Being new to reloading i have only worked on an old desk. But now I have access to a good sized room in my basement and plan on building a nice reloading bench and cabinets. I have search the internet finding mostly space saving designs or whole garage setups. I am not afraid of a hard to make bench if it is a good design. Any ideas, pics, handy little tricks would be greatly apprecaited. Oh, and my 2 main loaders are a rock chucker and ponsess 800, if that makes a differance.
Reloading Bench Design
- Thread starter monte139
- Start date
- Status
Kevin Rohrer
Member
Mine is made from 2x12s, 2x4s, and 4x4s all bolted together with 3/8 bolts. No nails to pull out over time, and the only screws are those holding the 2x12 benchtop to the 2x4s. It won't move or flex, but I can disassemble it if necessary w/o damaging anything.
A couple pictures:
A couple pictures:
snuffy
Member
Spend the next couple of days looking at this thread, the first one of the stickies.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=218720
If you can't find some ideas there, well you're hopeless!
A loading bench is simply a box with only one side closed in,( the top).
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=218720
If you can't find some ideas there, well you're hopeless!
A loading bench is simply a box with only one side closed in,( the top).
Wow, that has everything. Thank You!Spend the next couple of days looking at this thread, the first one of the stickies.
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=218720
If you can't find some ideas there, well you're hopeless!
A loading bench is simply a box with only one side closed in,( the top).
ranger335v
Member
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2006
- Messages
- 3,797
Monte, if you have the tools and skills to do it you can make your own plans. Some criteria would be helpful for a noob tho. I'm on my third bench and have helped a couple other guys make theirs, what follows are the basics of what I've learned.
Bench top:
Height- Make the top about (standing) belt buckle height so you can easily work standing. Plan to use a bar stool for sitting work. (Got mine at a garage sale)
Lenght: Make it longer than you first think. Mine is a full 8 ft and it's none too long.
Width: Make it wide enough to give a good work surface but not too wide to easily reach stuff on the back side. I like about 20-22 inches, no more.
Surface: A 3/4 seamless top - plywood or OSB with 3-4 coats of marine grade polyurethane - is plenty sturdy and easy to keep clean. (You may want to split a 4x8 sheet and glue the halves together for a really sturdy 1 1/2" thick top.)
Support framing & legs:
Legs - of 2x4 are plenty strong enough, the commonly used 4x4s are wasteful overkill since the load will be in compression. Plan where you want the presses and have a leg within 6-8" to absorb the stress of working.
Under framing - Set your underframe back at least 2" from the front and ends, that way you can "C" clamp other tools - case trimmer, etc. - to the bench top edges when you wish. And make the underframe suitable for knee/leg room when working.
Storage - you will want a lot of it, under and above the bench.
Put at least one or two full length shelves under the top to store tumbler, media, empty brass, tool box, gun cleaning supplies, chronograph, bullet casting tools/supplies, etc. Ideally, you might want to add some simple hinged doors to help keep dust down.
Build a "book shelf" unit to sit either on the bench top OR - better - mounted on the wall behind and above the top so it won't interfer with use of the top itself. And not wider than maybe 7 1/2" or you'll lose stuff on it. Keep enough room between shelves for loading manuals and powder containers, loaded ammo, etc. Make the lower shelf at least 16" above the bench top and run shelves all the way to the ceiling, supporting the shelves well enough for them to support heavy things!
Tool locations:
Presses - keep about 10" to the left and 16-18" clear space around the presses if you're right handed. And expect to block up or otherwise raise each press so you can fully depress the lever without bending over (your back will thank you). Most of us prefer to keep the presses towards the right end of our bench so we can have max use of the rest of the bench easily. Plan to attach the presses with cut lengths of 3/8" "all thread" rod so you can go completely through the top and under framing for strong attachment, use large washers underneath to reduce compresson of the wood.
Powder measure - get a good bench stand for your measure and place it behind and slightly to the left of your main press, well behind the top front edge so you can easily reach it while keeping the bench front clear for loading blocks, bullet boxes, etc.
Beam scale - Make a box or other support so the scale is between chin and nose level for easy viewing when working. Make it large enough to also support a trickler. When charging, place the scale just to the left of the measure. (That provides a convienent and smooth work flow to drop a charge, trickle it to weight, dump it in cases sitting in blocks and seat bullets without having to take a single step. Done this way, a beam works as fast as any digital for me and I have no need to warm anything up or keep adjusting it as digitals often do!)
