Broke My Reloading Table

[ACP230]

Back in the 1980s I got a small table from my brother, who was moving away. I bolted a Lee "C" Press and a Lee Turret press to it and proceeded to make a whole lot of pistol and rifle ammo with them. Over the years the table took a beating as I worked the presses.

This fall, I decided it was time to reload some of the cans of 9mm brass I have lying around. (I hate loading the 9 and put it off as long as possible.) While I was resizing some of it in the "C" press I
cracked the board the press was bolted to. It had been a bit loose for a while and now doesn't hold the press well enough to resize cases.
I switched to the turret and went on for a while but the old table is also weak on that side. I have been thinking about rebuilding the table top for some time. Now I really have to do it. I think I have the plywood for
the project in the basement but haven't gone and looked yet.

Luckily, I finished loading about 50 rounds of .250 Savage for my deer rifle before busting the table. Going into the season with the 10 rounds
I had left would have been a bit of a problem.

I guess after 20+ years of service the old table deserves a little
attention.

 

[H Richard]

Build one that will stand up. Use a 2X4 frame, and at least 3/4" top. It also helps to have a separate piece of 1/2" or 3/4" directly under the press on top of the bench top, then bolt everything together with the largest bolt that will go through the mounting holes in your press.

 

[blujax01]

I bought a 4x8x3/4" sheet of oak plywood and slit it to 2'. I then glued it (Franklin Titebond) and screwed it (countersunk #8) on 12" centers to make a 2x8x1-1/2" tabletop.
That oughtta hold it awhile!

 

[ACP230]

I was planning to reinforce the edges all around and put a sheet of
plywood over the whole top. I figure that should work.
I think I have everything in the house, except some longer bolts.

 

[venomballistics]

since we are building ..
I think a sheet of UHMW would be the order of the day for the top.
It lends itself well to reloading operations in that it has no grain to trap spherical powders in like plywood does, its chemical resistant, and it could care less about the repeated flex related stresses involved in full length sizing large rifle brass.
base structure, think heavy so as to reduce any rocking while crunching with purpose. get some iron in its feet.
One thing I always thought was nice during casting sessions was the "exit ramp" I'd drop bullets into a cooling area and dump them off down the ramp into a bin. While Ive never done this at the reloading bench, it might be handy for completed batches of loaded rounds in some of those long mahoosive runs.
Honestly I think I'd like a robotic system that forms 1911 mags and loads the finished rounds into them, but thats asking a bit much.
it would be vulgar to begin with and welding has no place near gunpowder. File that under fun to think about and dismiss.

Bins for brass and bullets should integrate well.
just make sure you place them in handy locations you'll actually use.