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emcon5 · June 18, 2019, 12:34 PM

I lived in an apartment when I was first starting out handloading. I made a simple bench out of scrap 2x4s that was about 20" square and a little over 2' tall. I boxed in the bottom of the legs and put it on a piece of plywood, so the bottom served as storage for dies and components. It was sturdy, yet small enough to fit in the bottom of a closet, and portable enough I could carry it wherever I wanted to work in my apartment.

I really wish I had a photo of it, and I kind of miss it. Sometimes it is nice to reload wherever I want, instead of the cold garage.

Google image search found me something similar, although this is larger then mine was, it is built the exact same way (well, the frame is the same, mine the shelf on the bottom was below the frame, made a nice storage area with sides, so crap wouldn't fall out when I was moving it around).

Cool thing is, you don't really even need tools to make one, just a good cordless drill/screwdriver. Home Depot will cut wood for you, just make up a bill of materials, grab the wood, and give them the list.

4 ea, 20" top and base frame front & back
4 ea, 17" top and base frame sides
4 ea, 24" legs
and whatever scrap plywood they have, 20"x20" and you have a perfect apartment reloading bench. If it was me, I would make sure the top is at least 1" thick, so if you get 1/2" plywood, just double up the top.
One box of wood screws.

I bet you could slap something together for under $40.

If you do a Google image search for "compact reloading bench" and "Apartment reloading bench" you can get lots of ideas, there are a couple of what look like table-top benches people have made, a small box that you set on your kitchen table.

June 18, 2019, 12:34 PM	#48
emcon5 Senior Member Join Date: July 10, 1999 Location: High Desert NV Posts: 2,850	I lived in an apartment when I was first starting out handloading. I made a simple bench out of scrap 2x4s that was about 20" square and a little over 2' tall. I boxed in the bottom of the legs and put it on a piece of plywood, so the bottom served as storage for dies and components. It was sturdy, yet small enough to fit in the bottom of a closet, and portable enough I could carry it wherever I wanted to work in my apartment. I really wish I had a photo of it, and I kind of miss it. Sometimes it is nice to reload wherever I want, instead of the cold garage. Google image search found me something similar, although this is larger then mine was, it is built the exact same way (well, the frame is the same, mine the shelf on the bottom was below the frame, made a nice storage area with sides, so crap wouldn't fall out when I was moving it around). Cool thing is, you don't really even need tools to make one, just a good cordless drill/screwdriver. Home Depot will cut wood for you, just make up a bill of materials, grab the wood, and give them the list. 4 ea, 20" top and base frame front & back 4 ea, 17" top and base frame sides 4 ea, 24" legs and whatever scrap plywood they have, 20"x20" and you have a perfect apartment reloading bench. If it was me, I would make sure the top is at least 1" thick, so if you get 1/2" plywood, just double up the top. One box of wood screws. I bet you could slap something together for under $40. If you do a Google image search for "compact reloading bench" and "Apartment reloading bench" you can get lots of ideas, there are a couple of what look like table-top benches people have made, a small box that you set on your kitchen table.