Reloading bench

CrustyFN · September 15, 2006, 10:16 PM

I thought it might be fun (and also helpful for us that aren't setup yet) to post pictures of your reloading bench and setup. Sorry if this has been done before but I couldn't find it on a search. I will post mine as soon as I set one up. Thanks
Rusty

cloudcroft · September 16, 2006, 01:10 AM

I'm not able to post a pic because I don't have a hosting website, but basically what I did was make a small workbench about approx. 1/4 the scale of a typical large one. Living in an apartment, I didn't want something full-size, taking up lots of space, nor hard to move when I relocate, so a small "movable" reloading bench was what I needed. And since I prefer to sit on the floor to work, its small size allows that, too, as the low work surface is at a comfortable height for doing that.

It has a very sturdy laminated OSB main work surface, one upper shelf, one bottom shelf, VERY heavy (stable) for it's size, and has adjustable smooth "ball" feet that glide on carpeting fairly well, despite its weight, so that when I need to use it I just slide it away from the wall, do my reloading, and when finished, it goes back and gets a dust-cover over it.

Best of all, it was made from wood I found in scrap/trash piles at various local residential construction sites, so all the wood is recyled instead of going to the landfill. But I DID have to buy lots of lag screws/washers, a box of large Phillips screws, six 1/4" dowells, some carriage bolts/washers/nuts, polyurethane, paint, and glue.

-- John D.

VaFisher · September 16, 2006, 06:22 AM

Here is a free hosting site for you.
http://www.imageshack.us/

cloudcroft · September 16, 2006, 09:19 AM

VaFisher,

Thanks...I will attempt to use it!

Here's the bench after it was just finished but empty, without presses and press mounting plate/board installed:

The bench with a few presses on them (before all the rest of the stuff goes on it). Presses were first attached to mounting plate (board) then the plate attached to bench (usng the same two front holes/lag screws on each side that the top uses to attach to the bench framework to reduce # of holes drilled into benchtop and to allow for future changes without swiss-cheesing the benchtop):

NOTE: Due to the angle I was at taking the pics, the the two Lee presses on the left look larger than they actually are.

-- John D.

OP'S WORLD · September 16, 2006, 10:03 AM

I just finished my own gun room all for myself . Here is my setup.

cloudcroft · September 16, 2006, 03:35 PM

OP'S WORLD,

Your pic didn't come through...

-- John D.

VaFisher · September 16, 2006, 04:38 PM

Nice lookin set up and you are welcome.

OP'S WORLD · September 16, 2006, 05:00 PM

Bert223 · September 16, 2006, 09:15 PM

Nice benches guys! I need to do something like that. Mines portable now

. Someday I'll have a nice set up.

bfoster · September 16, 2006, 09:54 PM

I prefer an "island" style bench-

Bill T · September 19, 2006, 10:43 AM

These are my 2 benches. As you can see I'm ready for a third. Bill T.

Toolman · September 20, 2006, 07:04 AM

Here's my bench & storage cabinet. I decided on a cantlievered style because the bench legs don't interfere with anything and it's easier to clean.

Wild Bill Bucks · September 20, 2006, 08:55 AM

Can't picture my bench, but I will say that one of the things to consider, is to make your bench, so that when you operate your press, you don't vibrate the bench enough to vibrate powder from shells that are charged and waiting to be loaded. I built my load bench, seperate from my press, because I will powder charge 100 shells at a time, and don't want powder to get vibrated as I press bullets in them, or any thing else that might cause a bump to the bench. Mines all 2x6 construction, mounted on yard timber legs. This gives it enough weight, not to move.

Ares45 · September 20, 2006, 10:59 AM

CrustyFN · September 20, 2006, 07:12 PM

Wow, a lot of nice benches and equipment. I am starting to feel like I am going to run out of room real quick. Here is a picture of the space I have with a possibility of cleaning off the other half of the bench.

ZeroJunk · September 20, 2006, 07:43 PM

I hate to show mine compared to some of these.I have just about gotten to lazy to reload.But,I pulled out my Cabelas catalog to order a box or two of good ammo to sight in and go Elk hunting with and I could not believe the price.Hell,two boxes of premium would be $80 shipped!I already have everything to do it for free.

skeeter1 · September 20, 2006, 07:59 PM

I don't have any pictures, but when I was reloading shotshells, I got an old kitchen table (for free, but you could probably pick one up at a yard sale for ten bucks or so) and bolt your press to it. '50s vintage, ugly formica top. Down in the basement.

