Reloading bench height and depth....

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YankeeFlyr

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Long time since I last posted but I follow this all the time....

In my last house I had a reloading bench that I built in the basement; now I'm in our new place, and i can't remember the height I had!!! I seem to recall that I hemmed and hawed about for awhile to get it right.

What height do you guys use?

Mine was set up for standing or sitting on a bar stool, so it was like 37 or 38 inches above the floor. I'm only about 5'7", but man, I had that height just right. Is there a rule of thumb?

Also, it seems that they don't really need to be that deep, as I almost always used only the first foot or foot and a half from the front edge.

What say ye other handloaders?
 
Mine is 38" tall and 34" deep. I am 6'2. I load on a stool. Mine is nailed to the floor and wall. I use the back half for bullet storage. I usually have 200 to 300 lbs back there. The combo of weight and being fastened makes it rock solid.
 
The adjustable stool is the key. Then the bench height can be just about anything within reason and you'll be good.

The standard kitchen counter is 36 inches. So that's a good starting point.

Finally, if in doubt then consider making up something that allows you to try some options. It doesn't take a whole lot to make a top that can be shimmed to suit your desires.

For reloading you're right, we don't need a lot of depth. Even 12 to 16 inches would be fine. But for general gun servicing and tinkering I prefer a full kitchen counter depth of 24 to 25 inches. And if the reloading gear needs to be mounted to the same work surface then the need for a wider surface for general servicing takes precedence.
 
Mine's 35 and 3/4 inches tall. Made the legs 35" and the frame for the benchtop is flush with the top of the legs. I have 2x4 joists to strengthen the bench top which is 3/4" plywood. The length is 48" and depth is 30". Got an 18" shelf that's set back from the front so I have somewhere to put my feet when I'm sitting on my stool and reloading.
 
As for bench height / depth, one bench is 7'x3' x 1.5" thick hardwood. Deck height is 3' 6", and I sit in a nicely padded office chair with adjustable height.

I have another bench also, but I'm currently reorganizing a room, soon to become my new reloading room. It will be so nice having my area all to myself again, two benches, all my presses set up.

GS
 
Mine is normal kitchen counter top height. I have a foot rail down low so I can scoot my stool from one end to the other. The stool is on wheels.
 
My in house bench is only 18" wide but is an "L" shape (not a chance of tipping it) and trussed 66" long on one leg and 97" long on the other, 32" high. I use and adjustable height office chair to get the right height for the different presses.

I made my bench from steel (what I had) and would have made it bigger (if the room and drop material I had were) but it is solid and works well.
 
The trick on height is a surface height to elbows when standing. Mine is 42". You don't want to do any sustained bending while working in my opinion.
 
RPRNY said:
The trick on height is a surface height to elbows when standing. Mine is 42". You don't want to do any sustained bending while working in my opinion.
Click to expand...
^^^ My "rule of thumb" for the benchtop. Although, my press is fastened to a shelf that is 50" off the floor. It was what I found worked well for me from trial & error. This puts all the press activity at a good eye sight distance for me (5'11").
 
RPRNY said:
The trick on height is a surface height to elbows when standing. Mine is 42". You don't want to do any sustained bending while working in my opinion.
Click to expand...
That was today's epiphany

I just went out to the garage to check and the base of my LNL AP is right at elbow height.

My 3/4" plywood top brings the working surface of my bench to just under 37".

The Inline Fabrications Ultra mount's top platform is right at elbow level. Using their Short Ergo handle, the roller stops just below hip level on the full downstroke
 
Everyone is different, so I consider this totally subjective and very individual. I personally prefer an old office swivel chair on wheels, and my bench is an old folding banquet table. If I had to use a taller bench and a bar stool, or even stand up to reload, I wouldn't reload anymore. Comfort is #1 with me, and squatting on a stool or <gag> standing up ain't gonna cut it.
 
My bench is 40” high and 30” deep. The back support is a 2x4 lag bolted to the wall with a 2x6 (vertical) across the front with 2x4 legs to support the plywood top. I sit on a foldup stool from Wally World that I think cost about $10.
 
I am 5'7".

I set my bench height at 37". I am reloading in the basement utility room and I decided to build two benches each 48" in width to use the space better, both anchored to wall. I set the bench depth based on the sliding patio door to access the basement and the 36" wide door to the room (less a little bit for margin).

The taller folding bar stool at Wally World works ok. I would like to get a cushioned adjustable lab chair with a back on Amazon, standing is good for you, but does get tiresome.
 
I am the exception it seems as I prefer to stand

Metric - 133cm to top of bench, 90cm deep, 200cm width

That's roughly 52 inches High 35 inches depth 78 width

Have two other benches left and right of above.
 
My set up is largely dictated by my equipment. I have a Dillon 650 w/the case feeder on a strong mount-about 46" top to bottom. The room that I load in has a finished 7 ft. ceiling. I found a couple of cash register-I guess that you'd call them benches-at a fixture clearance sale at a Sears store that closed at a local mall. They're 32" so the whole setup leaves me about 6" to load cases. It works OK but I pretty much have to sit to work.
I can live with it.
 
Reloading bench height and depth....
Click to expand...
The 8' bench that I built ~15 years ago as a combination gun/reloading bench is 37½" high and 32" deep with an 11" 2-level shelf at the back. Until last Christmas I used an old stool for reloading ... my sister & BIL gave me a nice CRAFTSMAN-logo limited-height-adjustable chair/stool since they know how much time I spend at that bench. :)

This height works very well for me with both my RCBS JR3 single-stage and Lee Classic Turret presses (in addition to my 4" vise and my barrel vise).

The heavy "island" gun bench (designed for standing) that I build several years ago is 43½" high.

For reference, I am just shy of 6' tall.
 
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One of my benches is made from steel unistrut, anchored to the concrete wall with 3/8" concreter anchors. The top is 24"deep made from two pcs of 1/2" plywood gluded and screwed together. It's 8' long and super solid. The house may blow away in a tornado but the bench will still be there.
 
I did say my bench was 35 and 3/4", and it is, but I didn't mention the press is actually mounted 1 inch higher because it is attached to a 1 inch thick board that is bolted to the benchtop.
 
I am a fan of laminating 2 pieces of ¾" plyboard to produce a ~1½" thick benchtop. I use pre-position guide pins to help minimize the amount of edge-finishing required ... and then apply the gorilla glue, carefully marry the 2 pieces and quickly screw them together (temporarily) with 1¼" sheetrock screws.

I have crafted such tops for my gun, reloading, shop and garage benches. Very solid, especially when mounted on a robust base.
 
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