I don't think you would have a problem. Two inches of plywood glued together can take a lot of stress. What I might do in that situation is get some 90 degree metal shelf brackets and install them on both sides of your loader. This would give the plywood some additional support. Is there a reason that you cannot offset something below the top to give you more knee room. The bottom shelf on my setup is offset six inches which gives me enough leg room and I am 6'3".
Posts: 1557 | Location: Texas | Registered: 26 July 2003
Here are some pictures of a reloading bench that i built today. Materials were about 10-2X4X8 1-2X8X8 1-4X8 sheet of half inch plywood , about a pound of 3" deck screws and a quarter pound of 1.5" deck screws. Bench top is 38 inches above floor level. Notice how the 2X8 overlaps the base by about 4 inches. I used an existing wall in my shop so if you don't want to use a wall you can add two more legs. If you are going to do a stand alone you may want to increase the width. I c-clamped a 550B for illustration. Total time to build took roughly two hours. Nothing Fancy but it is very solid. I will plywood the sides later. I just wanted to share the rough draft. I have a set of detailed plans available for sale for only $99.95. This is a limited time offer so mail your check today. All major credit cards accepted. Operators are standing by.
Posts: 1557 | Location: Texas | Registered: 26 July 2003
I really appreciate seeing your bench. I have just constructed a building I call my get away. 14 feet wide and 28 feet long. I was looking for plan for the top part of my bench. I had the major bracing going N/S, I like it better your way. Did you reinforce the back to carry the weight of the bullets?
Posts: 2608 | Location: Moore, Oklahoma, USA | Registered: 28 December 2003
I just screwed the horizontal bracing to the existing studs on the outer wall. I have not had any problems with the weight of the bullets causing any sagging. It shouldn't be a problem adding some vertical bracing if this is a concern. I have used this system for several years without any problems.
Posts: 1557 | Location: Texas | Registered: 26 July 2003
M16, I like the nice pattern to the shelves. It will definitely stay organized that way. Do you have trouble reaching things on the higher shelves? You might eventually need one of those rail ladders they use at the libraries.
I also like how shallow the shelves are. That way nothing can be behind anything. I have alot of depth storage ~2.8ft., but not alot of frontal area. I'm thinking about maybe having some kind of slide out drawer system, not sure how to tackle it, though.
Posts: 672 | Location: St. Paul MN | Registered: 21 April 2001
Having spent years as a cabinet maker/designer and several more researching/designing/developing reloading benches perhaps my comments are pertinent here.
The overlap of the 2x8 looks like a bad idea - any downward force on the front edge will be poorly tolerated and 2x8 will eventually loosen or break.
You must plan to reload standing up - sitting down at regular seating height minimizes fatigue - fatigue can lead to mistakes! Impossible to sit at designs such as you have because of undertable bracing and shelf.
Plywood is OK (but should be 3/4") UNTIL you get your first sliver from the edge! MDF doesn't have that problem (although slightly weaker).
Steve, please explain your reference to static electricity.
Posts: 1946 | Location: Michigun | Registered: 23 May 2002
Quote: The overlap of the 2x8 looks like a bad idea - any downward force on the front edge will be poorly tolerated and 2x8 will eventually loosen or break.
It may be a bad idea. I've only gotten a hundred thousand rounds or so out of my other benches built like this without any cracking to date. The plywood top seems to support the 2X8 well enough to keep it from breaking. Being a designer I am sure you realize that you can brace the loader once it is installed at the pressure point. Therefore there is very little pressure on the 2X8.
Quote: You must plan to reload standing up - sitting down at regular seating height minimizes fatigue - fatigue can lead to mistakes! Impossible to sit at designs such as you have because of undertable bracing and shelf.
That's funny. I have been sitting down at the same type bench for over twenty years. There is a 6 inch offset between the top and bottom shelf. Bench Height is a personal matter along with chair height. I like to use a stool so this is what works for me. You can adjust the height to whatever suits you.
Quote: Plywood is OK (but should be 3/4") UNTIL you get your first sliver from the edge! MDF doesn't have that problem (although slightly weaker).
True but it is braced very well underneath the top. I have used 3/4 inch on the other tops but just happened to have a sheet of 1/2 inch on hand. I doubt if 3/4" is needed. A little sanding will take care of the rough ends. Again 20 years without a splinter that I can remember.
Of course anything can be improved on so this is one of those times where you get what you pay for.
Posts: 1557 | Location: Texas | Registered: 26 July 2003
Quote: you were talking about seating at your bench... the best stool i've found to use is one of those computer knee stools with the wheels at all.
Ah, does anybody know what these are - perhaps a picture or a link to website or something?? I have been looking for a way to sit down for reloading for a while, but have yet to find a stool high enough for my bench (about the height of a regular kitchen top - 100 cm or so??). So any hints would be of interest. Would a wheeled stool/chair not be a problem on a concrete floor (rolling around when trying to stay stationary, say)???