Vise - A 3 1/2" or so swiveling "machanics" vise mounted on the left front corner will be more handy than you might think. It will help with some reloading tasks, can hold rifles for cleaning and makes a great temporary base for trimmer or concentricity gage, lubrasizer, etc, IF they are mounted on wood blocks the vise can close on.
Bits and pieces:
Paper towels are very handy. Mount a roll holder at some convienent location.
Electrical outlets for radio, phone, vacuum, clock,.. on the wall. More outlets on the bench front for drills, tumblers, battery chargers. Use electical boxes OR power strips but have more than you think you will ever need - you'll need 'em! And MUCH easier to install them when you build than adding later.
Assembly with nails is not good, use screws and glue as much as you can so joints won't work loose over time.
LIGHT! You can't very well have too much. Ideally, install dual 48" tube floresent "shop lights" directly above the full length of the front edge of the top so you will have shadow free lighting over your full work space.
Bench top:
Height- Make the top about (standing) belt buckle height so you can easily work standing. Plan to use a bar stool for sitting work. (Got mine at a garage sale)
Lenght: Make it longer than you first think. Mine is a full 8 ft and it's none too long.
Width: Make it wide enough to give a good work surface but not too wide to easily reach stuff on the back side. I like about 20-22 inches, no more.
Surface: A 3/4 seamless top - plywood or OSB with 3-4 coats of marine grade polyurethane - is plenty sturdy and easy to keep clean. (You may want to split a 4x8 sheet and glue the halves together for a really sturdy 1 1/2" thick top.)
Support framing & legs:
Legs - of 2x4 are plenty strong enough, the commonly used 4x4s are wasteful overkill since the load will be in compression. Plan where you want the presses and have a leg within 6-8" to absorb the stress of working.
Under framing - Set your underframe back at least 2" from the front and ends, that way you can "C" clamp other tools - case trimmer, etc. - to the bench top edges when you wish. And make the underframe suitable for knee/leg room when working.
Storage - you will want a lot of it, under and above the bench.
Put at least one or two full length shelves under the top to store tumbler, media, empty brass, tool box, gun cleaning supplies, chronograph, bullet casting tools/supplies, etc. Ideally, you might want to add some simple hinged doors to help keep dust down.
Build a "book shelf" unit to sit either on the bench top OR - better - mounted on the wall behind and above the top so it won't interfer with use of the top itself. And not wider than maybe 7 1/2" or you'll lose stuff on it. Keep enough room between shelves for loading manuals and powder containers, loaded ammo, etc. Make the lower shelf at least 16" above the bench top and run shelves all the way to the ceiling, supporting the shelves well enough for them to support heavy things!
Tool locations:
Presses - keep about 10" to the left and 16-18" clear space around the presses if you're right handed. And expect to block up or otherwise raise each press so you can fully depress the lever without bending over (your back will thank you). Most of us prefer to keep the presses towards the right end of our bench so we can have max use of the rest of the bench easily. Plan to attach the presses with cut lengths of 3/8" "all thread" rod so you can go completely through the top and under framing for strong attachment, use large washers underneath to reduce compresson of the wood.
Powder measure - get a good bench stand for your measure and place it behind and slightly to the left of your main press, well behind the top front edge so you can easily reach it while keeping the bench front clear for loading blocks, bullet boxes, etc.
Beam scale - Make a box or other support so the scale is between chin and nose level for easy viewing when working. Make it large enough to also support a trickler. When charging, place the scale just to the left of the measure. (That provides a convienent and smooth work flow to drop a charge, trickle it to weight, dump it in cases sitting in blocks and seat bullets without having to take a single step. Done this way, a beam works as fast as any digital for me and I have no need to warm anything up or keep adjusting it as digitals often do!)
Vise - A 3 1/2" or so swiveling "machanics" vise mounted on the left front corner will be more handy than you might think. It will help with some reloading tasks, can hold rifles for cleaning and makes a great temporary base for trimmer or concentricity gage, lubrasizer, etc, IF they are mounted on wood blocks the vise can close on.
Bits and pieces:
Paper towels are very handy. Mount a roll holder at some convienent location.
