I am finally going to retire my "workmate" reloading set up. I am going to build a small reloading bench in my gun room. I'd like input on "T" channels, type of top and legs and framing. The bench will 3feet wide or less.
Any advice is appreciated.

Do as the Dutchman said "-Not much fop pretty
but Hell for stout."

2x6s 3/4inch plywood top 4x4 legs.

Build it how you'd like it, but as P dog says a 3/4" top is nice and whatever you come up with run a few decking screws through it into the joists in the wall behind it so you can't yank it around.

A good solid core door cut down to the size you want makes an excellent bench top.

I'd use a piece of laminated maple counter top. You used to be able to get it cut in 2 ft. long sections and, as I recall, it's 30" wide. We used some of this on a project we had when I did woodworking. For something like this, I just don't like plywood of any sort.
Conversely, when I moved into my current house, I bought 2 pre-fabricated benches from Sam's. Metal legs and laminated maple tops. These are 30" wide as well, as I recall. Hell-for stout. I then put an A-C grade plywood back on them along with some shelving. Pretty quick & easy. Just what I did.
Bear in Fairbanks

Here's mine:

Its about 40 inches by 18 inches. Just got a piece of pine top from home depot and bought enough 2x4s to build the legs. It mounts to the wall and is stout. I have T-nuts mounted on the underside that will allow me to mount my trimmer. It has been cleaner but if you can stay organized it's enough room. The bottom shelf also rests on a board mounted to the wall. Was the only way I could figure to make a small bench but make it sturdy.

Good Luck,

I used this kit from Northern Tool to build mine. Made it 2' x4' just because my last bench was very small. But you can make it whatever size you want. They also have this one without shelves on sale right now.

I used a 3/4" thick top and would recommend that to support the press.

LWD

Thanks for the link LWD, have never seen those before, neat! I might have gone that direction had I known about those. The only ones similar I saw were mega-cheap so went the full-wood route.

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:
2x6s 3/4inch plywood top 4x4 legs.

I used 2X4's for the frame and 4X4 for the legs (get 4 3 footers out of a 12'), 1" plywood and a shelf inbetween. Super stout, super heavy and I made mine 4' wide, 2' deep. works great. I did have to notch the front frame for my JR3 press and I reinforced it on either side. Mine looks like the picture above except 4X4 legs. Nice little bench. It's in the house so my GF won't lose me for hours on end in the garage. AND! my componets stay nice and cozy in the house too.

i'm no help - don't know how to make a small bench

Rusty,

The maple tops from Grizzly are great as are the birch from Ikea. If you use this kind of top just be sure to have a "backer" underneath that is glued with construction adhesive so you don't break the top when using a press. I learned the hard way, these tops will break apart otherwise. A neat way to make a bench is to use two narrow base cabinets as pillars on either end with a knee space in the middle.if you use cabinets invest in good ones, stock cabinets aren't stout enough and the drawer weight capacities are way to low.

Rusty,

This has little to do with bench design. But one thing I did was to add a Lyman turret press to my limited work space. The greatest benefit I got from it was one of consolidation and convience. Any "speed up" benefit was due to the fact that I keep a lee auto prime II mounted at all times (once youve tried it you will never go back to hand priming), and I also have an adapter for my Lyman 55 powder measure on it at all times, and the ability to switch from one to another by simply spining the turret is pretty nice.. If you are limited for space on the bench there is a definate advantage to be had from a turret press. Especialy if you are able to mount your powder measure to it. I keep mine mounted right next to the bullet seater die. And I highly reccomend the Lyman press. I know the Redding turret is better, but I think the Lyman turret is the best value.

If you like Lee products, there is now an adapter for mounting the Lee Powder measure to a press for 20 bucks as well.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEE-Pe...&hash=item25792b4e77

quote:

Originally posted by BaxterB:
Thanks for the link LWD, have never seen those before, neat! I might have gone that direction had I known about those. The only ones similar I saw were mega-cheap so went the full-wood route.

OBE for you, but for anyone else, just remember this kit bench height is for standing . . . just a little too tall to be comfortable working from sitting. I bought one of these, but relegated it to the workshop and bought a lower metal bench made for working from sitting position.

My loading bench is a bit larger. What I used was 5/8th sheathing glued to 3/4 inch particle board with 5/8th A/D glued on top of that. I banded the edges with 2 inch molding from Lowes.
The bench is attached to the wall as well as the frame and the frame is bolted to the floor.
If Virginia has an earth quake I'm hiding under the bench.