Regarding the original subject: I think the shelves look terrific! How do you get stuff out of the top shelves, or are you simply tall enough to reach up?? (Maybe you are a retired basket ball player or something ). - mike
Posts: 6653 | Location: Switzerland | Registered: 11 March 2002
I built one similar to yours, but I substituted a piece of laminated hardwood "butcher block" for the top instead of plywood. It sure holds the presses, once they are bolted down through the butcher block wood!!
Quote: "The overlap of the 2x8 looks like a bad idea - any downward force on the front edge will be poorly tolerated and 2x8 will eventually loosen or break."
It may be a bad idea. I've only gotten a hundred thousand rounds or so out of my other benches built like this without any cracking to date. The plywood top seems to support the 2X8 well enough to keep it from breaking. Being a designer I am sure you realize that you can brace the loader once it is installed at the pressure point. Therefore there is very little pressure on the 2X8.
ELIMINATING THE OVERHANG WOULD STILL SEEM TO BE BETTER IMO.
Quote: "You must plan to reload standing up - sitting down at regular seating height minimizes fatigue - fatigue can lead to mistakes! Impossible to sit at designs such as you have because of undertable bracing and shelf." That's funny. I have been sitting down at the same type bench for over twenty years. There is a 6 inch offset between the top and bottom shelf. Bench Height is a personal matter along with chair height. I like to use a stool so this is what works for me. You can adjust the height to whatever suits you.
I WAS TALKING OF SIITING IN A STANDARD HEIGHT CHAIR LOWER THAN A STOOL WITH YOUR FEET ON THE FLOOR - THE BRACING AND SHELF UNDERNEATH PREVENTS YOU FROM DOING SO COMFORTABLY. SITTING ON A STOOL CAN BECOME TIRING (NO BACK SUPPORT). WE'RE TALKING "ERGONOMICS" HERE.
Quote: "Plywood is OK (but should be 3/4") UNTIL you get your first sliver from the edge! MDF doesn't have that problem (although slightly weaker)."
True but it is braced very well underneath the top. I have used 3/4 inch on the other tops but just happened to have a sheet of 1/2 inch on hand. I doubt if 3/4" is needed. A little sanding will take care of the rough ends. Again 20 years without a splinter that I can remember.
1/2" CAN WARP PRETTY EASILY - A HIGH GRADE 3/4" IS BETTER AND STRONGER - YES, SANDING IS RECOMMENDED.
Posts: 1946 | Location: Michigun | Registered: 23 May 2002
To give better support, I had designed my bench to have the side member to run the full end length of the Top. This is the same thing as seen in the pic below (the red part). I then placed a second 2x4 as a support under the upright that the press is bolted to (the yellow portion). There is a minor amount of overhang - 1.5" � this way and you still have plenty of clearance for the pivot of the arm.
Turok
Posts: 219 | Location: Prince George, B.C | Registered: 07 March 2001
I agree with Sonofagun for the most part. It would seem sturdier to have eliminated the overhang. I ran the end boards all the way to the edge of top, and placed the front board flush with the edge underneath the top so I wouldn�t get a step in my bench. My press is also placed directly overtop of 2 2x4 posts to eliminate any and all flex. I had used a 4�x8�x3/4� sheet of k3 or particle board to eliminate any chance of slivers.
Mine is built low enough to sit at. I don�t have a tray underneath it (not that I didn�t want one though), but years of smashing my shins on the cross member of our kitchen table discouraged me from putting one in. It�s where the dog now lies when I�m reloading. Girlfriend also has her turtle and tank under there.
I�ve been using my computer chair for some time now. It�s adjustable in height as are the arms so they don�t get in the way.
Please don�t take this as an insult to your work, it is a nice bench and I really like the shelving. I could use something like that to help keep me organized.
Turok
Posts: 219 | Location: Prince George, B.C | Registered: 07 March 2001
I think Tasco is on about a chair similar to the one below. I know somebody in work who swears by them, but I don't think they would be high enough for what you want as they are designed to sit you at the right height for standard desk.
If you go to: http:/www.argos.co.uk and search using "stool" and then "computer chair" they have a few things that might do the job for you and I am sure that similar stuff is available locally to you.
I think something like this might be more what your after?
Regards,
Pete
Posts: 5684 | Location: North Wales UK | Registered: 22 May 2002
Pete, that is very likely the "knee type" stool mentioned above. I also wonder if it will be high enough??
The stool would work, though. Neat it has a backrest, the absence of those has held me away from stools until now. Now, where to get one of those,,,, Hmmmmm,,,,
- mike
Posts: 6653 | Location: Switzerland | Registered: 11 March 2002
Quote: ELIMINATING THE OVERHANG WOULD STILL SEEM TO BE BETTER IMO.
The overhang makes it easier to bolt presses. If you do not have an overhang the bolts would go right where the bracing is. If you drill through the bracing that would defeat the purpose. You could use lag screws but I prefer bolts.
