Looking for a reloading bench - Need some help

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Rockrivr1

Rockrivr1

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Ok, I have a brand new Dillon 550B and all the accessories needed to start reloading 45s. But I don't have anything to mount it to as of yet. I'm going to set this up in my basement and I might as well be honest and say I would really suck at making a bench on my own.

Knowing that, I am looking to buy a workbench so I can start reloading. I was looking at a couple like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDU...BV_EngineID=cccjaddjjjmgiilcgelceffdfgidglm.0

or

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=175208-56096-WB4604&lpage=none

They are a little expensive and the one from Home Depot has a galvanized steel top to it. Not sure how hard that will be to drill holes for the mounting. Anyone else buy a bench from somewhere else or do one of these look promising?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
All galvanized steel in steel with a zinc coating to prevent rust
I saw it a lot when I was kid at my Grandparents when they had a well.Should be no problem to drill buy a drill that's coated with Titanium Nitride and you'll be fine.
 
Can't tell by looking at the links. IMHO, the most necessary characteristic of the bench will be to resist flexing while you're operating the press. You can always find or add storage space, power, lights, etc., but the benchtop is going to have to be very, very stiff from the get-go. Did you buy the strong mount for the 550? that will help distribute the torque over a wider surface of the bench top.

Another suggestion: Try to isolate your powder scale from the bench top. I use a small shelf mounted to the wall. This will keep vibrations from reloading from affecting the scale.
 
Sams club sells a shleving product called Gorilla Shelving for about $60 for a 4X8 shelf. I use it for my bench; very sturdy, modular. You will have to put on a stiffer shelf (I used a piece of 1/2 inch plywood over the particle board that comes with it and it works fine).
 
Let me highly recommend a Black & Decker Workmate workbench.

They're strong, stable, and fold up for storage.

I've taken two approaches to mounting a Dillon 550 on them:

1. Fabricate a simple fixture out of scrap wood. Bolt the press to the fixture. Close the benchtop vice jaws on the fixture.

2. Cut a sheet of thick plywood to fit on top of the Workmate. There are holes already in the top of the Workmate into which the plastic jaws are inserted. Bush the holes with wooden dowl of the appropriate diameter. Drill holes through the dowl for bolts. Bolt the plywood to the Workmate. Bolt the press to the plywood. You can use Dillon's "Strong Mount" if you like.

I'm currently using the latter technique. It works very well.
 
DO NOT buy a pretty steel workbench. It'll be strong, but it'll also flex too much. NOT good.

For about the same price, or less, you can buy a couple of base cabinets (DO NOT steal them from your kitchen - she may not notice an occasional pan being sacrificed to the Gun Cleaning Gods, but she will notice the larger things...), and a countertop for them - get the kind with the raised thing in the back, so that brass doesn't run off the back - trust me. Mount your press to a 2x8, and then mount that to the countertop (leave an open area under part of it).

My setup cost me $60 for four base cabinets (surplus new) and $30 for the counter top (same liquidation store). Plenty of storage, and it looks nice.
 
Or....

I went out and bought some honest 4 x 4s, some bolts, some plywood as thick as I could find, and was able to fabricate a bench that's heavy, sturdy, and as inflexible as could be. It's never failed me.
If I had it to do all over again, I'd contact a kitchen place for a piece of scrap kitchen countertop (good thick stuff- can't remember the name of it offhand, Korian maybe?) and use that instead of the plywood.
As it is, I sleeved the holes i made for various progressive reloaders (pillar bedding gave me the idea) through the plywood to stabilize them even further and prevent any compression of the plywood. The holes allow me to quickly switch out the reloaders.

Another shooter gave me a wonderful idea for "gun room furniture". Take 2 heavy stair risers and stand them vertically about 2 1/2' apart. Build a shelf between them about 6" from the top and another at the bottom. Put small sides on each shelf. Cut a U shape at the top of one riser (butt fits here) and a smaller U shape from the other (forearm fits here), and cover the cuts with scrap leather to protect the rifle.
You now have a secure holder for your rifle while you're cleaning it- take a little margarine cup and put a pipe cleaner on as a handle. When you clean your rifle, throw the handle over the barrel so the container hangs below the muzzle, and it'll keep the drips under control (when you cut the U-shapes from the top of each riser, try to do so in a way that the muzzle is lower than the butt.
POB
 
I'll second Deanimator's suggestion.

People smarter than I suggested the Workmate. I bolted the press to a piece of 1-3/4" solid-core door and "C" clamped the mess to the workmate. The only "Tim Allen moment" was counter-sinking the bolt heads on the piece of door so I'd have a flush bottom and wouldn't have to find the holes in the Workmate.

Although our numbers are diminishing through education, there was a small number of us that once thought a Dillon SL900 with casefeeder was just slightly larger than a 600Jr and blue rather than red. Turns out it's quite a bit larger but the Workmate / Door apparatus, to my surprise, handles the task well. It's way sturdier than it appears.
 
I clicked on the sears link that Sisco provided up above. I kind of like this one:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...subcat=Garage+Organization&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

Does that sears bench look like it would be ok for reloading? I like the back guard so that cases and small tools and stuff won't fall behind. I wonder if that metal edge under the front of the bench would interfere with mounting a press? I also wonder if there would be any flex to the bench while loading rifle rounds. maybe I could use a small piece of 1x6 to put under the surface where the press mounting bolts will go.
 
