Recently there was a thread about loading in small spaces (apartments). That motivated me to do a little upgrade to my B&D WorkMate setup. I'm not sure I'm done - I need to use it for a while to see if I need to make any mods. But I thought I'd post it here in case it is of help to others and/or gives ideas.
My previous setup was simple but had issues. I created a T out of 2x6. I mounted the press on one end of the short part of the T and the case trimmer on the other. I'd squeeze the long part of the T between the jaws/boards of the WorkMate. When I needed to trim I'd turn the T around - so the trimmer was in front and the press was in back.
The two main issues with this setup were:
* The work surface was not smooth. The 2x6 was slightly higher than the WorkMate wood surfaces.
* It was really small - 24" W by 15" D
There are a number of ideas out there for putting a reloading bench surface on a WorkMate. One of the popular ones involves removing the WorkMate wood tops and afixing a thick piece of plywood directly on the frame. I was reluctant to do this - in case I wanted to use my WorkMate for a non-reloading project temporarily. Also, I wanted a smooth surface. The other methods I've seen involve bolting the top to the frame from the top - leaving holes/bolts exposed on the work surface.
I bought a piece of 2'x4' 3/4" birch plywood.
- The top is 24" W x 23" D - so I get an extra 8" of depth.
- Very fortunately, the distance from the frame rails to the top of the WorkMate wood surface is 1 1/2"! So that means two pieces of the 3/4" plywood fill the gap between WorkMate surface and frame. This is why you see a thick front in the pic. I put two pieces of the birch plywood (only about 3" deep for each) underneath the front edge - and they contact the frame quite readily.
- I put a piece of the 3/4" plywood in the middle of the top (underneath; screwed in from underneath) for the WorkMate jaws to grab onto.
- I put two pieces of the 3/4" plywood underneath the back of the top - again - touching the frame. Right now those are not attached. I wanted to have some support in the back for when I use strong up-force on the press handle. I'm not sure these back pieces are doing any good. I may just take them out.
- I removed the pins holding in the WorkMate front handles because they can't be turned with an overhanging piece of wood. I just use a thick nail to turn the vise screws if I need to.
- I put two coats of polyurethane on the top. (Stuff I had to be used up had some stain in it.)
I'll use a C-clamp for my powder measure - I've been doing that since day one. I'll also probably mount my case trimmer on a small board and use the C-Clamp to hold that as well when I need to trim.
OR