quote:

Originally posted by Jim C. <><:
Assume this is your first bench?

IMHO, most make their loading benches far too low. I've made four benches and helped make three others for friends. It seems that best vision, and therefore best work, is when we are sorta close to the table top but withut having to lift our arms over the top. Meaning, put the bench top at about belt buckle height, just below your elbows. Then you get a "bar stool" - for cheap - at a flea market/yard sale so you are at the same position when seated. For me that's 43". BTDT and I would NOT have one any lower! My friends came to agree too.

Now, for what you didn't ask but should think about.

Plan to block your press(es) up enough so you can fully depress the handle without bending over, at all. Your back will thank you.

Don't make the bench top too wide; 18"-21" seems to be plenty. Wider and the back will become a storage area for bits and pieces unrelated to the work at hand. And a wider top makes it annoying to reach across.

Put a "book shelf" unit on the wall above the bench, as wide as your bench is long and as high as you can go, make the shelves no wider than about 5-7 inches or things will get lost; you WILL find plenty of things to fill them! And put one sturdy shelf about nose/chin high to place your beam scale and trickler on. (Most of the people who hate beam scales are trying to use them on the bench top - that's a BAD position!

Make your bench as long as you can, you will find plenty of things to do with any "extra" space; tumbling, gun cleaning, scope mounting, etc. Paint it with a good grade of polyuretane, at least 3-4 coats to protect the surface from spills - coffee, oils, cleaners.

Put your press near the right end (if you are right handed). Then place your powder measure on a stand, just to the left and slightly behind the press (with your scale/trickler just to the left of that). That makes for a really smooth work flow without moving around.

Install a couple of six outlet AC power strips, one at each end of the bench for tumbler, drill, battery charges, radio, telephone, digital scales, vacumm cleaner, etc.

Install a 3-4" swiveling "machinest" vise at the left corner (Lowes/H'Dpot type is fine). Such a vise is really handy for a lot of gun/reloading type things and it also makes a GREAT temporary holder for occasionally used tools like a case trimmer, concentricity gage, etc, if you just mount them on a proper wood block.

Have a close place for a trash can! And keep a roll of paper towels + a spray bottle of Windex stuff close to clean oily or lead smeared fingers and other stuff as needed. (It's bad form when loading cast bullets and have to lick your fingers clean before handling primers or eating your sandwich!)

Put lots of light over the front edge of the bench. You want to see well, with few shadows. I prefer two four tube 48" florescent light fixtures but you can get along with a dual 48" tube "shop light" fixture if necessary.

Put down a strip of cheap carpet, what my wife calls a "runner", in front of your bench. Helps the feet, prevents a lot of damage to dropped stuff and you can roll it up to take outside to help clean the floor. (Do that at least annually, if it needs it or not.)

Use screws and glue to assmeble the frame, nails tend to work loose over the years.

I made my "last" (present) bench in the early 70s, still wouldn't change a thing. Well, it's only 7 ft long, about 10 ft WOULD be a bit nicer! (I do make mistakes but I CAN learn! )