Reloading Bench Setup

[Kanewpadle]

Would you guys mind posting pics of your reloading bench? Trying to get some idea of how much room I need.

Thanks!

[OKFC05]

Twice as much as you think you do, unless you have huge shelves and cabinets handy, and are religious about putting stuff back as soon as you finish with it. With 2 4-foot benches and 4 presses, the "spare" space on my benches is always getting cluttered with something.

[les.b]

My bench is cluttered...but I do everything there, just have to put one thing away before I start another operation. But I only have one press, a RCBS that I bought in 1970.

My bench is 8 feet long, this is just the left side of it:



Here is the right side, and one of the sets of shelves that I store stuff on... Empty cartridge cases, powder, primers, loading dies, etc.:



There's quite a bit more, but you get the idea. I have always been told never to use clamps to hold my press, lubricator/sizer, powder measure etc., in place, but I have been doing it for 47 years now, and haven't dropped one on my foot yet. It gives me a lot of flexibility.

I'm not sure that you want to copy my setup, though, OSHA would probably be all over me!!

Best Regards, Les

[GypsmJim]

I have a homemade "desk" with a hinged cover that holds my bullets, powder, primers and misc. tools. The attached "drawer" holds my dies. The 2 wooden bases that hold my 4 presses are bolted with wing nuts to the top of my 8' workbench. When not in use they are stored inside the closed "desk".

[Twoboxer]

As said above, you will always need more. While you can operate with smaller, an ideal start may well be a sturdy 72"x30" bench.

The length gives you the ability to deal with a rifle in a vise while a press is mounted. The depth allows 6"-10" shelves above the bench surface to store die boxes, parts cabinets, and tools that are used frequently only an arm's length away. Under the bench is a good place to store bullets and other heavy stuff to help bench stability . . . as well as anything else that will fit.

As/if you grow, you can add another bench configured for whatever, or relatively inexpensive wheeled cabinets for (eg) powder storage. Those cabinets can be modded with a plywood top for re-positionable bench space. Sometimes an L-shaped workspace or another flat surface behind you is helpful.

When more than one press or bench-mounted tool is required, look at Inline Fabrications Quick Mount system. Whatever tool you need can be stored off the end of your bench (or anywhere) and mounted SECURELY in less than a minute.

As you scale down from the above dimensions, you lose some functionality that may be needed . . . or may not. But you can do the WORK of reloading in surprisingly small places using creativity.

Larger benches allow for permanent mounting of multiple tools . . . nice if you have the space, but a lot of actual bench space gets wasted that way.

There's got to be a picture thread on this site . . . I'll go look for it and edit this with a link. Nevermind, I'll just post a picture of mine:

[Hairtrigger]

Never enough room

[moosedog]

Believe it or not, I actually know where everything is. These pix are a few years old, it's neater now, a little bit.

[Wee Hooker]

My input from an earlier thread on this topic.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/137246764-post123.html

I can honestly say, that years later it doesn't look quite that neat after 10,000 rounds or so of play. Horizontal surfaces in my shop tend to attract clutter.

[M16]

I am in the middle of a reloading room remodel but here are some pics.

[Hillbilly77]

Originally Posted by Kanewpadle

Trying to get some idea of how much room I need.

How much room you need? A little more.

I can show you the opposite - how little room you can get away with.
I am currently set up in the basement.

My current loading bench is a heavy duty cart I picked up along the way.
It is approx. 42.5" x 21.5" x 3' tall. I mounted my presses to pieces of 2x6 and I secure them with c-clamps for ease of moving them around, etc.
I keep a plastic tote on top with my caliper, pen, random tools, etc. that I use regularly.
The bottom shelf is handy for storage.



I am in the process of trying to get more organized. I had components, tooling, etc. laying all over the place.

I recently picked up some decent used cabinets on the local Craigslist page. Keep Craigslist in mind for picking up cabinetry, shelving, etc. if you need any.
I am starting to get things straightened around. My goal is to have everything put up in cabinets. Once I get more of them hung up I'll reorganize, but at least for now most everything is up off the floor.

[arjay]

This is my 3rd set up over 30 years and the least elaborate,but it works.

[ageingstudent]

Well I'm blessed with a 16' by 24' shop. I use a 6'x10' area of the shop for my reloading. 60 square feet is working pretty well for me I guess, I don't feel too crowded if I keep it reasonably picked up. Pics are left, center, and right.

