Apartment Reloading Bench

[robotboy175]

any ideas on an apartment size reloading bench?

are there any small benches that can be bought?

i built my last one, but at this moment, i'm not crazy about building another.

i know there are some smaller ones in the "show your benches" thread, but i'm trying to keep from going through 74 pages.

thanks

 

[dawico]

Lee makes a small portable one.

You could mount your presses to a 2x6 or bigger and C clamp it to a counter top or table. That would save you space in a small apartment. I do that and I have a huge bench.

 

[rsrocket1]

Black and Decker Workmate. Clamp your press to the bench with C-clamps or mount the press to a 2x4 or 2x6 and clamp the wood to the bench (I countersunk carriage bolts so the bottom of the 2x6 sits flush with the work surface and the press doesn't hang over the side). When you're done, the Workmate folds away.

 

[fractal7]

So for my personal setup, sorry I don't have pictures right now,
I went to Walmart and picked up one of these,

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Cosco-6-Foot-Long-Center-Fold-Table/13269097

There are about 6 screws that hold in the plastic on each side, and I took those off, and had Home depot cut down a sheet of 3/8" OSB plywood to the right size. Then I took some wood screws and screwed it down to the frame of the table and drilled two holes to mount the press as normal. There is a little bit of flex in it but I've full-sized 30-06 cases with no problem. I do keep a toolbox on the back end as a counterweight which seems to help a bit, but the best part is the whole setup folds up and can slide into a closet or under a bed if needed.

 

[oneounceload]

Black and Decker Workmate.

+1 - the top itself is particle board material, bolt your press to a 2X6 or similar and clamp that to the top to reduce any flexing

 

[MovedWest]

Back before I bought a house I lived in an small, overcrowded apartment. There wasn't much room for another piece of furniture so I devised a small reloading kit that I could keep stashed in an ammo can. I fit my Lee hand press, dies, primers, caliper, grain scale, and even a pound of 2400 inside. I think I even squeezed a bullet puller in there somewhere. It was slow, but other than that it worked really well. My wife was even happier because it stowed away quickly.

-MW

 

[A-FIXER]

I would get a drillpress freestanding stand, and buy at wallyworld or the like for an computer printer stand this is prefab and can double as a pictures stand when you reloading stuff is under it.

 

[Fluxeii]

When I built mine, I didn't actually build it per-say. I took an existing cabinet made from MDF, removed the doors, and reinforced the top shelf (about waist height) with a 2x6 to give the press something to bite into. I store brass below near my feet, and have a shelf I placed behind it to hold everything else. Probably takes up no more than a 3x2 ft space.

 

[robotboy175]

thanks for the replies guys!

it's a 2 bedroom apt. i have weights, a ellipse machine and guitars in the second bedroom. i just was measuring and i could get away with a 36" long top by 1 1/2' to 2' deep.

it suddenly looks doable.

i was in a garage. my bench was 8' long, 40" deep with the same size shelf underneath. i loved it...had different stations where i could constantly be doing something different.

i have a rockchucker and a uniflow measure. when i got tired of one stage of reloading, i could prime some brass.

all that has changed for sure


edit - i am not worried about storing it. i'm setting it up and leaving it.

 

[dusty14u]

Lee Reloading Bench

 

[OpelBlitz]

Dusty, when you pull down on the press lever, do you have to hold the stand at all?

 

[mamamia]

I built one using this plan, I reduced the depth to 17" though. Best ever $30 and 3 hr effort I have spent.

http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/workshop/bench/below20.html

 

[Pete D.]

Just as a reference....I know that you are not thinking about this.....I have a small closet in a very small apartment. This is where I load....kind of a mess at the moment but these three presses have produced many 10Ks of rifle, pistol and shotgun ammo. Thirty-five inches wide.


Pete

 

[gregj]

You might try searching in this forum. I found a thread that my help some.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=438853&highlight=apartment+reloading+bench

 

[dusty14u]

Dusty, when you pull down on the press lever, do you have to hold the stand at all?

Only once and I got a 5.56 case stuck in the die and pulled the flange off the case trying to get it unstuck. The stand is extremely solid and they recommend a paving block hanging under the stand but after using this for a few hours I just don't see the need.

It is a great deal and cheaper than what I have built in the past. ($130) It can store 2 other presses as well as having one ready to use. The wood mounting blocks are cheap or you can easily make your own. I bought the blank ones and used the predrilled one that it came with and now have 3 drilled.

 

[njcioffi]

For my setup, I anchored (2) 2x6's together with 1/4" lag screws, and secure that to whatever is available with a pair of C-clamps. The press is attached by 2 bolts and washers, and is easily removed for storage. It works well for me, and takes up very little space.

 

[TEC]

My reload bench is in the spare bedroom, aka, "gun room"





This bench came from Harbor Freight. Some assembly required.

http://www.harborfreight.com/60-inch-solid-oak-workbench-93454.html

I see they also have a 40" version

http://www.harborfreight.com/40-inch-hardwood-oak-workbench-93991.html

 

[SleazyRider]

Thant's a handsome bench, TEC, and one that I don't think my wife would mind having in our spare bedroom. Thanks for posting. Do you find that it offers enough support for the press?

 

[TEC]

Yes. Maybe a bit "tippy" when full case resizing 7mm Rem Mag, but easy enough to put the other hand on the front of the bench if I really have to crank. But it has been very steady for everything else I have reloaded -- .223, .243, ..308, 357, and 38 special. I also just added a second single stage press -- a little Lee press -- to use as a decapping station.





One drawback is that the space to mount presses is limited to either end, else you block the drawers. And on the left end, I had to lose the wood vise that came with the bench to mount the Hornady press.

 

[earlthegoat2]

That looks like the Harbor Freight bench they market to woodworking.

It sucks as a woodworking bench but I bet it is excellent for reloading.

 

[BADUNAME37]

When I started loading, I was also living in an apartment (I would not come to buy a house for about another five years or so).

The loading bench was located in the corner of our bedroom.

I found an antique base (originally designed for something like a 55 gallon steel drum) which I modified by putting two 2x12's on the top for the bench surface.

The antique base was made of oak with various 5/8" diameter steel rods holding it together. Between the weight and one of the rods along the floor just in front of my chair, I could rest my feet (shoes) on the horizontal forward rod to give it even more stability. I remember that to be a pretty solid little bench with a table space of perhaps 38" wide by 22 1/2" deep.

 

[RidgwayCO]

How about building one of these and putting it in the second bedroom's closet?

 

[robotboy175]

ridgeway - it's full of amps, mic stands, etc!

i *think* i'm going to go the 2x4 route. in the end, it will be cheaper and just as sturdy as anything else.

 

[hanno]

My B&D Workmate.

 

[mbruce]

hanno -- that looks good. I had one in a regular size close closet. I kept my clothes in baskets..