Electrical outlets for radio, phone, vacuum, clock,.. on the wall. More outlets on the bench front for drills, tumblers, battery chargers. Use electical boxes OR power strips but have more than you think you will ever need - you'll need 'em! And MUCH easier to install them when you build than adding later.
Assembly with nails is not good, use screws and glue as much as you can so joints won't work loose over time.
LIGHT! You can't very well have too much. Ideally, install dual 48" tube floresent "shop lights" directly above the full length of the front edge of the top so you will have shadow free lighting over your full work space.
GW Staar
Member
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2009
- Messages
- 3,695
This is my contribution.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=6&f=42&t=319362
This is my rock sturdy result:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=6&f=42&t=319362
This is my rock sturdy result:
This is how I did mine. No plans but easy to build. It's 45" tall and the presses and other equipment are mounted to steel plates that are bolted to the bench with the vertical stress of the press directly over the legs. I like the island design that gives me access to all sides.
Schutzen
Member
I have a 10 foot long bench and consider it to be too short for 3 presses (dillion, Redding T7, and a P&W shot shell press). The best thing I did was to install the P&W on one end with room to add a case feeder (done) and then bore a 3" hole in the table top where the shells discharge. In this hole I place a plastic canning funnel with the front 1/3 cut out. The shells discharge out the press and into the funnel. They drop through the table top and into a 2 gallon bucket. When the bucket is 1/2 full, I swap buckets and begin boxing.
rfwobbly
Member
NRMA bench is great. I changed the top center slide-open cabinet to a plywood hinged door and added a lock to store my powder. I added a masonite top to the work area which is easy to clean or replace. I would make this bench again but would use a thick ply wood for the slide-open cabinets and add locks to keep kids out. Personally I think the work area front to back is too wide. I prefer to be a little closer to the cabinets and don't need a lot of space, though its better to have it an not need it I guess.
Presses, trimmers and anything else that should be mounted, I mount to a piece small piece of oak and clamp down, which keeps any movement during reloading process to a minimum. I'll post pictures when I have a chance.
Presses, trimmers and anything else that should be mounted, I mount to a piece small piece of oak and clamp down, which keeps any movement during reloading process to a minimum. I'll post pictures when I have a chance.
RustyFN
Member
I would recommend making it tall enough to load while standing up. That's how mine is. Sometimes I like to load while standing and whem I don't I have a stool that is just right to load while sitting.
LiveLife
Member
The portable castered bench I built has height adjustment (the reason why I used the HF stand) and I use an office chair with gas charged height adjustment. Between the two, I can get the right height for comfortable reloading both standing or sitting.
doubleh
Member
I bought a workbench at Sam's Club a few years ago. Heavy steel construction with levelers on the legs, a heavy wood top with two drawers underneath, a steel backboard that takes hooks, overhead light, and with a steel storage shelf on top of the backboard. It's only 4' long but is perfect for my needs. I built a single shelf to set on the top and a double shelf set for underneath. It's tall enough to stand at but I use a stool. With all the lead and loaded ammo stacked on it, it is very heavy and has no movement at all.
I bought it at the wife's suggestion. I had been talking about building a new bench and she asked if I could build one cheaper than I could buy the one at Sam's. I thought I could probably save a few dollars but do a lot of work so I just bought it.
I bought it at the wife's suggestion. I had been talking about building a new bench and she asked if I could build one cheaper than I could buy the one at Sam's. I thought I could probably save a few dollars but do a lot of work so I just bought it.
VegasAR15
Member
Seeing all of the pictures of the reloading benches in the other thread has inspired me, so the past few weekends I have been cleaning up my mess of a garage so that I can build a reloading bench. I was wondering if wood is the best thing for the top of it. I plan on building the entire thing out of wood, but I work in a sheet metal shop so I could use sheet metal to cover the top of it with. I figure that would be durable and easy to clean. Should I do that, or just go with plywood?
James2
Member
Here is my bench. It is easy and adequate in strength. The top and skirts are from 5/8 inch plywood. The legs are 4x4. It is assembled using grabber screws. Position the skirt such that it misses the bolt holes in your press. I backed up the press position with a piece of 2 inch lumber. This bench is 8 feet long, 2 feet wide and 30 inches tall.
woodsoup
Member
I hate to ask. But what do you reload that needs a bottle jack? About a 5 ton one at that.This is my contribution.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=6&f=42&t=319362
This is my rock sturdy result:
- Status
