Suggestions for a dedicated bullet casting bench?

[canoeguy]

When my friend introduced me to bullet casting, his bench was two saw horses with half a sheet of plywood laid over them. This made a bench height of about 36", a liittle too low for me. Had to bend over to see the dispensing spout of his melter, very uncomfortable.....

I am going to build a dedicated bullet casting bench, I am thinking about one 48" tall (a little over waist high for me), and a 4' square working surface. Make the support legs of 4X4's, put the whole shebang on casters so I can wheel it outside on pleasant days, store it in the corner of the garage when not using it. Normally, I'll use it at the entrance to my garage, with the garage door up for ventilation.

What do you guys think? Is 4' too high? 4' foot square working surface too much? Any suggestions?

All of my stuff I ordered should be here by the end of the week, so I am starting work on the bench today....

 

[flat top]

If the bench is made to your height requirements and everything is within reach, you should be good to go. Give yourself plenty of room to work with as well.....you can never have too much space! When I was casting a lot years ago, I did everything on the shop floor, and for me it was comfortable and of course roomy....just sat there and cast away!!!

 

[Cary]

When my friend introduced me to bullet casting, his bench was two saw horses with half a sheet of plywood laid over them. This made a bench height of about 36", a liittle too low for me. Had to bend over to see the dispensing spout of his melter, very uncomfortable.....

I am going to build a dedicated bullet casting bench, I am thinking about one 48" tall (a little over waist high for me), and a 4' square working surface. Make the support legs of 4X4's, put the whole shebang on casters so I can wheel it outside on pleasant days, store it in the corner of the garage when not using it. Normally, I'll use it at the entrance to my garage, with the garage door up for ventilation.

What do you guys think? Is 4' too high? 4' foot square working surface too much? Any suggestions?

All of my stuff I ordered should be here by the end of the week, so I am starting work on the bench today....

When casting I can work at my bench for several hours. If I am comfortable that amount of time isn't a problem. Making your casting set up comfortable for you should be a priority when designing your bench. Select what chair or stool you are going to use when casting and make sure the height of the bench works good with you choice. Your chair or stool should be comfortable for extended use. I have a bar stool I use that swivels and has a foot rest for my feet. You may want to take the time to lay out your furnace, molds, and what ever else you are going to use on a table. Set down and move your tools and furnace around until you have everything in a comfortable to reach position and then take a tape measure and measure the perimeter to see if everything fits in your 4' square. I think your better off having a table a little too big than too small. The table top doesn't have to be square in shape either. A rectangle shape may work better (3'X5') as you can only reach so far while setting down. I personally think a 4'X4' table top would work for me. I would not go any smaller.
Cary

 

[Frank237]

Only suggestion I have is to use a piece of sheetmetal for a TOP. I have a few large highway signs, that I used for a bench top. Spilled alloy cleans up easier than with plywood. And you can set hot moulds on the top without fear of scorching anything.

FN in MT