[Ivan the Butcher]

It is NOT about how much space you want, or even about how much space you need. It IS about how much space you have. In the farm house I had about 17 running feet of 30" wide bench in two sections with 2 progressive presses, 2 Rock Crusher presses a Redding T-7 turret press, plus a bullet sizing set-up to be envied!

In the Condo I have 5 feet of 30" bench. I have a single Dillon 550 and a Redding T-7 permanently set up, with removable area for the bullet sizing and Rock Crusher. I also have 8 MEC shotshell presses (3 are progressive).

I make it work because I have no alternative!

I make extensive use if Black & Decker workmates as auxiliary benches. And have a good amount of component storage space in the same room and keep the loaded ammo stockpile in the garage.

Ivan

[ageingstudent]

Originally Posted by Ivan the Butcher

It is NOT about how much space you want, or even about how much space you need. It IS about how much space you have. In the farm house I had about 17 running feet of 30" wide bench in two sections with 2 progressive presses, 2 Rock Crusher presses a Redding T-7 turret press, plus a bullet sizing set-up to be envied!

In the Condo I have 5 feet of 30" bench. I have a single Dillon 550 and a Redding T-7 permanently set up, with removable area for the bullet sizing and Rock Crusher. I also have 8 MEC shotshell presses (3 are progressive).

I make it work because I have no alternative!

I make extensive use if Black & Decker workmates as auxiliary benches. And have a good amount of component storage space in the same room and keep the loaded ammo stockpile in the garage.

Ivan

Yeah that's good to bring up Ivan, I have a couple workmates that I incorporate from time to time when I have more than a few things going at the same time. They are sturdy, portable, and handy.

[Mike0251]

Reference books and computer on another table. Primers and bulk powder stored separately.

[Kanewpadle]

I can see that I need more room than I thought. I have space but will need to rearrange a bit.

What's interesting that in every pic you can see character that was built over time.

What's really funny is that my ole man's reloading area looks much the same. An organized mess. He knows were everything is and if you touch something or move it....... Well, you know.

He's actually got two benches. One reloading and the other fly tying.

I think I would like press raised so when I get to it I will buy this mount. What do you think?

Ultramount for the Hornady single stage "Classic" press. – Inline Fabrication

Thanks again all.

[arjay]

Looks good.I can reload standing far longer than I can sitting anymore.

[Twoboxer]

Originally Posted by Kanewpadle

. . . I think I would like press raised so when I get to it I will buy this mount. What do you think?

Ultramount for the Hornady single stage "Classic" press. – Inline Fabrication

Thanks again all.

First, any of the mounts from Inline Fabrication are high-quality, and work as they should. So it comes down to whether the mount does what you actually want and/or need.

In exchange for it's height, a raised mount puts a permanent obstruction on your bench. Of course, you could mount the Ultramount to a board and clamp the board to your bench to make it moveable when you have the need to reclaim bench space.

So, it's a fine piece of equipment if you want the height. You can also add the QM system to it to allow exchange of tools on the same mount.

[Ivan the Butcher]

A friend of mine has the same press and mount, we had to adjust the location on the table to fit his style of usage, but it works great now! (I personally can't stand how it is set up, but I'm 4 inches taller and several inches longer in the arm span). It was seriously fatiguing him to do 100 strokes. We moved it in relation to his position and twisted it about 10 degrees to his stance and he can load 100 rounds now, which is about 500 strokes without shoulder or back pain.

Ivan

[Nevada Ed]

You can get away with a 30"x48" table top if you keep just the basic loading
equipment on it and leave the grinders, vises and other stuff in the garage.

I also have a single shelf at eye level for my scale and a few powders.
I do have shelves on my right and storage on two other walls, though, for more
powder, bullets, my dies and ammo.

Metallic loading takes up little space compared to if you load for shotguns, that take up huge
amounts of space with their big bags of wads, bulky hulls and over size ammo boxes.
Did I mention more dies and presses ?

[ontargetagain]

Originally Posted by M16

I am in the middle of a reloading room remodel but here are some pics.

Holy cow! So you are new to this? LOL
My wife is a crafting fanatic and has an inventory like this and then some, the other day I asked her if I could have a current 'catalog' of what she has in stock

That is an impressive inventory, very cool!
Karl

[smokindog]

I didn't see it but I may have missed the reference.

You may want to review this thread!
Show us your reloading setup!

[AveragEd]

There is a photo of mine in the thread on which loader to buy. Might as well not hog bandwidth with a second posting.

