Looking for a reloading bench - Need some help

Rockrivr1

Rockrivr1

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Ok, I have a brand new Dillon 550B and all the accessories needed to start reloading 45s. But I don't have anything to mount it to as of yet. I'm going to set this up in my basement and I might as well be honest and say I would really suck at making a bench on my own.

Knowing that, I am looking to buy a workbench so I can start reloading. I was looking at a couple like this:

http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDU...BV_EngineID=ccehaddjjjmglddcgelceffdfgidgll.0

or

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=175208-56096-WB4604&lpage=none

They are a little expensive and the one from Home Depot has a galvanized steel top to it. Not sure how hard that will be to drill holes for the mounting. Anyone else buy a bench from somewhere else or do one of these look promising?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
I bought a house that already had a built-in bench on two walls in a workshop. Solved my problem! [smile]

Check Sears as well. Costco's (and I suspect BJ's and Sam's) had a very good looking (and simple) bench with butcherblock top (~2" thick). Prices were all in that same ballpark ($150-200).

Check Yard Sales, Want Advertiser, etc.
 
Troy,

I use a small 4-drawer storage cabinet that they were throwing out at work. It's made from sheet metal and I added an MDF top.

If I had to pick one of the ones that you linked, I'd go with the one from Lowes. It has more drawers, and an easily "renewable" top. The ball bearing drawer slides will come in handy to store heavy items like bullets.

If you have the room, another option is to look for an old steel work/school desk. These are usually available for virtually nothing when you can find them. Plan on reloading sitting down if you get one of these though - they're too low to stand and load. I used one up until recently but it took up too much space. It was well-suited for reloading though as it had plenty of space and was very heavy/sturdy. Too bad - it took me forever to get rid of the thing.

To drill the holes, get some pilot point bits (like these from Lowes). They'll go through wood or metal. Even though that Lowes bench has a wooden top, I'll bet that you'll end up having to drill through some metal bracketry underneath.

Good luck.
 
Check yard sales. My bench is an OLD oak table that came out of a school.

LOTS more sturdy than the flakeboard or sheet metal stuff; plenty of rigidity and lots of material to put bolts through.
 
That's some serious reloading gear !!!

I was looking at the bench in Sam's Club but the thing was too heavy for me to move alone. It looked really stable. I have one of those Sears benchs in my garage and it isn't all that sturdy. If I was really handy, the best bet is to build one.
 
Scrivener said:
Check yard sales.
Click to expand...

+1
For my setup, I used an piece of counter top, that was being thrown away, and just made some legs for it. Total I think I was into it for around $30, and only a couple of hours work. The best this though, is I got to set it up the way that worked the best for me.

Take a look..

Press005.jpg
 
I think building your own is the only way to go. As Adam said, you get exactly what you want, not a compromise. The latest edition of Rifleshooter magazine has an article on building a bench. It really is an interesting idea with all your equipment mounted on modular bases that that slide in and out of the bench. They can be taken off or put on as you need them.
 
Adam_MA said:
+1
For my setup, I used an piece of counter top, that was being thrown away, and just made some legs for it. Total I think I was into it for around $30, and only a couple of hours work. The best this though, is I got to set it up the way that worked the best for me.

Take a look..

Press005.jpg
Click to expand...

Same as mine, but I backed up the counter top with 2 layers of 3/4 inch plywood.

My wife freaked out when I anchored the legs into the hardwood floor!
 
Big Daddy 45acp said:
My wife freaked out when I anchored the legs into the hardwood floor!
Click to expand...

hehehe That's funny right there!

I didn't back up the top, but I can see where that would help. Under my single stage press, I ended up adding 2 2X4's vertically to the leg because when swaging primer pockets on military brass, the bench was flexing. Other than that, I am happy with it!
 
About 30+ years ago I built the bench that the National Reloading Manufacturer's Association (NRMA) sells plans for - photo and plans available here: www.reload-nrma.com/, and it's served me well ever since. I know you said that you're not sure about your woodworking skills, but it was really very easy and if you don't build the top cabinet part it's very easy indeed.
 
Last edited:
Go to craigslist and under sales type in work bench. I got one yesterday that was perfect for reloading for $35.00.

There's a couple more there for $50.00
 
Dick said:
About 30+ years ago I built the bench that the National Reloading Manufacturer's Association (NRMA) sells plans for - photo and plans available here: www.reload-nrma.com/, and it's served me well ever since. I know you said that you're not sure about your woodworking skills, but it was really very easy and if you don't build the top cabinet part it's very easy indeed.
Click to expand...

This is not mine and my apologies to the original poster as I do not have the info for proper attribution.

NRMAReloadingBench.jpg


If you want a pdf of these plans (a nice readable set) send me an email
address where you can receive a 1.5 Mb file and I will get them off to you.

TBP
 
Last edited:
Cuz said:
I have no woodworking abilities what-so-ever, but this bench was so easy (and cheap) to build that I actually made two. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Check it out for yourself.

http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/workshop/bench/below20.html

-Cuz.
Click to expand...

Nice plans but I'd double the thickness of the top maybe triple
I snapped the top of my first bench that was 3/4' thick but it was wood. Is OSD the same as particle board?
 
Here is my home made set up. This bench is actually 11 feet long with the presses mounted on half.

Buckets below are full of brass, brass on top is processed and ready to load.

RELOADINGGEAR003.jpg
 
The Boston Patriot said:
This is not mine and my apologies to the original poster as I do not have the info for proper attribution.

NRMAReloadingBench.jpg


If you want a pdf of these plans (a nice readable set) send me an email
address where you can receive a 1.5 Mb file and I will get them off to you.

TBP
Click to expand...

I updated this post to include a photo of the NRMA bench if anyone is interested.

TBP
 
Yesterday I finally completed my reloading work area. I appreciate all the feedback from everyone. I went with a mix of buying a pre-made bench, but upgrading some of the components myself. I waited for a sale, used a gift card given to me from the holiday and ended up spending less then $100 of my own money for everything. The bench is very stable with the double top I put on it.

The final outcome:

100_1313.jpg


100_1312.jpg


Any additional recommendations or comments on something I may have missed?
 

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