Jim

I built mine out of steel. I have 2 presses mounted on it. Then I bought 2 Dillon 650 and a Hornady 50bmg press so built another one out of steel. I used a 3 leg design and it is very stable. If you interested I can send you photos and measurements.

For small benches, I saw, on Ebay, a dovetail adapter that will allow you to mount your individual pieces of reloading equipment and change them out as you need to. For a small bench, I believe it would be the ticket.

Thank you all for taking the time to give me your ideas!

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by BaxterB:
Thanks for the link LWD, have never seen those before, neat! I might have gone that direction had I known about those. The only ones similar I saw were mega-cheap so went the full-wood route.

OBE for you, but for anyone else, just remember this kit bench height is for standing . . . just a little too tall to be comfortable working from sitting. I bought one of these, but relegated it to the workshop and bought a lower metal bench made for working from sitting position.

This is a good point. I should have mentioned this. I didn't realize this when I bought it, but I really liked it for a variety of reasons, so I've set mine on concrete paves stones to raise it to a standing height.

LWD

I think I just found the bench for me!
"The Constitution"
I'll just have to put it together!

I got a ready made steel bench. The top wasn't that durable so I cut two pieces of 3/4 inch plywood to fit and screwed and glued them together. The bench is screwed to the basement floor with concrete screws.

I still have my apartment reloading bench I made in the 70's.
It is an aquarium stand made out of wrought iron.
But for a 20(?) gallon tank.

I bolted a 2" thick piece of masonite like man made material to the top. I scarffed it from work. ( it is as hard as granite )

Then made angle iron legs hinged from the front with a plywood sheet between them.
When pined down and a chair on the panel you cannot tip the table. Ever!
And pinned up it becomes a cover for the shelves made underneath to store supplies.

It can all be broken down to parts and moved by one person.

Get creative !

The main thing I found with alternate benches is stability.... You don't want them shifting around or lifting up and down while you are working.... and a conventional construction bench that is 3' wide and 18" deep only probably weighs 50 lbs or so... and it's going to be shifting all over the place while you work...

To this end - I ended up using an old particle board/veneer banker's desk which weighs about 300 lbs.....

But.. To get the convenience and space savings with a small bench - I would prefer to have it mounted solidly to studs in the wall and/or lagged to the floor.... or to just weight it down with a couple hundred pounds of lead or iron....

Thanks

After a recent move my old bench didn't make the cut, so purchased a metal workbench. I did use the 2x4 workbench shelves, but as I said above the 2x4 bench was too tall unless you want to sit on a barstool.

My little bench seems to be working out just fine, as long as you don't need a whole lot of tabletop room.

I mounted my presses, and RCBS Uniflo powder measure on a length of 2" X 12" and C-clamp that to a folding "cafeteria" table. Mounted the RCBS priming tool to a short length of 2" X 4" and clamp to the table when I need it. Same set up with the case trimmer.

Sometimes I take the operation out in the shop and clamp the trimmer, primer tool in the vise.

This allows setting up equipment as I need it, clearing it away for other operations. Presses work just fine w/ this arrangement, even for sizing large cases like .458 Win. Mag. 30-06, .308.

You can find folding "side tables" -- intended for TV viewing, etc. that serve as space for organizing various operations.

I bought a table from Sam's that has a 2" thick top, steel legs. It's "bar height" but I have tall office bar height chairs. For the money, you could hardly build one that's this nice. I think they sell it as a work bench maybe? It has a very nice maple top. Sturdy if you buy angle braces and bolt it to the wall.

It's a little small for the space I have in my new house in Lakewood but it served my for around 10 years in my old house. It's 36” wide, 35” high, and 26” deep. I'll build a new bench for the space in a year or two, partly based on American Workbench's design and my own.


This is what it looked like in the old house.

Rusty! I checked with a wood working buddy of mine and he's of the opinion that you probably will be paying a great deal more than if you found a local person to build it for you. I tend to agree. roger

Hey Rusty
Too Bad you don't live close to Charlotte NC, I have 24 2x6's you could have, their 38 inches long. I got a pallet load of these for free.

quote:

Originally posted by Lost Oki:
Hey Rusty
Too Bad you don't live close to Charlotte NC, I have 24 2x6's you could have, their 38 inches long. I got a pallet load of these for free.

Thank you for the kind offer! My reloading bench has been ordered.