Ed

[Hairtrigger]

If building your own, consider putting longer legs on the bench eliminating the need for an aftermarket mount, save the money for powder
If you already have the bench , go to local metal shop and buy a piece of 6-8" tube or Ibeam , save the money for
The two presses on left use Ibeam the right press is on a piece of rectangular tube

[mmaher94087]

Hairtrigger; "The two presses on left use Ibeam the right press is on a piece of rectangular tube ". Question: What is the height, from the floor to the mounting base of your Hornady LNL press? I'm building a bench. These photo have given me some great ideas.

[Hairtrigger]

Originally Posted by mmaher94087

Hairtrigger; "The two presses on left use Ibeam the right press is on a piece of rectangular tube ". Question: What is the height, from the floor to the mounting base of your Hornady LNL press? I'm building a bench. These photo have given me some great ideas.

The pics are at my "Spousal Avoidance Center" not at my house. I will measure later today and report back
Btw. I made the Spousal avoidance center a place on Facebook.....my wife hates me for it!

[Kanewpadle]

Originally Posted by AveragEd

There is a photo of mine in the thread on which loader to buy. Might as well not hog bandwidth with a second posting.

Ed

There's plenty of bandwidth here. Updated information is nice sometimes to as well as more ideas.

[Kanewpadle]

Originally Posted by Hairtrigger

If building your own, consider putting longer legs on the bench eliminating the need for an aftermarket mount, save the money for powder
If you already have the bench , go to local metal shop and buy a piece of 6-8" tube or Ibeam , save the money for
The two presses on left use Ibeam the right press is on a piece of rectangular tube

Saving money isn't the highest priority. I want it right the first time.

I want the press raised because the lighting in my garage isn't the best and it won't get bumped inadvertently. It also seems that having the press raised will allow me to keep my back straight and not hunched over. Everything as close to eye level appeals to me.

[Hairtrigger]

Originally Posted by mmaher94087

Hairtrigger; "The two presses on left use Ibeam the right press is on a piece of rectangular tube ". Question: What is the height, from the floor to the mounting base of your Hornady LNL press? I'm building a bench. These photo have given me some great ideas.

My bench top is 32"
The Ibeam I use is 8" plus the 3/4" piece of wood I put on top
40 1/2" to where my press is bolted down.
I am always amazed that people are so willing to throw $50 on a bent piece of metal called a strong mount

[Twoboxer]

Originally Posted by mmaher94087

Hairtrigger; "The two presses on left use Ibeam the right press is on a piece of rectangular tube ". Question: What is the height, from the floor to the mounting base of your Hornady LNL press? I'm building a bench. These photo have given me some great ideas.

Hope you realize that the best press height depends on the operator . . . height, arm length operating posture.

Best way to estimate how high you want your press is to "operate" a "phantom press" and see where you want the arm swing to be, where you want/need your eyes to be.

If you ever want standing up to be an option, do the test standing up because you can always get an adjustable chair/stool to provide the right height when seated.

[Hairtrigger]

Originally Posted by Twoboxer

Hope you realize that the best press height depends on the operator . . . height, arm length operating posture.

Best way to estimate how high you want your press is to "operate" a "phantom press" and see where you want the arm swing to be, where you want/need your eyes to be.

If you ever want standing up to be an option, do the test standing up because you can always get an adjustable chair/stool to provide the right height when seated.

Definitely a personal preference
Standing or seated Tall bar stool is my pick

[Bob R]

My main bench is this one.

I also have a fairly old wooden desk that I have a Lee single stage bolted onto for rifle stuff.

This was a few years ago, it has become more cluttered since then. I really like the wall system.






bob

[Kanewpadle]

Originally Posted by Hairtrigger

My bench top is 32"
The Ibeam I use is 8" plus the 3/4" piece of wood I put on top
40 1/2" to where my press is bolted down.
I am always amazed that people are so willing to throw $50 on a bent piece of metal called a strong mount

I'm glad you're amazed. It's my money isn't it? I asked for help. Not ridicule.

[mmaher94087]

All of you folks have helped me. Kanewpadle, sorry for the drift and thank you for the timely (for me) question. Hairtrigger, thank you for the dimensions; food for thought. And Twoboxer, I think the adjustable stool is the way to go. Now, back to your regular broadcasting...

[otisrush]

Originally Posted by ageingstudent

Yeah that's good to bring up Ivan, I have a couple workmates that I incorporate from time to time when I have more than a few things going at the same time. They are sturdy, portable, and handy.

