Reloading bench question ... brand new reloader. Zero experience. Getting plans together to build my first reloading bench.
Welcome to the world of reloading that is a hobby for many of us and a passion for some of us.
It's good that you are asking questions so as to not reinvent the wheel and build on success of other members.
I have some extra four by fours I will be using for the two front legs and it will be lag bolted to the wall. There will be braces underneath that will take all flex out of it for sure.
I started out with 6' and 8' heavy duty benches in the garage using 4x4 legs and industrial grade metal casters strong enough to handle working on engine blocks. Even though benches were on casters and rolled easily on concrete, due to sheer size and weight of the benches, reloading press mounted did not move the bench.
Size of the reloading bench and whether to go with stationery anchored vs portable castered bench depends on your reloading need. I built several reloading benches for me and friends over the decades with many being portable.
Why build a small portable bench?
It's summer time and if your massive bench is in the garage without climate control, you could be sweating like a pig in 100F+ heat or freezing your fingers off in the winter wondering why your digital scale won't operate properly (Most digital/electronic devices have room temperature operating range of 59F to 95F and will act weird outside of the manufacturer specified "normal" operating temperature range and many members will use the digital scales inside the house).
So instead of being miserable in the heat/humidity/cold, portable bench allows you to reload in comforts of air conditioning/heating and better interact with significant other/family. My wife for years thought I was crazy to be reloading in the summer heat sweating like a pig but I needed my match loads for USPSA matches but after brain fried in the heat, I became a cranky bastard not comfortable to be around. Reloading in the house solved that problem.
Remember, a man's house is his castle, right?
And starting with a small 2'x3' castered bench will not only be easier to build, but give you another reloading option as you can certainly build an anchored massive bench in the garage for later when weather is more "comfortable"
Here are some benefits of portable bench from another thread -
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...stand-suggestions.839458/page-2#post-10887626
PDF of bench plan and parts list -
http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=210769&stc=1&d=1432610198
- 2 feet width and short 3 feet length allows the bench to roll through any doorway and turn in from even narrow hallway
- Small size bench allows for storage when not in use (I used to store my bench in a walk-in closet at the previous house)
- Furniture dolly casters from Harbor Freight allows the bench to roll easily on any surface without marring
- Mounting presses at ends of bench allows resizing even thicker walled military .308 cases without moving the bench, even when empty
- As others already mentioned, solid non-flex top is crucial and I used 11 layer birch plywood from Home Depot with 2 coats of Polyurethane and bench top does not flex even when resizing military .308 cases
- Benefits of small portable castered bench are many some of which are allowing you to reload in the comforts of AC/Heat, roll bench anywhere to be with family (livingroom to watch TV while resizing or out in the patio while sipping iced tea with wife), etc.
Here's the 2'x3' portable bench with furniture dolly casters from Harbor Freight (I just bought the moving dolly and took the casters off - cheaper than buying individual casters). I added a small pegboard "wing" to the left of bench to store long rifle cleaning rods but that's optional. I initially mounted my C-H 205 single stage press and Lee Pro 1000 but since replaced the Pro 1000 with Lee Auto Breech Lock Pro. I am thinking about building another 2 level portable bench to mount Dillon 550 and 650 to use in my retirement reloading room.
Even this small 2'x3' portable bench allows storage of dies, turrets and other equipment/tools for caliber change and brass prep. Shelves under the bench allows storage of powders and bullets to consolidate reloading in one place to roll around. In addition to Lee powder measure, I also use C-H/Redding micrometer powder measures -
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/c-h-502-micrometer-powder-measure-10-drops.834894/
C-H 205 single stage will resize even thicker walled military .308 brass without moving the bench on hardwood floor, even when empty. While many members will endorse bolting/anchoring the bench to the wall to keep it steady/tipping forward, understanding the mechanical leverage/force required to resize even thicker walled military .308 brass will help you build a better bench, portable or stationery.
Notice the portable bench is built with 2x4 kiln dried dimensional lumber stiffened with 11 layer plywood and reinforced with 2x4 under the bench where presses are mounted all fastened with 10d nail and 3" screws. This construction method results in a very stiff box frame that DOES NOT FLEX the bench top for consistent OAL. With match grade bullets like RMR FMJ RN/FP, I get 0.001" OAL variance using mixed range brass which demonstrates rigidity of bench construction -
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...progressive-press.833604/page-2#post-10779806
Since this picture was taken, Pro 1000 was replaced with Auto Breech Lock Pro for all of my THR load development/myth busting thread test loads, which BTW is my current favored press to use (Even over Dillon 550/650) due to ease of/fast caliber change and would highly recommend the ABLP for someone new to reloading who mostly load pistol calibers and short rifle cartridges like .223.
Right now my plan is 3/4 OSB ... I will add another layer, as the expense is not that much.
I found OSB could absorb moisture over time and could increase flex. If you are planning to spend the money for double layer of 3/4" OSB, I would highly recommend you use single lay of 11 layer plywood with coating of polyurethane.
Key is use of proper bracing and use of kiln dried or seasoned 2x4s. Wet/green 2x4s are soft and will flex to an extent. Using kiln dried or seasoned 2x4s which are hard won't flex. I have 2x4 under the 11 layer plywood bench for bracing under the ABLP that is fastened with 10d nails and wood screws and provides "zero" flex top for more consistent resizing of brass and finished OAL.
how silky smooth should the main surface be? ... I thought about adding a thin piece of white board on top that would be extremely slick and make everything very easy to see but don't know if that would be a help or not
My bench top with 2 coats of polyurethane (previously used as pool table cover) is approaching 20 years and has worked very well without moisture issues and smooth surface is easy to clean.
If you already have OSB or dead set on using OSB for bench top, I recommend bracing under the bench top with 2x4/2x6 and covering the rough OSB with thick vinyl. I have even smaller 2'x2' bench I originally built for pistol case processing/reloading where OSB bench top was covered with thick vinyl material bought from fabric department of Walmart. Sheet vinyl was tightly folded against the bench and stapled with staple gun.
I got these boot trays from the dollar store and cut around the press bases to catch powder granuels, primers, etc. but the vinyl top is easy enough to clean and currently use without the plastic trays.