Harbor Freight (Windsor design) workbench

S

Sailsalot

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Does anyone use one of these benches to reload? What is your opinion of this bench? There seems to be quite a difference of opinion on the quality of this bench. Any thoughts?
 
I saw this at Harbor Freight. The wood is beefy enough but I didn't like the holes for the dowels. I had visions of small parts disappearing down them. I also wanted a pegboard back and a shelf up top for manuals, etc. I ended up going with Stack-On's "bench in a box". I have a smallish operation. YMMV.
 
I was really close to buying that same one from Sam's since they had it in stock at a local store, but I was worried about the sturdiness of it. Glad to hear it is good!

I bought a Kregg's frame structure from Amazon and built my own top the way I wanted to - nice thing is that it has a lower beam support that doubles as a rest for a low shelf and I store all of my bullets on it, so make the table real heavy and sturdy...
 
I do have my Sam's bench secured to the wall studs.
When operating my Lee LoadMaster, it was less stable than I wanted until I did.
 
I've got the Harbor Frieght bench. Its not bad but not perfect by any means. I was also worried about loosing small parts through the dowel holes. I ended up cutting the dowel extention thingy up and used the round end to plug the holes while using some JB Weld (it was the closest thing lol). The drawers are a little annoying because they aren't that deep. The bottom shelf is really strong its holding all my bullets (around 5-6 thousand) and powders (close to 15-20 pounds when new, def lighter now). I used a piece of peg board from Lowe's to connect to the wall to hold my regularly used items. I did take about 2 8" long 2x4's and attached it vertically to bench and used wood screws to attach to the wall studs. Its pretty dang solid.
 
I bought the Multipurpose Workbendch with light and outlet.

For just reloading, works good. Had to add screws into the top, to help keep it from flexing.
The light, and outlet are good pluses. Has a pegboard on the back too.

Was a good buy in my opinion.
 
With a little work they are not a bad starting point. This is a full sheet of 3/4" plywood and a half sheet of pegboard. Glued and screwed constructions on the modifications.
There are t nuts tat are on the underside of the sliding mounts for the presses. I'm happy with it.
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If you are handy, plywood over a 2x6 pressure treated top with pressure treated 4x4 cross hatched braced legs is hard to beat for sturdy and price.
 
Harbor Freight Good, but not That Good

I like Harbor freight - have bought many things from them that I am very pleased with... but they also sell a lot of junk. You have to be able to pick and choose correctly.

I do have that particular woodworking bench - got it at a very steep discount on sale to add a little extra work space to my shop, plus I liked the idea of the built-in wood working vice. Bottom line is that it is mediocre at best - good for an extra work bench if you can get it for about $110 or less. I would not use it for heavy bench work and pounding, and I would NEVER consider it for a reloading bench.
 
1. Visit your local Re-Store.

2. Buy miscellaneous lumber and a door slab for pennies on the dollar.

2.a. Ask where the buckets of screws are, since you can't find them. Buy some of those, too.

3. Donate a couple extra bucks to the cause.

4. Assemble lumber and door slab into bench.

5. Check wallet.

6. Smile. :D
 
It's not much to look at but sturdy Home Depot bench$59.00. Both tray boxes were $19.00. My starting bench was 2 ft by 3 ft. Now I can at least find my stuff. Bench was assembled in box. Unfolded legs. Put Lowe shelf in and ready to go. Dis screw 2x4 ft piece of 1/2 inch plywood on right side to mount press on.
 
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Take customer reviews seriously with Harbor Freight products. Some of their stuff is a good--even great--value, while other stuff they sell is absolute garbage. I can't tell you how many times I have bought tools from them only to find out painfully upon first use they were made out of pot metal. I do have one of their workbenches that was a decent value but I would not use it for reloading. It's pretty weak.
 
Take customer reviews seriously with Harbor Freight products. Some of their stuff is a good--even great--value, while other stuff they sell is absolute garbage. I can't tell you how many times I have bought tools from them only to find out painfully upon first use they were made out of pot metal. I do have one of their workbenches that was a decent value but I would not use it for reloading. It's pretty weak.
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Yep.
And when checking the Harbor Freight reviews, be certain to check those that are applicable to the EXACT lot number that you are considering.

Each lot is a different beast. One shipment of heat guns might be great. The next one might blow fuses constantly. And a third might catch fire after 1-2 minutes of use. :rolleyes: But, six months later, they might be back into a good shipment.
 
I have a HF bench with a Hornady LNL AP and Classic press attached to it and it's worked fine under heavy use for the last 2 years. I cut some 3/4" plywood into 12" squares x 2 as re-enforcement plates under each press and it's solid. For the $110 I gave for it I can't complain.
 
FrankenMauser--"Catch fire" made me laugh. Someone gave me a small hand grinder from Harbor Freight and while I was using it, flames started coming out of the side vents.
 
FrankenMauser--"Catch fire" made me laugh. Someone gave me a small hand grinder from Harbor Freight and while I was using it, flames started coming out of the side vents.
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Quality tools for the discerning individual. ;)
(I buy some of their tools, too.)

Some of the reviews on the HF site are quite comical, if you catch them before they get deleted. ...Also reviews sites like Yelp!, Google+, Facebook, etc.
 
FrankenMauser said:
1. Visit your local Re-Store.

2. Buy miscellaneous lumber and a door slab for pennies on the dollar.

2.a. Ask where the buckets of screws are, since you can't find them. Buy some of those, too.

3. Donate a couple extra bucks to the cause.

4. Assemble lumber and door slab into bench.

5. Check wallet.

6. Smile.
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+1 They usually have some wooden or metal desks cheap that work perfectly for a reloading bench. I've also contemplated using a heavy wood dresser or smaller wood kitchen table for a reloading bench.
 
surveyor said:
With a little work they are not a bad starting point. This is a full sheet of 3/4" plywood and a half sheet of pegboard. Glued and screwed constructions on the modifications.
There are t nuts tat are on the underside of the sliding mounts for the presses. I'm happy with it.
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DSCF0591.jpg


DSCF0592.jpg
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Wow ! I must say that's really cool [emoji41]
 
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