The brass that I reload now I do at the kitchen counter with a Lee hand press.

JJB2 · September 20, 2006, 09:39 PM

i can't post a pic either but my reloading bench is just an old heavy piece of 2" thick counter top with white formica on it hung from a main basement wall on a couple of heavy brackets i found..... it works great for two presses and powder measure and various sundries i need to make good ammo

JJB2 · September 20, 2006, 09:41 PM

just an observation...... skeeter must not be married!!!!!!!!

LIFE IS SHORT....................

Kelly J · September 20, 2006, 11:09 PM

Nothing fancy but it works for me

Kelly J · September 21, 2006, 12:25 PM

OP'S WORLD, I like your set up, organized and neat, A place for everything and everything in its place.

Well done!

CrustyFN · September 21, 2006, 02:45 PM

Great pictures everybody. This is turning our really good, lets keep it going.

OP'S WORLD · September 21, 2006, 06:38 PM

Hey thanks Kelly J I am fairly new to reloading. I got the lee anniversary kit 2 years ago and am hooked.I think reloading is a good addiction . It is so crazy that i picked up 45 brass and did not even have one, I then got a glock 21 to go with the brass. I have upgraded to a dillon square deal b and am really cranking out alot of high quality ammo for cheap. If any one has any suggestions on my setup i would be glad to hear them.

skeeter1 · September 23, 2006, 04:54 AM

JJB2--

Quote:

just an observation...... skeeter must not be married!!!!!!!!

I'm impressed with you perceptiveness. I am indeed single, and the biggest problem I have are the three felines who like to "help" me when I reload. They think those small pistol primers are cat toys! If I turn my back for a minute, they're all over the floor.

SteveinAK · September 23, 2006, 12:52 PM

Here is mine. Small, but works well. I just realized you can't really see the powder dispenser/digital scale due to the bench to the right. The scale/dispenser I use the most is a RCBS ChargeMaster 1500.
[IMG]

[/IMG]

September 15, 2006, 10:16 PM	#1
CrustyFN Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,258	Reloading bench I thought it might be fun (and also helpful for us that aren't setup yet) to post pictures of your reloading bench and setup. Sorry if this has been done before but I couldn't find it on a search. I will post mine as soon as I set one up. Thanks Rusty __________________ I don't ever remember being absent minded.

September 16, 2006, 05:00 PM	#8
OP'S WORLD Junior Member Join Date: September 16, 2006 Posts: 5	bench pics

September 16, 2006, 09:15 PM	#9
Bert223 Member Join Date: May 23, 2005 Posts: 77	Nice benches guys! I need to do something like that. Mines portable now. Someday I'll have a nice set up.

September 21, 2006, 12:25 PM	#21
Kelly J Senior Member Join Date: April 29, 2006 Location: Blue Springs, MO Posts: 383	OP'S WORLD, I like your set up, organized and neat, A place for everything and everything in its place. Well done! __________________ "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!" --Samuel Adams Last edited by Kelly J; September 21, 2006 at 12:27 PM. Reason: Corrected spelling

September 21, 2006, 02:45 PM	#22
CrustyFN Senior Member Join Date: June 4, 2006 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,258	Great pictures everybody. This is turning our really good, lets keep it going. __________________ I don't ever remember being absent minded.

September 16, 2006, 01:10 AM	#2
cloudcroft Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2006 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 565	I'm not able to post a pic because I don't have a hosting website, but basically what I did was make a small workbench about approx. 1/4 the scale of a typical large one. Living in an apartment, I didn't want something full-size, taking up lots of space, nor hard to move when I relocate, so a small "movable" reloading bench was what I needed. And since I prefer to sit on the floor to work, its small size allows that, too, as the low work surface is at a comfortable height for doing that. It has a very sturdy laminated OSB main work surface, one upper shelf, one bottom shelf, VERY heavy (stable) for it's size, and has adjustable smooth "ball" feet that glide on carpeting fairly well, despite its weight, so that when I need to use it I just slide it away from the wall, do my reloading, and when finished, it goes back and gets a dust-cover over it. Best of all, it was made from wood I found in scrap/trash piles at various local residential construction sites, so all the wood is recyled instead of going to the landfill. But I DID have to buy lots of lag screws/washers, a box of large Phillips screws, six 1/4" dowells, some carriage bolts/washers/nuts, polyurethane, paint, and glue. -- John D.

