The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old December 28, 2008, 04:02 PM   #76
DaveInPA
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 20, 2008
Location: Berks County, PA
Posts: 1,106
I will be building a new bench with a track system after seeing Rembrandt's setup. That is VERY slick.
DaveInPA is offline  
Old December 28, 2008, 05:27 PM   #77
Unclenick
Staff
 
Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 21,022
Rembrandt's track is originally a Frameworld modular structure extrusion. Most of it is designed to work with the square underside of the head of either a 1/4" or a 5/16" carriage bolt rather than machinery T-nuts. Simple in principle. Not cheap per foot, but good stuff.

I like the concept, too. I've currently got too many presses rubbing shoulders on too little bench space. That system would let me customize a cart to store the presses and roll them out of the way, then mount them on the bench as needed. Good idea. By the way, slick as it is, if mounting loading presses is all you ever use the bench for, there is nothing to prevent you from surface mounting that frame extrusion. Bolts slide in the bottom as easily as they do in the top so they can be slid in and poked through holes in the bench. That way you don't require a bench top thicker than the extrusion if you don't have it.
__________________
Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member
CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor
NRA Certified Rifle Instructor
NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle
Unclenick is offline  
Old December 28, 2008, 07:18 PM   #78
Walkalong
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 30, 2007
Location: Al.
Posts: 196
My Bench.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Bench 3.jpg (187.9 KB, 1241 views)
Walkalong is offline  
Old December 29, 2008, 10:02 PM   #79
oneounceload
Junior member
 
Join Date: April 18, 2008
Location: N. Central Florida
Posts: 8,518


8 feet long, and I STILL need about another 4

made from gorilla racking I got at Sam's club
oneounceload is offline  
Old December 30, 2008, 09:14 PM   #80
DaveInPA
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 20, 2008
Location: Berks County, PA
Posts: 1,106
Where would I go to get the metal plates for mounting presses, etc. on to use with a track system?
DaveInPA is offline  
Old December 31, 2008, 08:47 AM   #81
CowTowner
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 17, 2007
Location: Cowtown of course!
Posts: 1,747
Here's Mine

Just to add to the pile.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg My Bench 001.jpg (39.4 KB, 1468 views)
__________________
NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Home Firearms Safety, Pistol and Rifle Instructor
“Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life......” President John F. Kennedy
CowTowner is offline  
Old December 31, 2008, 09:10 AM   #82
Rembrandt
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 10, 2002
Posts: 2,108
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveInPA
Where would I go to get the metal plates for mounting presses, etc. on to use with a track system?
Mounting plates can be made from a number of different materials...wood, aluminum, steel, or plastic. I found high density plastics work well, light weight, available in any thickness, easy to cut & drill, doesn't rust, and won't scratch bench surface. Can be found by googling the net or check the phone book under plastics.

1/2" thick plates worked well, gives you enough material to use a counter bore or counter sink.



Last edited by Rembrandt; December 31, 2008 at 09:29 AM.
Rembrandt is offline  
Old December 31, 2008, 11:28 AM   #83
444
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 20, 2000
Location: Ohio
Posts: 3,968
I hope these pictures arn't too big.
If they are too much I will take them down.
This is one of my spare bedrooms. I am trying to show all sides of the room with the four pictures.
Yes, I am single.








__________________
You know the rest. In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,
How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
444 is offline  
Old December 31, 2008, 12:57 PM   #84
at2000
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 29, 2000
Posts: 133
Rembrandt,

How long have you been using the track system and how is it holding up? Also, what type of fasteners are those?
at2000 is offline  
Old December 31, 2008, 01:20 PM   #85
DaveInPA
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 20, 2008
Location: Berks County, PA
Posts: 1,106
Would this be the right type of plastic? And do their prices look right for 1/2" stuff?

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...uct%5Fid=10369
DaveInPA is offline  
Old December 31, 2008, 02:34 PM   #86
Rembrandt
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 10, 2002
Posts: 2,108
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveInPA
Would this be the right type of plastic? And do their prices look right for 1/2" stuff?
Don't recall what plastic family I used, they were scraps from work. Either Polyethylene or Polypropylene should work fine.


Quote:
Originally Posted by at2000
How long have you been using the track system and how is it holding up? Also, what type of fasteners are those?
Been using this system for over a year, couldn't be happier. Fasteners are 1/4-20 button head bolts, flat heads, and socket heads. Used flat heads coming up from the bottom to mount the presses, nylon lock nuts on the top side. Holes on the bottom of each plate were counter sunk.

To attach the plates to the rails, early on I used socket heads w/hardened washers, later changed this and counter bored the holes, using button head bolts. All require an allen wrench for installation. I prefer using "T-handle" allen wrenches, no need to over tighten them.


Last edited by Rembrandt; December 31, 2008 at 02:43 PM.
Rembrandt is offline  
Old December 31, 2008, 03:10 PM   #87
DaveInPA
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 20, 2008
Location: Berks County, PA
Posts: 1,106
I ordered two 4 ft. lengths of track, bolts and knobs, and some HDPE 1/2" thick plates. I'll update with pictures of the new setup when it's all done.
DaveInPA is offline  
Old January 1, 2009, 12:28 PM   #88
Old Gaffer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 20, 2006
Location: Ft. Washington, MD
Posts: 288
Rembrandt,

I LOVE that mount you have for the Lee press. Do you have plans that you can post or send?