A Workmate huh? I always thought those things looked a little flimsy, but if you guys says it works I'll take your word for it.

I was also looking at that Sears bench. For another $80 you can get the 5t peg board that goes behind it. I'm thinking I may go in that direction. I do like the idea of the workmate, but I think I'll get a bench that I can also do other work one it, to include putting a vice on it.
 
People smarter than I suggested the Workmate. I bolted the press to a piece of 1-3/4" solid-core door and "C" clamped the mess to the workmate. The only "Tim Allen moment" was counter-sinking the bolt heads on the piece of door so I'd have a flush bottom and wouldn't have to find the holes in the Workmate.
Click to expand...
You can also staple plastic tubing or some other trim around the edge of the plywood sheet or door, to prevent things from rolling off the edge.

The thing I like about using the Workmate is that if you live in an apartment, it's very quick to break down if people will be around who shouldn't know you're reloading.
 
A Workmate huh? I always thought those things looked a little flimsy, but if you guys says it works I'll take your word for it.
Click to expand...
They come in various models. The bigger ones are VERY strong. The first one I bought, and which a friend still uses, has had thousands of rifle cartridges full-length resized on it, without even a hint of failure. Just don't get the crappy bottom of the line model.
 
I'm cheap, so I built mine out of wood I already had in the garage. It took me about 45 minutes with no plan, just a Skil saw, measuring tape, sharpie, drill and some long screws. It's incredibly sturdy and hasn't disappointed me yet.

We'll see how it holds up when I decide to buy a monster load-O-matic 1,000 rounds-per-hour progressive press. :D
 
I had mine set up in my old shop that was here complete with work benches when I bought the place. But, it's hot and not insulated enough to AC in the summer, so I got a 17 dollar fake, flimsy workmate wannabe from Harbor Freight so I could bring it inside, on the back porch, out in my new shop that is air conditioned, where ever I might wanna load. Eventually, I'll have my daughter's room if she'll ever get graduated, get a job, and get a life. :fire: But, for now, that's just a dream.

I mounted my stuff to 2x10s and clamp it in the bench, then on the opposite end I add a C clamp to keep it all on the bench. Works great! I haven't tried necking up .223 brass to 7mm for my TCU on it, but normal handgun loads are no problem.
 
Depending on space available...

Used Office Furniture places usually have big metal desks. The ones I've seen are cheap, study and heavy. I didn't even have to reinforce the top.

And the drawers are handy, too.

A very good alternative is a smaller desk. I scrounged a 'mimeograph desk'. It's the perfect size.

These take up space and are not portable in the usual sense. They work well.
 
I have two Sears steel workbenches placed so i can turn around and face each one i want to work at. Assemble the workbench with the board provided and then bolt one of the prefabricated kitchen counter tops 6 foot, to the existing bench top. This adds weight and stability to the bench. The added backsplash that comes with the countertop helps keep things on the surface fo the bench.
I use a drafting stool so i can swivel back and forth to whatever bench i am working at depending on the operation being preformed.
 
I built my bench using a piece of rock maple. This is the wood they make bowling alleys out of. It's harder than hell (you won't have to worry about gouging or denting it) but you'll need a sharp drill to make the mounting holes. Google " rock maple bowling alleys" and you should see some for sale.
 
My workbench is a prefab that came from Lowes a few years ago. It's all wood and is very sturdy. The top is made of 2x6s.

One thing to consider is whether you want to sit or stand while you're working. A lot of the benches shown on this thread are standing room only, so to speak. I can't stand up for an entire reloading session due to back problems so my bench has a bar stool and plenty of leg room underneath.
 
Deanimator said:
1. Fabricate a simple fixture out of scrap wood. Bolt the press to the fixture. Close the benchtop vice jaws on the fixture.

2. Cut a sheet of thick plywood to fit on top of the Workmate....Bolt the plywood to the Workmate. Bolt the press to the plywood. You can use Dillon's "Strong Mount" if you like.
Click to expand...

I took a 12 x12 inch piece of 3/8 steel plate and bolted the 550 to it and then bolted this to my bench top. Much like you're suggesting it spreads the torque over a larger area. Been solid for almost 7 years now.

Liquid Tension said:
My workbench is a prefab that came from Lowes a few years ago. It's all wood and is very sturdy. The top is made of 2x6s.
Click to expand...

Sounds similiar to the one I've got. The only problem with the 2 x 6 top is that the individual 2 x 6s can warp over time. Mine did this. So I replaced the original pine boards with pressure treated 2 x 6s then screwed down a piece of 3/4" plywood over the top. This is what I mounted the steel plate on.
 
I agree with swampgator that mounting your press to a steel plate definitely distributes the torque. I built a very heavy duty L-shaped counter in my reloading room that is lagged to the studs in th wall and had a butcher block top from 2x4 I laminated together and planed. Once I finished the bench top I didn't want to drill a bunch of hole in the top so I welded studs to mount my presses, power stand, and case trimmer on 1/4" plate. The plate has a lip that fits over the edge of the counter top and then I bolted to the counter top with three 1/2"x 4-1/2" carriage bolts, these are the only holes in my conter top.

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I built my own top using 2x4 half-lapped + 3/4" birch plywood + 1/4" masonite for a smooth surface . Rock solid top plus I was able to put shelf space and drawer space for die storage etc. The base can be made from 4x4 or in my case 2x4's I had left over from home improvement projects. My bench is 6ft long x 32" deep and 30" high. Good luck.
 
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