jointer and through my planer,



I still needed a couple uprights for a second shelf, so i grabbed a 1-1/2" x 12" and ran one edge over the jointer,



And then ripped 8" off it with the tablesaw and ran it through the planer too...



So, back at the bench, i had another full 2" x 12" that i needed to cut to length and rip down to 8", so i marked it,



And ripped it with my circle saw,



And, with the uprights in place,



I muscled the shelves into place too!



So, here's how my HD Ash Bench looks today,



As you can see, i drilled holes in the shelf, and pounded 200 grain Matchkings in the holes for the pegs to hold my Gearwrenches,



I'm planning on sawing out another 6' bench, to put on the end of this one... I also have some plans for the legs, and a few other things... BUT, i have a friend who is terminally ill, and i'm going to go see him for a few... My bench project will have to wait until i get back!

I hope you enjoyed the picts of my NEW bench project!

DM

Excellent pic's, very fun to watch-------just wondering, I do a lot of woodwork, is this kiln dried lumber, if not, it may warp quite a bet on you
Floydster

Click to expand...

It's true, i did use green lumber (right out of the tree) and as a retired custom cabinet/furniture maker, i do understand wood movement, but the 12" wide top piece has a LOT of weight on it, same for the shelves. So, i don't except to see much warping there, at least not any that will bother me...

As for the 18" wide piece, i "quartersawed" it, so it's not going to warp much if any at all, and so far hasn't. It WILL crack through the pith, but i'm not worried about that at all, as i'll just pour some Accraglass in the crack a year or so from now, and sand it smooth.

If all else fails, i have a wood furnace close by, and a electric chainsaw to get it down to size... lol

Thanks guys, for viewing the picts., and all the great comments!

DM