September 16, 2006, 06:22 AM	#3
VaFisher Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2006 Posts: 596	Here is a free hosting site for you. http://www.imageshack.us/

September 16, 2006, 09:19 AM	#4
cloudcroft Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2006 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 565	VaFisher, Thanks...I will attempt to use it! Here's the bench after it was just finished but empty, without presses and press mounting plate/board installed: The bench with a few presses on them (before all the rest of the stuff goes on it). Presses were first attached to mounting plate (board) then the plate attached to bench (usng the same two front holes/lag screws on each side that the top uses to attach to the bench framework to reduce # of holes drilled into benchtop and to allow for future changes without swiss-cheesing the benchtop): NOTE: Due to the angle I was at taking the pics, the the two Lee presses on the left look larger than they actually are. -- John D.

September 16, 2006, 10:03 AM	#5
OP'S WORLD Junior Member Join Date: September 16, 2006 Posts: 5	I just finished my own gun room all for myself . Here is my setup.

September 16, 2006, 03:35 PM	#6
cloudcroft Senior Member Join Date: August 5, 2006 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Posts: 565	OP'S WORLD, Your pic didn't come through... -- John D.

September 16, 2006, 04:38 PM	#7
VaFisher Senior Member Join Date: January 24, 2006 Posts: 596	Nice lookin set up and you are welcome.

September 16, 2006, 09:54 PM	#10
bfoster Senior Member Join Date: October 13, 1998 Location: N. of Fords Switch, OK, USA Posts: 297	I prefer an "island" style bench-

September 19, 2006, 10:43 AM	#11
Bill T Junior member Join Date: September 19, 2006 Location: Glendale, Arizona Posts: 298	These are my 2 benches. As you can see I'm ready for a third. Bill T.

September 20, 2006, 08:55 AM	#13
Wild Bill Bucks Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2005 Location: Southeastern Oklahoma, Next door to Sasquatch Posts: 1,266	Can't picture my bench, but I will say that one of the things to consider, is to make your bench, so that when you operate your press, you don't vibrate the bench enough to vibrate powder from shells that are charged and waiting to be loaded. I built my load bench, seperate from my press, because I will powder charge 100 shells at a time, and don't want powder to get vibrated as I press bullets in them, or any thing else that might cause a bump to the bench. Mines all 2x6 construction, mounted on yard timber legs. This gives it enough weight, not to move.

September 20, 2006, 10:59 AM	#14
Ares45 Senior Member Join Date: May 2, 2005 Posts: 211

September 20, 2006, 07:59 PM	#17
skeeter1 Senior Member Join Date: April 11, 2006 Location: Northeast Ohio Posts: 3,403	I don't have any pictures, but when I was reloading shotshells, I got an old kitchen table (for free, but you could probably pick one up at a yard sale for ten bucks or so) and bolt your press to it. '50s vintage, ugly formica top. Down in the basement. The brass that I reload now I do at the kitchen counter with a Lee hand press.

September 20, 2006, 09:39 PM	#18
JJB2 Junior member Join Date: December 14, 2005 Posts: 558	i can't post a pic either but my reloading bench is just an old heavy piece of 2" thick counter top with white formica on it hung from a main basement wall on a couple of heavy brackets i found..... it works great for two presses and powder measure and various sundries i need to make good ammo

September 20, 2006, 09:41 PM	#19
JJB2 Junior member Join Date: December 14, 2005 Posts: 558	just an observation...... skeeter must not be married!!!!!!!! LIFE IS SHORT....................

September 21, 2006, 06:38 PM	#23
OP'S WORLD Junior Member Join Date: September 16, 2006 Posts: 5	bench Hey thanks Kelly J I am fairly new to reloading. I got the lee anniversary kit 2 years ago and am hooked.I think reloading is a good addiction . It is so crazy that i picked up 45 brass and did not even have one, I then got a glock 21 to go with the brass. I have upgraded to a dillon square deal b and am really cranking out alot of high quality ammo for cheap. If any one has any suggestions on my setup i would be glad to hear them.

September 23, 2006, 12:52 PM	#25
SteveinAK Member Join Date: September 20, 2005 Location: Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan Posts: 27	Here is mine. Small, but works well. I just realized you can't really see the powder dispenser/digital scale due to the bench to the right. The scale/dispenser I use the most is a RCBS ChargeMaster 1500. [IMG][/IMG] __________________ -Steve Col. Colt made 'em equal, more or less...