reloading bench

[culito]

Is there any reason why you never see reloading benchs with steel tops? All you ever see is wood tops.

 

[TAROMAN]

Not all. Mine is carpeted.

 

[lebomm]

Enough wood to top a loading bench can be had relatively inexpensively, even free. That much flat steel is pretty spendy, even used.

 

[kennyb]

mine was wood long before it was converted into a reloading bench

 

[Nemo288]

It's harder to screw stuff into a steel sheet.

...Nemo...

 

[Maddog 521]

My bench is 3 2X12 topped with a sheet of 1/8 inch aluminium. It has worked very well for years.

 

[Titegroups]

Thin sheet steel isn't all that strong, the top needs to resist flexing when pulling the handle on the press.

 

[wbraswell]

Mine is masonite. You might want a more spark resistant surface than steel.

 

[HAWKEYE10]

If you reload and work on guns on the same bench wood doesn't scratch you guns as easily. Maybe some of it is tradition. If you have a metal bench and want to use it just cover it with wood. Don

 

[MichiganScott]

OI want both spark and mar resistant tops on my loading bench. I've used both butcher block by itself and Formica over two sheets of 3/4 plywood. The plastic top cleans much easier.

You definitely do not was a top or support system that flexes.

 

[jepp2]

If you elected to go with steel for your reloading bench top, you would need to go with at least 1/4" and preferably 3/8". And then the question is what are you going to make the legs out of? You will have a lot of $$ invested in the bench top.

I built one of my benches using the NRMA plans (plans link) and it is an excellent bench. Solid as can be with lots of storage. You can probably buy the material for this bench for less than 1/3 of the cost of 1/4" steel plate top of this size. And then you have to build the rest of the bench. So now does it make sense why you don't see steel top benches?

 

[alwslate]

My loading bench is a 2 ft x 3 ft steel table of all welded construction
with a 3/4 in thick top plate and 2 in sq heavy wall tubing for legs. It
has one shelf of 7/16 in wafer board 10 ins from the floor resting on
the 2 in sq tubing welded as cross bracing between the table legs. It
is unbelievably heavy. Needless to say it doesn't flex or move when
I resize pistol cases. It came out of a closing factory and had had
some sort of production machinery mounted on it. I was just lucky
to be in the right place at the right time to buy it very cheaply other-
wise I would have built one out of wood like most people do.

 

[tinkerunique]

Wood may be tradition. I like the wood grain with a light stain and a good grade of marine varnish. The only problem I see with a steel top is the "spark factor" with rapidly burning powder nearby. Want to get your daughters boyfriends attention ? If he smokes, add a bit of powder to the ashes in the ash tray. ALSO works on your favorite uncle.

 

[Moonman]

Steel tops and gun powder are not the best mix.

 

[Engieman]

I built mine from heavy, scrap wood collected from a construction site. This while I was real young, just starting out with my own place, and with no money to speak of. Forty years later I still have the same bench. I have disassembled it multiple times, transported across the country to multiple homes...but refuse to part with it. Even now when I have the $$$$ to build something really nice, and my wife has encouraged me to replace it with something updated, the old bench has too many memories to be replaced. It's 'seen life,' and will be around as long as I am (smile)

 

[alwslate]

Steel tops and gun powder are not the best mix.

I suppose if one felt compelled for some reason to pour his
powder out into piles on his steel table rather than keeping it
in the original cans and then strike hard glancing blows next
to the piles with a steel hammer it could cause a problem.
But I thought only black powder ignited with a spark and
smokeless required a flame? My bench top is way too cluttered
to strike a glancing blow with anything but it does have a
sprinkling of spilled powder.
After I finished drilling and tapping all of my mounting holes
I gave the steel top a heavy coat of paint via the trusty old
spray can. Then I cut a piece from 3/16" plywood to fit the
top plate and mounted my tools atop it. Not from fear of
sparks, just a better looking surface to work on.

 

[lmcgust]

I chose wood construction not for cost reasons but rather for a project I could design and finish in a few days by myself. 2 x 3/4" plywood for the top is great and tapcon concrete screws ensure the whole thing won't move. Shellac wood finish also looks great on wood.
Regards,
Guy-

 

[Max36]

Mine is wood also. After many years of using a small bench and having to move reloading machines for different projects, I decided to increase my reloading area. I had just remodeled our kitchen and family room, and I used the cabinets from the old kitchen for my new reloading area. I used 2x6's for the tops and 4x4's for the legs. I clued and clamped the bench tops before mounting. I mounted the old cabinets to the walls in the basement. I made adjustments for the height of the counter and attached the benches and cabinets to the concrete block. I left openings between the lower cabinets for knee space and mounted the presses above them. I can sit on a tall office chair with rollers and move along to any machine I need. I have been very happy with this, and I have lots of storage for supplies and loaded ammo. I have seen several ads for old cabinets in the newspaper or by keeping an open ear at the coffee shop. My biggest expense was the fasteners to the concrete block, everything else was picked up from scrap at construction sites. I have about 50 ft of bench top, with 4 reloading machines, an RCBS power trimmer, my electric powder dispenser, and a small vice. I put electrical outlets along the front of the bench for power tools and outlets on the back for stationary tools. I have been very happy with this setup and it has worked well for me for many years. I hope this helps give you some ideas on building your reloading area. I think wood is the best way to go.

 

[Bobthegod]

If you have a wood bench and want it too look real nice and custom, after you build it (or if alreay built) go to any Hardware/Home Depot Etc and get a few stick on vinyl tiles. They are easy to clean and if you should spill something, burn one, mar one or what ever just pull it off and replace with a new one......very easy and super easy to clean. I got some white ones so if I drop something small it's very easy to see it. Good luck.

 

[tinkerunique]

My "loading bench is an OLD wood double-desk, made of walnut / dark stain. It is mainly my "hobby bench" that I use for casting resin and fiberglas. When I use resin I have a large piece of clear Polyresin that I put on top. That gives me a transparant/soft surface that I use like tracing paper. The resin doesn't stick to it. WEhen I made my loading bench (another house), I made it nailed to the wall and used 2 x 4's as the frame and 1" plywood as the top. With a few coats of Urethane, it looked good and was easy to clean. I'd suggest putting a molding around it with the outer edge about 1/8" up to keep shells, etc from rolling off < cut out where the press will go.