Reloading Bench Thread!
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So I built this last weekend, and the final part (for now) came in so I got it mostly set up.
The white thing under the RCBS Chargemaster is supposed to be an antistatic mat, but I have my doubts.
I still need to mount a Hornady LNL AP on it but I don't use it right now so that can wait.
Eventually it'll get a better power conditioner with a battery backup, and the RCBS Chargemaster will be moved to a separate bench.
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Looks like its coming along nicely. :)
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One thing I noticed last nite was that living In a trailer is a but unstable and walking near the bench would cause my scape to jump. Not good, I'll have to secure it a little better somehow.
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I want to put my reloading setup back in my garage, but the summer heat here just keeps me from doing it.
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Reloading equipment belongs in a climate and humidity controlled environment (in my opinion).
If the wife doesn't like it...put her in the garage. lol
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I think ideally, down in the basement where you can lag bolt it to the cement floor and wall.
Nice and cool, just have to put a dehumidifier in it.
My setup has a couple non ideal issues, it's on carpet, and it's in a trailer house.
I'm hoping now if I bolt it to the wall, and the floor it'll help.
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My bench is in a slab house and it is bolted to the wall. I don't want it moving.
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Yes, the stronger and sturdier it is, the easier it will be to work with. Not really possible to go to big or too strong when considering your reloading bench.
I agree that it should be in a climate controlled space as well. Basements provide a lot of humidity and there is always the possibility of it being flooded out. Weather can do that, but pipes breaking can also do it. That can get expensive fast. Powder really likes to soak up humidity, and it doesn't take long for it to do it when exposed.
My first choice is ground floor, anchored to the wall studs with legs anchored to concrete. My bench tops are never less than 3" thick of stacked plywood or solid board. I could resize a howitzer case and it wouldn't flex. ;)
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It's now bolted to the floor and wall and it doesn't wiggle anymore.
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Well here's V2.0 of my portable press stand. To keep my setup in the house, I have to work on my desk. Not wanting to mount my press permanently to the desk I need a stand. The first one I made was just a piece to 3/4 oak plywood with the press mounted on the front edge. Well physics being what they are it didn't work well. Now this thing is strong and the force is in the right direction. The base is 3/4 oak plywood and the riser is 2x4. Even had some room to mount my tray racks.
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I like the ingenuity! It's always very interesting to see what people come up with. Matter of fact, I'm going to rename this thread and sticky it the "reloading bench" thread!
Not having the press rigidly mounted might bite you at some point though. You might consider a dovetail modification to your bench, or perhaps a c-channel setup like I've seen some folks use. With the dovetail, you can just make "blank" inserts that you can use as a regular bench. Then you can make inserts for all your presses and tools, which stay mounted to the inserts and are stored elsewhere. I really like that type of setup.
There's also a bunch that use some kind of track system in the benches. That would be easier for you to install in your current bench.
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Here is my current setup.
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I outgrew my old "bench" so I decided to make something better. I live in a condo, so space is at a premium. Here's my attempt.
It's designed similar to @orkan s bench to make use of the small space. It currently occupies half the closet in my guest room.
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I can remove the inserts and the closet closes and you'd never know I had it in there. I don't have access to a sweet 3D printer, so all my comparators, shell holders and other random yet essential parts go in these trays. '
I'm still working on a lighting solution, and I still haven't moved into it completely, but overall I'm pretty happy with the attempt.
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@ragnarnar Looks good to me! Great use of available space.:smile:
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Excellent setup!
I got this set of these for under the kitchen cabinets. Bet they would work great for your setup too.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/GE-17528-GE-Under-Cabinet-Light-Fixture-12/21827156?action=product_interest&action_type=title&item_id=21827156&placement_id=irs-106-t1&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id&category=&client_guid=f60a65cd-e69c-42c1-82cf-edb0428eeb8b&customer_id_enc&config_id=106&parent_item_id=16561412&parent_anchor_item_id=16561412&guid=519bcec9-257a-4785-8c56-f255c4069452&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n
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Sweet setup. :)
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Press stand final version I hope. My last stand was still not prefect. The base had some flex in it, and I couldn't clamp it back far enough to counter act the leverage of the handle. I also had the handle tilted back which rubbed the dies and caused other issues.
My wife bought me a roller handle from Inline Fabrication, so I decided it was time for a super sturdy stand. I found a stand posted on Accurate Shooters site, and decided to work from that but made it my own.
I bought a 1"x3' red oak stair tread for the wood. The riser is 7" tall which allows the ram to move up and down freely. The base is 17 1/2" deep, which gave me enough room to mount my trimmer. I also bought a 12" deep throat clamp so I can clamp it far back on my table top. Set it on a piece of shelf liner, and it does not move.
I'm going put stain and finish on it. Just not sure what color yet.
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This is what I did at my reloading bench this afternoon. I recalibrated several seekonk wrenches. Aren't they pretty!
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Excellent. :)
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My little set-up...seems like it's always cluttered..
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@mamalukino makes sense to me!! Here's my bench....always a work in progress.
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Lets see if this works. Some pic's of my reloading room. That wasn't too painful.
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Very nice set up.
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I gotta get a bigger place!!
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In the middle of moving my loading bench from the attic to the upstairs room in my house. Damn I didn’t realize I had some much shit! Amazing how much stuff you’ll accumulate over time.
Looking nice so far
Still got a long way to go
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My multipurpose workbench-
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Since my last post I built a dedicated reloading bench. The frame is made from 4”x6” ’s with a 1/2” oak plywood top.
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I'm finally unpacking some of my reloading equipment and for now have a place in the remaining shop area. It's going to be a rough go in the summer when it's 100+ degrees in the shade. I will most likely do the powder charges inside in the a/c and case prep and seating in the shop. I plan on building some shallow cabinets on the wall between the shop and bedroom we are adding for additional storage. All the powders and primers are stored inside in climate control as well as brass and bullets. I have all the dies and case prep tools in the little Craftsman tool box and my micrometers and indicators I use with the lathe also. Sure miss my other shop I had all kinds of room can't dwell on that.
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I threw together a weighing station yesterday. Just a little 3x3 plywood table that's pretty stable I normally set the trimmer up on and clamp a cordless drill to it for the case mouth chamfering. Charge the brass and put it in a tray then go out to the shop and seat bullets. I used a Redding micrometer seating die yesterday for the first time man that's nice. Only have the one in .223 Remington though now I want more. I have a bunch of Wilson chamber type but they're not as easy to set as this one.