The B&D WorkMate works great. I have one - and it is is my one (and only) loading bench.

I've never had an issue with sturdiness, etc. It sometimes gets a little cramped - but I think that helps me be more efficient and organized.

OR

[Bob L]

When I built my benches, I knew that I would not be comfortable trying to sit down while reloading. The the length of the arc that the arm on the presses have, it just seemed that my knees would always be in the way. So I built my benches with a height of 40" which allows me great leverage as well as placing the press where I have an easy view to see exactly what is going on. The more complex the operation, the better view I want. For example,, my Rock Chucker is mounted to the tabletop but my Dillon 650 is mounted on one of their stands on top of the table. This places the shell plaet at about 55" so it is very easy to see what is happening on each station.

[Houlton]

Mine is only 4' long but works well for me.

[Bigdog357]

This is my bench I can stand or sit while reloading, I use half for reloading the other half for working on and cleaning guns. Make your bench as big as your room allows, you will always wish you had more space

[Hairtrigger]

Originally Posted by Kanewpadle

I'm glad you're amazed. It's my money isn't it? I asked for help. Not ridicule.

Not meant to be

[Hillbilly77]

A lot of these pictures are making me realize.....

I need to throw Mrs. Hillbilly out of one room in the house and claim it as my own.

[Kanewpadle]

Originally Posted by Hillbilly77

A lot of these pictures are making me realize.....

I need to throw Mrs. Hillbilly out of one room in the house and claim it as my own.

Good luck with that friend.

[ontargetagain]

Very simple and a small area but works for me. Couple of basic Lee presses, a good Acculab digital medical scale, and the other essentials. Relaxing and efficient for me.

[Maddog 521]

I had to downsize. Worked for me.

[stu1ritter]

I had to put my loading/casting bench into one corner of my woodworking shop so I ended up with fairly limited bench space. The LnL's are small pistol and large pistol primers. I don't reload rifle but sure crank out some quantity of handgun ammo. Seems to work.

Stu

[Arm]

[old&slow]

Cabinets and bench top purchased from a local home improvement store.
My bench top is 6' long , 18 " deep, and 35" high, plus the two 2' cabinets =
10' total bench top surface .
I prefer the 18" depth because not as much junk gets stuffed on the back side of the bench.

When folks ask which reloading press they should get ? My first question is
how much do you shoot ? If you shoot 200 rounds a year, you probably don't need
a big progessive reloading press. If you shoot 200 rounds a week, you probably don't
want a single stage press.
Same with reloading. How much do you shoot,, how much space do you need,, how big a bench,,
how cold is it where you live,, are you going to load in the winter / summer,, etc.
All factors to consider.
Lots of good pictures and good ideas. Good Luck..

[Ole Joe Clark]

Here is mine, I desperately need more storage space.

Leon

[BB57]

Size doesn't matter as much as you'd think. It's staying organized and keeping the workspace safe and efficient that matters.

Now that I'm not likely to move in the future, my current bench looks like this - a tile topped, wood trimmed, torsion beam bench attached to the wall, with over head shelving and lighting.



However, prior to my current bench, I had a self standing portable bench made from a sheet and a half of 3/4" ply.

It was easily moved, which was important given the potential for a permanent change of station every few years. It's toward the minimum end of the spectrum with a 24"x24" top.





Both work fine.

[H Richard]

In most cases you will need to build around whatever space you have to work with. If you are luck enough to start from scratch, in a big enough basement, you can build a reloading room that will serve you for many years to come.

I was always stuck in t tiny hole of a shop that was a darkroom before becoming a reloading room. When we built our condo after I retired, I wanted to make it right. I got to design what I wanted. I used 11X21 ft corner of the basement, (with 4X7 ft concrete vault in one corner). I ran work counter in a "U" around the other end. I set up three loaders. My MEC 9000 shotgun loader and my Dillon 550B o one long arm, My old Texan turret loader that I do all my load development on on the short end, leaving another long end for my cleaning and repair bench. I used some base cabinets and 2X4 framing for the counter support, topped by 5/8" plywood and 1/4" tempered Masonite with a couple coats of polyurethane on it. It's worked well for he past 11 years for me.

[DRAINSMITH]

Originally Posted by Kanewpadle

Would you guys mind posting pics of your reloading bench? Trying to get some idea of how much room I need.

Thanks!

What I need to know is all are you going to do is reload, or do you need it for any thing else? If it is just to reload all you need is enough room to pull the handle.