Anyone have a source for good reloading bench plans... I need to mount 3 mec's, an RCBS, and a lyman and still have room to work on my guns. Need ideas.

Thanks

I made my bench out of a solid core 3068 door. That's 3 foot wide by 6 foot 8 inches long. It works perfect for my reloading bench. However, I've got so much reloading stuff that I use another bench to clean and work on my guns. I went to Home Depot and bought a white kitchen counter top and a cabinet kit for it to sit on. It is 10 feet long and has the back edge that curls up so things don't roll off the back.

You can find the plans for the NRMA loading bench that I have by going to my website, HANDLOADING FOR HUNTING at: http://www.accs.net/users/drquick Tab down to my "site map" and you will see the link to click on... Dave

Frank, go to Lowes/Homedepot/local cheap supply place and buy a few bottom kitchen cabinets and a kitchen counter top. Or just buy the top and make legs for it. The surface cleans up nice, its not that hard to drill and you can easily bolt the presses to the top.

For a reloading bench I have one of the old metal office desks with the 3'x6' high density pressboard top. This desk has one of the oversize tops that extends out past the desk 7" or so on the three sides you do not normally sit at. You can put it in the middle of a small room and mount equipment on all four sides and work comfortably all around it. The desks can be bought at used office furnature stores for next to nothing if you do not mind a couple dents (mine was $20). Lots of storage room in the drawers for tools, primers, etc.
Until you are sure what layout will work best for you, you can bolt your presses, trimers, etc to a stout board with countersunk screws up from the bottom and then C-clamp the boards to the desk top. After 5 years with this bench/desk I still have a couple items I move around.

FWIW, Mike

[ 11-28-2002, 04:54: Message edited by: mbk ]

Were I to do it again, I would go to Lowes, and have a sheet of 3/4 plywood ripped into two 2'x8's. Mine is built in and built in an "L" I reccomend that highly. It is important to have a lip of about 1.5 inches. I have all sorts of equipment that only gets used occasionally, and it gets "C" clamped to the bench when I need it.

I have a 6" shelf running around the bench about 6" off it and peg board over that. I have a bench width shelf halfway between the bench and the floor for big stuff. Over everything is pegboard. A couple of cheapie cabinets with sliding drawers hold odds and ends.

I'm happy except that I do wish I had used heavy plywood to surface the bench.

If you use plywood, make sure you double up on the 3/4 and then run a flat 2x4 underneath to bolt through for extra stength. But a cheap sheet for the bottom layer, get a decent one side finished for the top and then put a few coats of minwax on top to seal it.

What i have is an old shotgun reloading bench that i mounted a 3/4" sheet of plywood to and finished. Plus i have an old oak desk i refinished. I also mount my powder measure on a piece of finished oak board thats 1"thick and 12"x18". I can move this board from desk to loading table and use it either place. Just make sure the board is heavy enough so you can use the measure without it tipping over.

If i had to do it over again, i would probably get a counter top and make my own setup with cheap kitchen cabinets. One cabinet on the left and one of the right and a space in the middle to sit or stand at.

A couple of years ago I found my solution at a home improvement center. They had a wood 2' X 6' workbench kit for about $40. To the 2X4s and 2X8s they supplied I bolted two 3/4" particle boards to the top, pegboard along the length of the back,and some angle irons for extra rigidity. Had some leftover wood in the garage from another project and made an extra shelf for it.

thanks Guys, I think I'm going with the kitchen cabinet idea, but maybe something other than plywood for the top. Maybe some 2x12's glued up with a high pressure laminate for the top.

If and when it ever gets done I'll try to post a photo.

thanks aain

frank

Try your local cabinet shops. They sometimes have cabinets removed from kitchens from remodels or repairs for fire damage and they are usually free for the hauling.

For a top consider what I did in building benches recently for a new reloading room. I took a sheet of 3/4" MDF and split it. I made a "sandwich" of sorts with a half sheet of 1/2" MDF in the middle. I made cutouts on the front part of the bench top that were 5"X5". I made a similar cutout of the center 1/2" MDF at the location of the smaller cutouts. They were 6"X6" to enable a slip fit of 5" square sandwiches with a 6" square center piece of .500" aluminum. On these "slip in sandwiches" I bolted my presses and other tools to enable removal and replacement from the bench when desired. I made blanks to replace the ones on which the tools were mounted to enable a smooth benchtop with no tools mounted when necessary. The half inch MDF is dimensional and the aluminum is a tad smaller. I thought it would withstand the pressure of sizing and forming large cases better but at this point I'm not sure it was necessary. The MDF has worked well for me for almost two years and I wouldn't do anything differently. Just a thought.

Depending on where you are, how handy you are, and if have access to welding, cutting equipment, you might consider going to the local junkyard(call and ask first) and buying a 4x8 or 5x10 sheet of 1/2(or 3/8s even)plate steel. Costs about 12 to 15 cents a pound the last time I checked, IIRC correctly that would be about $3 to $4 a sq. foot. A little welding, or just screw it to some braced 4x4s and you have a very sturdy bench. But you won't throw it around the room very often.