New reloading bench

[ZeroRing]

That's cool Micah!
I took over a corner of the Garage and recycled some old drafting countertops from my old office, into a nifty reloading corner...spacious and very stable...problem is...its cool...to cool in the garage at night. Next thing to add is a heater, shelves and a good light! Take care, Rex

Cool but, dare I say it looks a little lite from a "structural" standpoint.

 

[Bigfoot]

What height feels good to you?

I'm set to build a bench but I can't seem to figure out how tall to build it. On my 32" high computer desk the lever feels too low at the bottom of the stroke when I'm standing and when I'm sitting I have to avoid it hitting my leg. If the bench is higher than that it will make it difficult to work on guns, etc.

I like that stand that Arkitek has. I'm considering building the bench so it's easy to work on things and raise the press with blocks until I find the right height.

Opinions please.

 

[PhysicsGuy]

What height feels good to you?

I'm set to build a bench but I can't seem to figure out how tall to build it. On my 32" high computer desk the lever feels too low at the bottom of the stroke when I'm standing and when I'm sitting I have to avoid it hitting my leg. If the bench is higher than that it will make it difficult to work on guns, etc.

I like that stand that Arkitek has. I'm considering building the bench so it's easy to work on things and raise the press with blocks until I find the right height.

Opinions please.

Usually the handle of the press should be just under the height of you shoulder, when in the up position. And it depends on if you are seated or standing

 

[wavo]

I don't know about others, but the little bench my brother in law built is about 36-37" high. My computer chair and other chair are 16-17" high so it feels about right to sit. And even standing is not that bad at 37". While sitting the table feels a bit high but after a bunch of mock testing it was apparent that was a good height to get a full stroke on the lever.

When I work on something I don't want to sit way above it and be hunched over and looking down on it.

Rex!! You have a Dillon?!?! Look at you all fancy. I wanted a progressive press so bad but after going to the class I realized I'd better start with a single stage.

 

[johnboy]

Sturdier the better, Giant C clamps are great for interchanging things.....the more you shoot and load, the more you will want the Dillon....they are great..:gun09:

 

[Bigfoot]

Sounds about right. After doing some measuring I'm gonna steal Arkiteks setup. I'm even stealing the corner placement and the fire extinguisher. Put the bench at the height of the arms on my computer chairs and raising the press 10" to clear the ram puts it right at 37".

I'm not having any luck finding the bracket/mount tho, where did you find it Arkitek?

Edit: It's a Dillon Strong Mount. Crap, mines a Hornady L-n-L. I gotta either fabricate one up or adapt a Dillon mount if the holes don't line up.

 

[PhysicsGuy]

Edit: It's a Dillon Strong Mount. Crap, mines a Hornady L-n-L. I gotta either fabricate one up or adapt a Dillon mount if the holes don't line up.

Or just buy a dillon

 

[Arkitek]

Bigfoot...you got the heights right...36"countertop+10" for the Strong mount...feels real good while standing or even on a tall bar stool. You might want to chat with John Huey about making a strong mount...he made one instead of buying one. I like your idea of mocking it up with blocks until it feels right, then fabricating the permanent mount. I opted for the Dillon 550B cause I'm basically lazy...and I didnt want to set up 4 times to make a round...it is not fully auto...still requires a manual turn, insert bullet, insert brass, pull, repeat...thats good enough for me!
Thanks for sharing PhysicsGuy...it gives us all good ideas!
Good luck and Happy Loading this New Year!

 

[speelyei]

here's a bench I cobbled together from construction site debris and a broken bookcase:


I have always reloaded for rifles, so I needed a pretty sturdy bench. This has worked fine for a couple years, but it was built as temporary. My garage is predominantly a wood shop, and when I run the planer and saws, everything is filled with fine sawdust. Also, since I live at the coast, it's a pretty damp environment. I plan to build a new built-in reloading bench that has doors to seal it all up, and some sort of low humidity storage for primers and powder.

I also built a work box or vise for working on the rifles and cleaning them. This was sort of an afterthought, also built out of the salvaged broken bookcase:


this thing is handier than I thought. A c-clamp holds the rifle still, and is great for mounting scopes or cleaning the rifle in a position that keeps solvent out of the trigger group. Once it's all set up, there's no chance that I'll fumble the rifle or drop it off the table. The tray formed by the bottom keeps all the little parts from rolling away, too.

 

[bersaguy]

Woo hoo!
Many thanks to my bro-in law for building this setup for my small room. I'm so stoked! The top piece used to be a changing table he made for his daughters. Talk about a recycle!

Now I'm just waiting on all my components.....

Wavo,
That is one stout looking reloading bench. The bro-in-law did ya proud!

I use a lot of RCBS gear also, can't beat it.

Compared to the other photos on this thread, your set up looks a little "unprotected"