Quote: I WAS TALKING OF SIITING IN A STANDARD HEIGHT CHAIR LOWER THAN A STOOL WITH YOUR FEET ON THE FLOOR - THE BRACING AND SHELF UNDERNEATH PREVENTS YOU FROM DOING SO COMFORTABLY. SITTING ON A STOOL CAN BECOME TIRING (NO BACK SUPPORT). WE'RE TALKING "ERGONOMICS" HERE.
Actually this works better for me. I use a padded bar stool and rest my feet on the lower shelf or on the stool brackets. But this is a personal matter and to each his own. Test the height before you build and find out what comfortable for you.
Quote: 1/2" CAN WARP PRETTY EASILY - A HIGH GRADE 3/4" IS BETTER AND STRONGER
Get real. If this top warps being screwed to numerous braces at every corner as well as every 16 inches across the entire width I will kiss your backside on mainstreet at high noon.
Posts: 1557 | Location: Texas | Registered: 26 July 2003
YEP THATS THE ONE PETE...THEY DO WORK GOOD ON CONCRETE FLOORS....MY LOADING ROOM IS IN MY BASEMENT.... TO KEEP FROM MOVIN TOO MUCH YOUR TOES ARE ON THE FLOOR TO HELP YA....JUST LAST WEEK I RESIZED SOME 30.06 CASES FOR A FRIEND OF MINE AND I HAD NO TROUBLE KEEPING IN ONE SPOT.MY LOADING BENCH WAS BUILT AT JUST RIGHT HEIGHT TO USE THIS STOOL.
I moved back to my home town after the Corps. The local high school was throwing out some very well made and thick "science lab" desks. I managed to get one from a former teacher. But your bench, it takes the cake. Especially with all that shelving.
Posts: 185 | Location: IL | Registered: 25 March 2004
Quote: The overhang makes it easier to bolt presses. If you do not have an overhang the bolts would go right where the bracing is. If you drill through the bracing that would defeat the purpose. You could use lag screws but I prefer bolts.
Two bolt holes are not going to have a weakening effect in the size we are using, especially considering you are going through 3/4" top sheet screwed to a 2x4 box frame with supports down the middle, in addition to the large washers on the underside that distribute the weight of the bolts that hold on the rather wide bottomed press. I would agree it would weaken the structure if you put two 1" diameter holes through it, but we're not.
The problem (if you will) as I see it, is that the 2x6 is being held on by 1/3 of its total width. You put the press on the edge of the other 2/3 plus the compound leverage of sizing large cases; you are going to have flex. The only time mine will flex is if I put the majority of my 200lbs on it deliberately trying to flex it. Even then it's minimal.
Turok
Posts: 219 | Location: Prince George, B.C | Registered: 07 March 2001
Quote: The problem (if you will) as I see it, is that the 2x6 is being held on by 1/3 of its total width.
This would be true but if you will refer to the original post you will see that I used a 2X8 which is close to 50% of the total width hanging over the support. As far as that goes you could use a 2X10 if this is a concern. This along with support of the plywood top works out to a very sturdy mounting place.
In another post a question was posed as to the need for the overhang. Two of my presses (Dillon 650 and RCBS Rockchucker) need at least and inch of overhang due to the toggle link on the downstroke. So a flush mount with these loaders is out of the question.
I am sure there are a lot of things that can be improved on this bench. It's just an example of something that has worked for me for the last twenty years or so. It is pretty simple to build and you can customize it to fit your needs.I like it for the amount of storage it provides. I am a fairly tall individual and can reach items on the top shelf but a small stepstool could be used or you can make a lower top. One tip is to put the least used items at the top that are harder to reach.
Posts: 1557 | Location: Texas | Registered: 26 July 2003
For those who would like construction details for building strong, versatile, ergonomic benches using engineered cabinetmaking design principles, contact me.
Posts: 1946 | Location: Michigun | Registered: 23 May 2002
Talking of over hangs, how much un supported overhang do you think would be ok if the bench top was made from two 1" sheets of good quality ply laminated together with liquid nails and lots of deck screws? It need to carry a Rock Chucher press on this unsupported overhand.
I am hoping that 9" would be ok to give a little knee room ect under the front edge of the bench. I am not worried about the bench tipping or moving rather the front edge breaking off...
Regards
Pete
Posts: 5684 | Location: North Wales UK | Registered: 22 May 2002
The counter top my press was attached to for many years had cracked because of the torsional stresses of heavy handed reloading. This was an old salvaged kitchen counter that I had reinforced with scrap plywood. When I built my wife her dream home two years ago, I got a very large workshop out of the bargaining process (about 10% of the total but .... better that than nothing). My bench is similar to the above with the addition of a 6"X16" piece of �" steel with a 2 holes in the back to lag into the rear of the bench and 3 holes in front matching the press attachment holes. The press screws go thru the metal and into the bench supports. The result is absolutely no flex under the heaviest loads.
OK, call it overkill, but it works. Guess its just the engineer in me....figure the design load, double, and then add 20%! That way, it don't break when the idiot (me) does something stupid.
I used a 12" x 12" piece of 1/4" bolted to the top of the shelf, right at the front. I have another piece (the original plan was to "sandwich" the wood) but haven't needed it.
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