Right now I just have my Lee Pro 1000 mounted to a piece of 2X6 that I chuck up in my ww'ing vise. It's stable enough that it doesn't move when I crank the handle (the bench is 2X6 framing with a 10/4 oak top), but pretty it's not, and I'm not sure how I'm going to get the spent primers out short of unbolting the press.

All the best,
Rob
Old Gaffer is offline  
Old January 1, 2009, 01:41 PM   #89
Rembrandt
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 10, 2002
Posts: 2,108
Sorry, no available plans for the mount, something I made up from scrap aluminum. The design is a copy of a wood mount I once had that was offered by Lyman. Not sure if they still make it or not.

Dave, look forward to seeing your bench....when you install the rails, make sure they are perfectly parallel to each other. Good luck.
Rembrandt is offline  
Old January 5, 2009, 06:18 PM   #90
DaveInPA
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 20, 2008
Location: Berks County, PA
Posts: 1,106
Here's my bench as it is now:



If everything comes in this week, I will be mounting it to the wall, putting shelving underneath to clear up space, and adding a track system. I'll also be adding a Hornady LNL AP press and a bench vise.
DaveInPA is offline  
Old January 15, 2009, 05:05 AM   #91
hardhit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 18, 2008
Posts: 343
JayCee how would rate the Hornady press looks super heavy duty from your pics.
hardhit is offline  
Old January 19, 2009, 03:50 PM   #92
DaveInPA
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 20, 2008
Location: Berks County, PA
Posts: 1,106
Well, I've finished my upgrades on my bench. Finally bolted it to the wall and floor, and added a track system for ease of moving equipment around.

Big thanks to Rembrandt for the inspiration!

Pics:







The equipment is bolted onto the white plates. The whole thing can be slid right off the track and removed from the bench when not in use, allowing me to only have on the bench what I need to use at the time:

DaveInPA is offline  
Old January 19, 2009, 08:08 PM   #93
Rembrandt
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 10, 2002
Posts: 2,108
Nicely done, that counter top looks like polished granite. Hope you enjoy yours as much as I like mine. Thanks for posting the pics.
Rembrandt is offline  
Old January 21, 2009, 03:43 PM   #94
skidooman603
Member
 
Join Date: January 21, 2009
Posts: 68
My Start On Never Ending Project










More to follow
skidooman603 is offline  
Old January 21, 2009, 11:37 PM   #95
jal5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 12, 2009
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 419
skidooman-
you have more powder there than the 2 stores i went to on Saturday!
__________________
We live in the greatest country on Earth- always be thankful!
jal5 is offline  
Old January 22, 2009, 01:15 AM   #96
jamaica
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 24, 2006
Location: Northern Utah
Posts: 705


This is an 8 X 2 foot bench. I am using about half of it for my reloading stuff.
That is an old Herters Press, but it has done the job for a little over 50 years. I won't live long enough to wear it out. I paid $13 for it when I was still in high school. (1958) The plastic file boxes are for storage of tools and components. That is the Lyman 55 Powder measure. Same vintage. I keep the tumbler out in the garage.

My first set up was in a closet on a shelf I nailed to the walls. Later it was set up in a chicken coop. (no chickens) Over the years it has been in the garage, or down the basement of several different houses. I will tell you it is nice to have it down the basement in this cold weather we are having. I have been giving it a work out this winter. I am to the point I gotta go do some shooting to get some empty brass to support my reloading habit.

Wow! You guys sure have some nice looking setups.
jamaica is offline  
Old January 22, 2009, 01:37 AM   #97
hardhit
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 18, 2008
Posts: 343
Im Turning Green
hardhit is offline  
Old January 22, 2009, 10:03 AM   #98
skidooman603
Member
 
Join Date: January 21, 2009
Posts: 68
Jal5 Added two more lbs on Monday. Experimentation time of year. Sad thing is I was looking at my reciepts from 1997 and nearly everything I have purchased since building my new bench this year is exactly DOUBLE in price from that time. Same problem around here as far as supply is concerned. Primers-Non existent Powder-Very Low Bullets-popular calibers Non-existent with no Backorder Date. Bout ready to take the Haz charge not buying local hit and get a bulk order together. Just as soon as my # hits on the lotto.
skidooman603 is offline  
Old January 23, 2009, 06:03 AM   #99
luis7
Member
 
Join Date: September 26, 2008
Location: ESPAÑA
Posts: 39
Hello from Spain.
This is my reload bench.
Bye.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg Banco Recarga 2.jpg (250.6 KB, 1722 views)
luis7 is offline  
Old January 23, 2009, 09:09 AM   #100
oneounceload
Junior member
 
Join Date: April 18, 2008
Location: N. Central Florida
Posts: 8,518
Welcome Luis - that is a nice looking bench. Nice to know folks in other countries are able to enjoy this hobby as well
oneounceload is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:33 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.12824 seconds with 9 queries