Reloading Bench for 1br apartment

[xmanpike]

http://www.weaponscache.com/forum/ammunition-reloading/1840-portable-reloading-bench-free-plans.html

I made this bench. It works great, inexpensive, and folds up and can be put in the backseat of a truck or put away in the closet.

 

[LBEE]

Reloading Bench

I bought a Solid Oak Student Desk with Two Drawers & a tummy drawer
That has worked for me. I Attached a Dillon 550B to mine & it works great.
I found the used student Desk for $30. Good luck you will come up with something I'm sure.

 

[Tilos]

Most designs posted are great, but from what I know, apartment dwellers usually don't have woodworking tools to build stuff or the room to do it.
They need something cheap to bolt a press to out of the box:

http://www.harborfreight.com/adjustable-height-heavy-duty-workstation-46725.html

 

[moxie]

A used desk or small table is even cheaper and possibly better.

 

[zxcvbob]

I use a wooden stool for a portable bench. (rectangular top) Don't know if it's big enough for a progressive press, but it'll be sturdy enough if you can keep it from tipping. New ones are about $20.

 

[jack44]

here mine

 

[oneounceload]

For small places, the Black and Decker Workmate (the good version) with a reinforced or replaced top works well. The wider legs give stability, it can folded up and stored in a closet when not in use

 

[Strongbad]

I didn't even think about it at the time, but my neighbor uses a one of those work tables that looks like a sawhorse with the top that adjusts using a crank. He has it tucked away in his garage. He bolted a solid piece on top like a piece of pre-painted shelving (usually MDF) to it and it works great. Takes up minimal space. He's got a full size Hornady press bolted to it.

 

[David Wile]

Hey folks,

I have to agree with dsb1829 and SlowFuse in wondering how someone can use a progressive press on anything that would be used in an apartment. For progressive presses to function properly, they really need to be rock solid. Perhaps it is folks in apartments with progressive presses that write the threads complaining about their presses not throwing consistent charges or dropping powder and having problems with priming.

I lived in an apartment for a couple of years and did my reloading on a very small table. However, I was using a single stage press, and I also had a metal bar across the bottom of the legs so when I pulled the press handle back up the table would stay on the floor when the neck expander was pulled back through the sized neck. Loading can be done on a small table with a single stage press as long as you can keep it from tipping and from lifting.

As far as the Harbor Freight table goes that Morrow asked about, I have one of those tables I bought on one of their sales, and it is a very good table to do various types of light weight hand work. It is good quality and very solid, and the drawers are very convenient for storing tools. It is not, however, a real good choice to mount presses on it. If you put a press on the front, it ruins the advantage of the drawers which can no longer be accessed. I think it makes a great work bench to go along side a reloading bench which really is a different design.

I just cannot understand how one can expect a light duty bench and even a stool to perform satisfactorily as a platform for a progressive press.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

 

[Samari Jack]

My reloading stuff got relegated to a corner of our home office. Key word here is OUR meaning my wife is into neat and tidy and me not so much (probably pictures speak for themselves).

What I have is a Black & Decker Workmate. Model 400 I think. Kind of like what oneounceload was talking about. My Dillon 550B is bolted to the top. I clamped a small board in the jaws of the thing slightly lower than the top surface to form a trough. Taped over the holes. Bullets, powder and stuff are on part of a built in bookshelf to the right of the bench. Lights are on a portable stand behind the bench. The only help with stability is seating the primer. I work the lever with my right hand and hold the 550B from behind with my left in kind of a hugging motion to keep things stable.

In an apartment set-up, the workmate can be folded up in 10 seconds. Attach the press using wing nuts instead of hex nuts. Put the whole thing in a closet or behind a folding screen if you wanted to leave it set up.

The brass tumbler did get relegated to the garage due to dust and clean up.

 

[rfwobbly]

Where did the OP go ??

 

[dbarnhart]

May I suggest this one instead:

http://www.garage-organization.com/Product/Waterloo-2-Drawer-Workbench.aspx

Search for "waterloo WB5002" and you'll find it from many sources. It is a metal bench with a thick particle-board top. I've had one as my reloading bench for about a year and it is perfect.

 

[GCBurner]

My reloading "bench" is this one from Frankford Arsenal: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/155024/frankford-arsenal-portable-reloading-stand

I actually have two single-stage presses mounted on it on opposite sides. My powder measure clamps to the kitchen counter, which also holds my scale and trays for the brass. Everything packs up on a couple of shelves in a closet when I'm done.

 

[Tilos]

Hey folks,
I just cannot understand how one can expect a light duty bench and even a stool to perform satisfactorily as a platform for a progressive press

Wow...I wish I knew that before I reloaded using a piggyback in an appartment for 2 years, 6000 rds of 9mm

See my pic in post #22,

Tilos

 

[4895]

If you know a weldor, a sturdy table they can make you. Angle iron legs, cross braces, and a 3/16" top would make it heavy enough and be cheaper than $100.