Reloading Bench Top ideas

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rc109a

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I am contemplating building me a new reloading bench (needs to be custom designed since the area is an awkward shape). I have my designs, but thinking about the top construction. Trying to keep this budget minded, so here is my thought process so far:
1. A laminated counter top with square edges vice curved.
2. A piece of 3/4 plywood or two glued together.
3. A solid core door cut to fit.

I have used the doors before, but true solid wood core doors (that can withhold their structural integrity) are hard to find around here. The plywood is an option, but not sure if I need one or two pieces. Not sure if the laminated counter-top would be strong enough (the pre-made types found in Lowes).

I am thinking if I go with the door or the plywood, gluing a sheet of laminate over top to help with cleaning and such.

Any ideas?
 
Mine is 2x6s with a thin piece of plywood (I think 1/2") screwed on top to give a smooth work surface.

I have never needed or wanted anything more. I can easily sweep off the top with a little hand broom. It's plenty smooth enough for my needs. I can't see paying more money than that.
Now if I got a door or a counter top free or really cheap, I would likely be just as happy. But I'm cheap. ;)
 
Arkansas Paul said:
Mine is 2x6s with a thin piece of plywood (I think 1/2") screwed on top to give a smooth work surface.

I have never needed or wanted anything more. I can easily sweep off the top with a little hand broom. It's plenty smooth enough for my needs. I can't see paying more money than that.
Now if I got a door or a counter top free or really cheap, I would likely be just as happy. But I'm cheap. ;)
Click to expand...
Same here, except I used 1/4" plywood. I made it this way so the top can be replaced if needed...I put a couple of coats of spar varnish on the top for a slick work top.
 
Mine is 2x4s with marine grade plywood on top. I had a bunch of 2x4s laying around so that's what I used, if it weren't for that I would have used 2x6s. The marine grade plywood was scrap from my old place of employment so that was free. If I were to pay for the plywood top though I would have used something in the 1/2" range with the smoothest surface I could afford or justify paying for.
 
I used the old counter top out of my house when I redid our kitchen. It works good nice and smooth so cleans up nice. I made the frame out of 2x4and have the press right over the frame and is plenty strong.
 
Once the frame is built. I glued & screwed 2 sheets of 3/4" ply wood together then covered with 1/4" hard masonite. This makes for easy cleanup and protects the plywood. The masonite is only screwed to the plywood. 2 sheets glued and screwed together will be very stiff, is what you want. I use T-Nuts on the bottom to hold the press so I can remove if needed easily.
 
^^ what he said is what I did as well, except for the T-nuts. Held up well for many long years. I make sure to extend bench top front past the frame a little bit.
 
I used my Hornaday LNL press for an embarrassingly long time before I realized that there was too much flex at the point where the press met the bench top. It was a real problem to get the press to function correctly until I increased the thickness of the bench. As far as I'm concerned it would be hard to get the bench TOO stout.

Hardboard makes a great top surface, it's cheap (about $10) it's very smooth and I gave mine several coats of white paint to help with visibility.

http://images.meredith.com/wood/images/a_477_1_3.gif
 
I would say your sturdiest platform would come from a good metal structure. Im in the process of getting one made right now but Ive been busy. Ill probably do something to Lees reloading stand, just heavier gauge steel. Maybe even round tubing since there is an abundance of that laying around at the shop. I don't know what you have access to though, so it may be better off doing what you said. Solid core doors would be nice, but a good 2 x 6 or 2 x 8 would work just as well. Only issues you might have is the wood compressing and causing the press to get a little loose. I just tightened my press down real good with 5/16 carriage bolts and had the 2 x 6 fastened to my work bench with eight 4.5 inch screws. A more removable and less intrusive way would be just big clamps.
 
Mine is 2 pieces of 3/4" ply glued and screwed together (screws from the underside. Then I went over that with plastic laminate and edged it with 3/4"x 1-1/2" oak. I've made a couple of these tops 5' long by up to 36" wide. One sheet of ply will do both layers. 5' x 3' piece for the top layer. 3'x 4' and a 1' x 3' for the bottom face.

Countertops/malamine etc are particle board and are nowhere near as strong as plywood (if strength is a concern to you)
 
Swing by your local big box home improvement store and look for a damaged solid core door. Most all of them have a "bargain area" where you can usually pick up a door with a damaged jamb. Worth a shot anyway.
 
Glue a piece of 3/4" plywood to the back of the laminate countertop.
This gives strength, easy clean top, backsplash and front lip to keep things from rolling off and the countertops are inexpensive at a box store.
If you hunt the bargain bins you can sometimes find a countertop that has an end lip also.
 
One of my former homes had two pieces of 3/4" plywood glued and screwed together. My first one had that and then that was glued and screwed to a stock piece of formica kitchen counter top all the way to the edge. I could stand on the edge and it did not flex at all. That top was bolted to a Gorilla rack base as well as lag bolted to studs in the wall through the backsplash
 
When we built a house about 15 years ago they used what I recall as 5/4 tongue and groove plywood for the upstairs subfloor. It had about a 1 1/2 tongue on one edge and groove on the other edge. It made a very substantial workbench top. When you trimmed off the tongue and groove and split it longways it gave you a nice 22 1/2 inch deep bench top.
 
Is that a solid top using 2x4 (or 2x6) side by side, then covered with plywood?
Click to expand...

Oh yeah.
I have two metallic presses and two MEC Jr shotgun presses mounted to mine. Mine is very deep also, and there is usually up to 100 pounds of lead ingots on it in the corner. Still as level as the day it was built.
 
I followed the plans the National Reloading Manufacturer's Association publishes. (They're available a bunch of different places on the web, here's one: https://sites.google.com/site/grassrocketranch/the-nrma-reloading-bench ).

The top is 3/4" plywood & the front edge of the bench (part "E") is a 2x6". It's crazy strong & super heavy duty -- but I think if I had to do it again, I'd go with a 2x10" for the leading edge. I've put about 20 coats of polyurethane on it; the damn thing's got a nicer finish than my kitchen table.
 
Currently, my Dillon 650 is mounted to my woodworking table, a heavy framed 4x8' top. It works great but I'm am planning on building a new one next month.
My new one will be 32"x60-66" pine plywood top with hardwood support strips underneath. It will have plywood sides and framed front and back to accomodate sliding doors of 1/8" thickness. It will sit on a 2x4 frame with locking rollers.
The top will also have either a scrap piece of Formica from the cabinet shop or a piece of melamine hardboard covering the plywood.
Will post pics as soon as it's finished.
 
I used 3 layers of 3/4" BB grade Russian plywood glued together, finished top is 20"x 60" (1 60"x60" sheet) and weighs 64 pounds . The front overhangs 3 3/4" to allow easy clamping or bolting of presses, vises,etc. Burn marks are from discovering the weight limit on my outfeed stand ;). Finish is 3 coats of shellac.


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