Which bench

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Ended up building this today.

2pc stacked ) 32"x65" birch plywood 3/4"

2 lower shelves from same material

Left over dunnage for an overhead shelf to mount a light.

Cost about the same as the harbor freight bench but this thing is way more stable and thick.
 
I use the harbor freight bench with a modification, I changed it so all the drawers are on the left side, I store loaded ammo cans on the shelf to weigh down the bench, it does not move....
 
Those bench kits with angle sheet metal legs will sometimes wobble,
Boxing in the back/sides with something as thin as 1/4" plywood stiffens them right up!

I had a work bench from a kit, folded sheet metal legs like the ones shown above, and it was just wobbly like crazy when you got weight on it,
A fellow worker (carpenter) used nothing but that cheap pressed cardboard (peg board),
Screwed it around the outside under the top and that bench stiffened up like crazy!
I never forgot that and its served me well to this day!

It's also the reason I built with full size ends, to keep the push/pull wobble out of the bench from the press action.
Square and solid against the press handle forward and backward action.

The other thing he taught me was not to run the back all the way to the floor,
Even an inch gap keeps the table/bench from racking corner to corner,
Your bench won't 'Walk' out away from the wall on one end or the other.

I've never modeled it to figure out WHY this works to keep the bench from walking, but I'd be interested if someone can explain it.
 
Those bench kits with angle sheet metal legs will sometimes wobble,
Boxing in the back/sides with something as thin as 1/4" plywood stiffens them right up!
Click to expand...
Good advice, and it does work well.

The one that he bought appears to have injection-molded polymer legs, though.
 
I bought this one and love it. Solid iron frame, Hardwood top 1.5 inches thick. Standing height. Heavy and doesn't move. Peg back and light are great. I have a Lee SS and a Lee Turret mounted to it, plenty of room for basic reloading. Downside: my tumbler is on another table or it might get crowded.
 
I HATE cutting long panels out of plywood,
I'm not a carpenter, so my saw lines are the only thing more squiggly than my drawn out guide lines!

I had the local 'Lowes' cut mine on the panel cutter FOR FREE!
The price was right, they got straight lines, but not exactly square,
Close enough for what I was building.

4'x4' back, lifted up about 16" off the ground in the back so it sticks up a good way behind the table top,

2'x4' sides, sitting flat on the floor.
I may round over or angle cut the top outside edges later, but for right now, they rock.

2'x4' top, doubled up thickness.
Had to nip about 1.5" off the end since they sit inside the end panels, and I had a 48" wide limit for space.

2"x4" cross bars on the ends to sit the top on,
2"x4" long ways across under the top,
Looks like an 'I' beam right under the big press,
And those little metal bracket 'Hangers' to help connect them to the end pieces,
LONG screws from outside to my cross brace under the press, the brackets make for a solid brace under that 1.5" top.

LONG screws through both peices of the top into the cross brace,
A 2"x4" back brace under the top, along the back wall.

I like SIDES and a back splash to keep those small parts, springs, ect. from exiting my work area and depositing themselves in the 'Bolt Mine' under my house/garage...

---------

For as many bolts, nuts, washers, springs, screws, small parts of every shape/size that I've dropped and they have simply VANISHED...

I'm CONVINCED there is a 'Bolt Mine' under my property...

10,000 years from now some archaeologist will be digging around and find that bolt mine, and determine there wasn't any intelligent life on that spot 10,000 years previous.

Someone intelligent wouldn't have lost that much CRAP!

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With the high sides, it makes for a PERFECT shelf perch across the sides.
I have room for a 1"x8" board, which is perfect for the Dillon tool head stands, the general crap like beam scales,
Ect.

The back is high enough for all those 'Peg Board' things to get attached to...
An extra 1"x6" shelf for pistol turrets/dies that I don't use very often, the impact bullet puller, that kind of crap.

I still have 2 ea. 2'x4' panels, for shelves under the bench when I get things settled in.
Right now, it's cat litter buckets for brass, and a roller cart for bullets, primers, powders, ect.

I'm thinking about drawer glides to make pull out shelves.
I'll have to think that one over, since I'm not a carpenter and drawer glides can be a pain to install from what I hear...

I'm for SURE going to cut those panels narrower, I like my leg room under the bench,
I like my nearly 40" tall top, that was the single best idea you guys gave me!
NO SHORT BENCHES EVER AGAIN!
Once you get a tall bench, there is no going back!

A cheap power strip makes for handy power, and a one switch turn off for my extra lighting...
Mounted on the cross brace under the top it's REAL handy without being in the way,
Another good idea from the guys here!

