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Homemade reloading bench questions

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  • schick79

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    Just got into reloading and at the point where I am building my reloading bench. Had a couple of totally beginner questions so I hopefully get this right the first try. I was looking at building something about 6 feet wide, maybe 24" - 30" deep. I could go narrower if that's too much, but I can't go bigger due to space constraints and wife complaints.

    1) Does anybody know of a place in Pensacola to buy a good, thick wood top? The only thing I know of to do is go to Home Depot or Lowes, but I know they don't have anything much thicker than a half inch, usually. Is something thicker than that even necessary?

    2) I'm right handed. Where does it make the most sense to put the press from left to right on the bench? Center? More to the left or right? Doesn't really matter? Just trying to put the least amount of holes in this thing.

    Any other bench suggestions are welcome. At this point I am asking only what I can think of to ask. What I don't know could fill a library at this point. Thanks!
     

    SAWMAN

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    Yeah joe,I was gonna say just double it up. 2 X 3/4" would make a super sturdy top.
    If right handed would suggest you put press to the right but leave about 12-18 inches.
    Most important is - - -> your bench cannot be too sturdy. Make it super heavy duty. Make a full length shelf under the bench just high enough to fit a 50cal ammo can under.
    If it is only 24-30 inches deep it might try to tip towards you when you put downward pressure on the press arm when resizing. Maybe put some heavy stuff on the shelf or attach it to the wall stud ??
    Think about putting a sheet of heavy duty rubber on the top also. --- SAWMAN
     

    bohica793

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    I built my first out of 2x4 and plywood but found it to not be sturdy enough. The plywood, even doubled, would not handle the torque of the press. I built my latest completely out of 2x6 stubs. I bolted it to the wall studs using lag bolts and used 4x4 for the legs. Solid as a rock.
     

    TennJeep1618

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    This is what my bench looked like a couple years ago. Not much has changed, except some added shelving on top of the bench and some slight re-arranging. The top is doubled 3/4" plywood sheets. It's 38" high and the main part is 30" deep.

    My press isn't permanently mounted. I use PatMarlins RockDock system to easily attaching and remove my press. I just drilled holes through the top and attached t-nuts underneath. The only thing I would potentially change is to secure mine directly to the wall. It's pretty darn sturdy, but it will rock slightly when a lot of torque is applied to the press.

    ZA3RPJe.jpg


    V8XUHfi.jpg
     

    schick79

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    Awesome suggestions, everyone - thanks so much. I will definitely take all that into consideration.

    Saw - I was originally going to use laminate top, but I really like your idea of the rubber. Where could I get that at locally?
     

    TennJeep1618

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    Awesome suggestions, everyone - thanks so much. I will definitely take all that into consideration.

    Saw - I was originally going to use laminate top, but I really like your idea of the rubber. Where could I get that at locally?

    Depending on exactly what you're looking for, check out the horse stall mats at tractor supply. They may be too thick, though.
     

    SAWMAN

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    Mine is a piece of conveyor belt that took wood chips to the boiler at a 48meg power plant.
    I bought a piece of thick rubber matting for my shooting house that was 4'X4' or 4'X6' at either Tractor Supply or Harbour Freight. Wasn't much money either. It was fairly thick and had some contour to it also. --- SAWMAN
     

    blackhawk

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    I mounted two presses one left and one right. I am right handed the press on the right is the way to go.The idea of 3/4 plywood doubled worked for me. A thin cabinet grade finish board on top is nice sanded and stained. A trim piece along the front with a 3/8 lip above the top will keep things from rolling off.The frame can easily be 2x4 with 2x6 under the top. You might want to include a drawer on one end. Height is important 33 inches is my choice, but I am 6'1". Storage shelf underneath worked out great also. Buying the plywood I went to the pace Lowes store and found two 4x8 sheets that were not perfect and the employee sold them to me at half price. I used lag bolts and 3" deck screws for a solid mount. It is bolted to the studs in my walls as well to hold it in place.
     

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    Mozella

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    Harbor Freight sells a 60"x20" hardwood work bench for $129. It includes four felt lined drawers, a lower shelf, and a vise on one end. I use it for my reloading table and it's great. You can hardly buy the raw limber for that price. When I put mine together I gave each and every joint a squirt of yellow carpenters glue. It's as solid as a rock. In my opinion, this bench is WAY better than building from scratch, especially when it comes to the four drawers which hold all sorts of reloading related stuff. The vise comes in handy too.
     

    Jester896

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    I used MDF on the top of this one with a 1/4" steel plate under the presses. It is anchored to the brick with lags. Some tough cases I get a little rise of the front legs...not really an issue when the brass is fired in my gun.

    Front.jpg

    I am in the process of making some changes for my new shop. I will move the single stage stuff to a table like Mozella mentioned...mine came from Lowe's for about the same amount. I will move the MEC and Dillon to a separate table rolling chair height. I don't size on the Dillon so that shouldn't pose any issues.
     

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    reel_crazy

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    old wood entry doors make nice bench tops..i used one in my shed for a work bench.. thing is too heavy for me to even lift. and solid..

    rich
     

    Mozella

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    Harbor Freight sells a wooden workbench which you can get on sale for around $150, sometimes less. It has four very useful drawers and a vise on one end which I use frequently. I put mine together with a dab of yellow wood-working glue on each joint and it's rock solid.

    For me, it's the perfect reloading bench to mound my press and the selling price is less than the cost of materials at your DIY store. Of course you'll need more flat surface which I get with a simple wooden table, but it need not be as sturdy as the table holding your press.
     

    Jason

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    I posted these here. http://gulfcoastgunforum.com/showthread.php?43462-Sandstone-Table-Counter-Top-for-sale-(Baker-FL) wanted 90 a piece but ain't had no takes so both fer 100 or 50 a piece would take em.

    I just refinished a sandstone table by sanding all the scratches down, just gotta tweak it a bit then seal it and might sell it. Turned out to purty fer me to put in the yard in the weather as a shooting table. Probably look at 90 fer the table and could send some pics if interested.
     

    schick79

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    Thanks again to everyone for the replies. Ended up having to go in an unexpected direction. The other half demanded that the final product look very good since this was going in a spare room in the house. Apparently she doesn't have any faith in my skills, so wound up getting a Gladiator workbench from Lowes. It has a 1 3/4" solid wood top, so that part worked out well. It is sturdy as hell. Also has strong, metal adjustable-height legs, so I got it at the perfect height. Bolted it to the wall and it doesn't wobble a tiny bit. Still working on putting the press together, but so far it is working out well. Thanks again for all the advice - it was all very helpful!
     
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