Show us a picture of your reloading bench

Arkansas Paul said:
Do you not have trouble with your knuckles hitting the table top with the trimmer like that?

I initially mounted mine like that but then rotated it 90 degrees where your cranking hand is off the edge of the work top and like it much better. Just an idea.

Your bench looks very solid.
Click to expand...
I also had mine placed to bust my knuckles, but it worked great in that position so I raised it up with a short length of 2"x4", no more knuckle busting!
jell-dog
 
Flash hole would you mind sharing the details I like that bench set up and would love to do something similar
 
Arkansas Paul said:
Do you not have trouble with your knuckles hitting the table top with the trimmer like that?

I initially mounted mine like that but then rotated it 90 degrees where your cranking hand is off the edge of the work top and like it much better. Just an idea.

Your bench looks very solid.
Click to expand...
That's a good point! I honestly haven't gotten around to trying it since I renovated.
 
Bought that RCBS bench primer about 2 years ago and really makes priming a lot of cases very easy. Haven't used the hand primer much since I got the bench primer.
 
Stigness, I see that you keep your dies in the lee turret plates, I used to do exactly that as well. I found that if you use one of the round red Lee die boxes, you can flip over the bottom and set the turret in it and put the lid back on, and keep the dies relatively dust free. This are the guys I am talking about.

http://leeprecision.com/die-box-round-red.html
 
CHALK22 said:
Stigness, I see that you keep your dies in the lee turret plates, I used to do exactly that as well. I found that if you use one of the round red Lee die boxes, you can flip over the bottom and set the turret in it and put the lid back on, and keep the dies relatively dust free. This are the guys I am talking about.

http://leeprecision.com/die-box-round-red.html
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice. I've seen those round die boxes, but I didn't feel like paying 5 bucks apiece for them. I'm thinking about making some pvc holders for them so they don't sit on the decapping pins though. If dust becomes a problem I'll have to look into getting some boxes or moving them down a shelf.
 
MainReloadingBench.jpg

Flashholes bench details – thanks for the good words.

Uprights are the fake wood deck posts made of resin and wood chips. I’m 5’9” tall and I cut them to 42” in length because I like to stand when I load. They came 48” long. The uprights are very dense, very heavy and very straight with no checking whatsoever. I believe they measure 5¼“ each side. I picked them up at Lowes. I bought the ones that were scarred or dinged or smudged and got a huge discount. The presses are mounted directly above the upright because that’s where you find all the vertical stress, no flex at all in this configuration.

The shelves and cross braces were cut from a single 4’x8’ sheet of ¾” plywood. Shelves measure 2’x4’ and are reinforced with 1”x3” boards that are glued and screwed to each shelf. The cross braces are glued and screwed to the uprights as well. Plenty of work space and the small shelf forces me to keep it tidy. I have some other work stations in the reloading room too that come in handy.

I used sheets of 5/16” steel plate to bridge the uprights. I bolted the presses to the steel and then the steel to the bench in several places. The center-mounted devices have through holes and help provide a good anchor for the steel plate (two RCBS bench mount primer tools on the near side and the powder measure stand on the far side). Lag bolts secure the steel to the legs. One man’s opinion, the RCBS bench mount primer tool is the best that was ever invented, I have one each set up for small and large primers.

I painted all the surface area on the bench, including underneath, with an entire gallon of floor and stair paint that dried like iron. It completely sealed the wood. It took several coats and each coat had to dry overnight but well worth the effort. This paint worked far better than I anticipated it would. I had planned to lay a sheet of formica over the top shelf between the steel plates but the paint is so hard there is no need to do that.

The rug allows it to be self leveling in case it is placed on an uneven floor and the bar stool is the perfect height for me in the event I want to sit and reload.

I built it in 2009, it gets a lot of use and still looks as good today as the day I put it into service. All total it cost me about $200 and took 2 weeks to finish. Most of that 2 weeks was letting the paint dry before applying another coat. No plans, I just knew what I wanted and built it. I really like the island design because it provides access to all side of the bench. I did not realize how much more versatile an island would be compared to a bench that is placed against a wall until I started using it.
 
CHALK22 said:
Stigness, I see that you keep your dies in the lee turret plates, I used to do exactly that as well. I found that if you use one of the round red Lee die boxes, you can flip over the bottom and set the turret in it and put the lid back on, and keep the dies relatively dust free. This are the guys I am talking about.

http://leeprecision.com/die-box-round-red.html
Click to expand...
Thanks for the idea.. I have mine in coffee cans with paper towels stuffed in tho bottom to give some cushioning to the decapping pin. Pretty crude.
 
No offense Flash-I love the bench- but the room kinda reminds me of a prison cell. Or one of those little staged rooms on The Price is Right!
 
Potatohead said:
Thanks for the idea.. I have mine in coffee cans with paper towels stuffed in tho bottom to give some cushioning to the decapping pin. Pretty crude.
Click to expand...
No problem, I think I got the idea from this forum many moons ago, so glad to pass it on. If you are worried about rust/corrosion, you can toss a desiccant packet in each one as well. I keep them in all of my die boxes.
 
"No offense Flash-I love the bench- but the room kinda reminds me of a prison cell. Or one of those little staged rooms on The Price is Right!"

It's called a basement.
 
I also like the island idea- I've been pondering the thought of adding a second bench to my reloading room for shotgun and other miscellaneous tasks, and there is enough room for a bench like this one.

Excellent usage of bench real estate, BTW.
 
A toast to "James THR" for starting this thread. I really have enjoyed every pic I've seen.

The Dove
 
Last edited:
Man I've wanted to of this for a long time. I finally built a dedicated bench. Used a lot of repurposed wood where you can't see it, new where it's more visible. Covered the top in several heavy layers of varnish. Shelves are made from an old crate.
IMG_04331_zpsac28943e.jpg

IMG_04321_zpsacd0d635.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H&R Glock
  • Locked
World's Smallest Reloading Bench (contest??)
2
Replies
45
Views
4K
Mike Kerr
Mike Kerr
C
  • Locked
How strong is your reloading bench?
2
Replies
44
Views
4K
Kramer Krazy
K
F
  • Locked
Show off your bench day
2 3 4 5 6 7
Replies
151
Views
23K
rattletrap1970
R
R
  • Locked
Compact Reloading Bench Solutions
Replies
13
Views
2K
jmorris
jmorris
B
  • Locked
Reloading bench building plans compilation
Replies
14
Views
2K
brighamr
B
Back
Top