Lee Bench Plate

[ArchAngelCD]

Anyone here using the new Lee Bench Plate? (Part #90351) I have 3 presses but I only have room to use 1 at a time. I would really like to have a way to switch them out easily and the Lee Bench Plate looks like a good tool. I'm just a little worried it won't hold the press tightly to the bench. Excessive play would be a real bad thing IMO.

Anyone using one and willing to post a report would be appreciated.

 

[snuffy]

Don't buy it! Why? Because I did, and nearly had a LCT on the floor!
Mounted it, the base, to the loading bench, mounted the press to the WOODEN plate,(plywood). Then proceeded to load some 7.62 X 54R. While priming, the primers were hard to press in, so I got ahold of the back of the press to give me more leverage. The press slipped out of the hold-downs! Since I had both hands on it, I caught it before it dropped on the floor.

The hold-downs are a "Z" metal formed piece of sheet steel. They're held to the base plate by 4 PHILLIPS screws. They're supposed to clamp the wooden plate the press is on to the steel plate on the bench. In reality, they only have a very small edge to grip the wood plate. I solved the problem by placing a couple fiber emory boards, (Ya know the kind you use to smooth yer finger nails with after clipping them), under the wood plate to grip both it and the steel plate.

I called lee with a complaint on it, the guy on the phone said I was the first to complain. He had me take a few measurements of the thickness of the plywood plates. He promised he'd look into it. That was almost 6 months ago!

I planned on mounting my Lee classic cast on the same base, so I can switch from LCT to LCC.

 

[amlevin]

There have been a couple of videos showing this in use while LEE is touting their new products. Just watching the demo shows the amount of movement I would find unacceptable.

If you want another way to mount several presses in the same location, one at a time, try this.

Mount each press on a square of 3/4"-1" Plywood using bolts inserted from the bottom and with enough counter-bore to make the heads just flush with the bottom surface of the plywood.

Remove all the mounting boards and clamp them together. Drill a hole that will allow a 5/16" bolt to pass through, through all of the boards and in each corner.

Place one of these boards on your bench top and locate it as it will be when the press is in use. Drill a hole the same sized hole in the bench using each corner hole as the guide.

Install a 5/16" Tee-Nut from the bottom of the bench in each hole.

Re mount each press and then just secure them to the bench, using 5/16" hex-head bolts and washers in each corner. Nice and secure, cheaper than the LEE procuct, and when the presses aren't in use they can be stored on a shelf, on their own individual mounting boards. The press will be nice and solid so resizing won't tear it off the bench, primers will seat fully, and the whole sense of secure will be a greater to the operator.

 

[amandab]

It works sort of OK under ideal conditions.
It works sort of OK for pistol rounds.

 

[Hammerdown77]

There have been a couple of videos showing this in use while LEE is touting their new products. Just watching the demo shows the amount of movement I would find unacceptable.

If you want another way to mount several presses in the same location, one at a time, try this.

Mount each press on a square of 3/4"-1" Plywood using bolts inserted from the bottom and with enough counter-bore to make the heads just flush with the bottom surface of the plywood.

Remove all the mounting boards and clamp them together. Drill a hole that will allow a 5/16" bolt to pass through, through all of the boards and in each corner.

Place one of these boards on your bench top and locate it as it will be when the press is in use. Drill a hole the same sized hole in the bench using each corner hole as the guide.

Install a 5/16" Tee-Nut from the bottom of the bench in each hole.

Re mount each press and then just secure them to the bench, using 5/16" hex-head bolts and washers in each corner. Nice and secure, cheaper than the LEE procuct, and when the presses aren't in use they can be stored on a shelf, on their own individual mounting boards. The press will be nice and solid so resizing won't tear it off the bench, primers will seat fully, and the whole sense of secure will be a greater to the operator.

I do this, but I use two big C clamps to attach the plywood base to the bench. Makes it nice and portable, but sturdy. Have these for a Dillon 550 and a Lee Turret, no problems.

 

[FWest]

Check out the Rockdock. Mine should be here soon.

http://www.patmarlins.com/

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Thank you for all you're comments. I did see that video online and that's what made me ask the questions...

 

[exavid]

I mounted my Lee turret press to a piece of plywood and C-clamp it to my old Black and Decker Workmate folding bench. I like it better there than on my big workbench because I can move it where I want it and can put it all away when not in use. My 3 car garage has to provide room for reloading, working on and parking my two motorcycles and hold my wood working tools.

 

[floydster]

Do a thread search---Lee bench plate for Hornady LNL AP.

This is how I mount mine.

Floydster

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Guys, I have 3 different plans on how to mount the presses so i can switch them out. I'm just being a little lazy and when i saw the new Lee plate I was wondering if it would work well because I had my doubts.

Thank you all for the great suggestions but all I really needed to know is if the Lee tool would work.

 

[exavid]

I used to have a Rockchucker press but sold it when I moved awhile back. I bought a Lee turret press recently and really like the thing. I can turn out about 100 rounds per hour with it. I've got less than $200 in the press, two sets of pistol dies, powder scale and an automatic powder dispenser. I need to order the automatic primer feeder, these old hands fumble the primers once in a while. It sure works slick, with the four die 9mm set up an adjusted on one four hole turret plate I can switch from 9mm to .380 in less than a minute with no adjusting or fooling with the dies. Sure beats my old press. I don't know that this would be the best press for larger caliber rifle loading but it's great for pistol loads. If I decide to go back to rifle loading I'd just get a single die press since I don't go through rifle ammo as fast as pistol stuff.

 

[Blackrock]

I had the same problems Snuffy did with his. I changed out thePhillips head screws for Allen head screws so I could really torque em down. Takes a little practice to get it right bit it does work. Really designed more for the lighter Lee presses. But I got two of them anyways.