INSET PRESSES, if you are going to bolt them down, is most certainly the way to go!
No more hip busters!
A place for me to rest my arm/elbow, steady my hand when placing bullets on the cases when I'm loading doesn't hurt anything either!

It's UGLY, but it works like a charm!
Everything within reach, everything has a dedicated place...
Time to have a yard sale for all that crap I don't use anymore anyway...
 
If your going to build one...Google NRMA reloading bench. The only addition I would do is put formica on the work surface.

bc
 
My son got the harbor freight bench. We set it up, but then he decided to go back to school, so he never loaded on it. It looks like it would work well, just no experience with it.

I see a lot of people want "plans". When I built several benches, I simple built it to fit where I was going to be working. Simply make a box! With only one side closed in, IE, the top.

As for height, I sit to load. Standing is what I HAD to do when I worked. If I had to stand to load, I would not shoot much because I would have to buy ammo.
 
Ended up building this today.

2pc stacked ) 32"x65" birch plywood 3/4"

2 lower shelves from same material

Left over dunnage for an overhead shelf to mount a light.

Cost about the same as the harbor freight bench but this thing is way more stable and thick.
Click to expand...

Yup, used the 2X4 Basics kit, and birch plywood just as you did. The main reason was to fit the bench in a space too tight for any standard bench.
I also used a couple Lee Bench Plate Kits for mounting presses, and other equipment. I use the wooden blocks to mount case trimmers, and prep tools while equipment that may require a little more force are mounted using the steel plates. It all works very well for me.
 
Cheapshooter said:
Yup, used the 2X4 Basics kit, and birch plywood just as you did. The main reason was to fit the bench in a space too tight for any standard bench.
I also used a couple Lee Bench Plate Kits for mounting presses, and other equipment. I use the wooden blocks to mount case trimmers, and prep tools while equipment that may require a little more force are mounted using the steel plates. It all works very well for me.
Click to expand...
Exactly my issue too! Im gonna use the bench plate system for a single stage and a turret press.
 
My next question is,

1. Sheet Metal Top?

2. Formica type top?

3. Hard Epoxy Sealed top?

4. Paint it and forget it?

I do have holes drilled in it for attaching accessory items, like case trimmers, micrometer powder throwers, ect.
 
I kind of worry about static electricity with man made materials...

Man made materials sometimes have a static issue,
I just don't know which ones DON'T have the issues.

I know grounding a METAL top will stop the issues, it's between me and the grounded top that might cause a spark...
And that's hard to stop since I simply refuse to wear an anti-static band...

Is there such a thing as 'Anti-Static' 'Formica'?
I'm sure there has to be, but I wouldn't have a clue where to start looking...
 
I have the Home Depot fold out bench in your original post. Here's a photo of when I first set it up. I wouldn't change anything about it and will probably pick up a second one this weekend.

Reloading-Bench_zps5a059923.jpg
 
I kind of worry about static electricity with man made materials...
Click to expand...

Why? It's been debated before here and on other forums. Static electricity is a non-concern with smokeless powder and primers. Now if you were to be loading holy black powder, then it may be a concern. (Not any of the black powder substitutes).

Some scardy cats have all of their presses, powder measures, or anything else metalic on their benches grounded. If it give them peace-of-mind, then good for them. I won't put up with a bunch of wires on the bench.
 
Is there such a thing as 'Anti-Static' 'Formica'?
Click to expand...

Formica minimizes the generation of charge by contactseparation or rubbing with another material. It does not need to be earthed. Surface resistivity is between 109 – 1012 ohms and a chargeability of V ≤ 2 kV according to CEI IEC 61340-4-1 so that Formica Laminates are considered as antistatic material.

Besides that, if you want to prevent static discharges try to avoid synthetic carpets and synthetic clothes.
 
Well, now that I bought the Kreg from Amazon for $175 and spent $75 at HomeDepot to built a nice top (not finished yet) I kind of wish I had just bought the inexpensive HomeDepot one for $70! I really wanted the one that McCarthy posted (and my wife liked it, always a plus), and it was only $120, but shipping was $235! Oh well, it should all be together by the end of the weekend and it better be more stable than my current setup for the Dillon XL650 and Redding T-7...
 
I have three of the old Lowe's work bench's similar to the first one the OP displayed. They are attached together and the tops overlapped with 3/4 plywood. It holds two Lee Turret presses, two Pacific shot shell presses, and a Mec .410 press along with a powder dispenser and a Dillon Swagger.
 
l got the Harbor Freight bench too. l secured it to the floor and wall studs for extra support and rigidity. l too like the wooden vise.. While cleaning my revolvers l can remove its grips and chuck the revolver up in the vise for easier cleaning
 
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