Planning a reloading bench

[willyworm]

I'm in the brainstorming phase of building a reloading bench. Got a space upstairs away from the common areas of the house that I'd like to make a dual-purpose space. For work and for play.

Any resources y'all can recommend on do's and don'ts? I don't know what I don't know here.

Right now my main focus is shotshell reloading. Got multiple MECs I'm learning to use but the biggest of the limiting factor is I can't continue to use them on the kitchen table. Prefer to stay climate and humidity controlled. I have space in the garage but in a 4000+ft² house I'm certain I can find room inside to suit my need. I plan to install a MEC jig so I can interchange presses when swapping from 12 to 16 to 20. Also got a Lee Precision press that I eventually plan to use for loading 7mm RMs possibly others.

Below is a rough drawing of the space upstairs. Flooring is hardwood. I've already read where reloading over a carpeted surface is a no-no. Vacuuming up spect powder is a recipe for disatter. I have a VariDesk I plan to mount to the benchtop somewhere. The bookshelves nearby have plenty of storage space for press storage, bullets, primers, scales, etc, etc. and the gun safe is nearby for powder storage.

Go...

[willyworm]

Bench.jpg

[willyworm]

Bold black lines are solid walls I can anchor to. Green line is proposed line of benchtop.

[Gregory]

I used 2X4 Basics. Very stable.

[The Conservative]

I have a reloading bench I made last year, has an upper shelf and pegboard. It’s a nice stable bench, made strong- I’ll sell it to you for a lot less time and money than you can build one- just come get it out of my garage.

[Sheep]

I wouldn't make the bench quite that deep. You will need a stool to reach shit on the back of it....also, the back will tend to get cluttered with stuff.

Make sure it is super sturdy- especially if you use a progressive.

And, I haven't blowed my self up on the carpet...yet. I wouldn't worry about that.

[willyworm]

I guess a L-shaped would be a little more useful for the space.

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[Woodiewacker82]

I have a reloading bench I made last year, has an upper shelf and pegboard. It’s a nice stable bench, made strong- I’ll sell it to you for a lot less time and money than you can build one- just come get it out of my garage.

Let’s see some pics

[Whackumstackum]

My buddy made this one for me a few months ago, has worked really good.
IMG_4285.JPG

[mhogancu]

With shotgun reloading, I recommend it over a carpeted area..... shot will spill and Bounce everywhere if it’s wood/concrete

[Tha Dick]

I found some counter tops and cabinets being taken out. Put them in my building with peg board between the cabinets and counter.

[tman]

I've never reloaded in a room with carpet, but as long as the carpet was short, I dont see the problem. Especially as far as shot hitting the ground and going everywhere. And YES its going to happen.

[mhogancu]

I've never reloaded in a room with carpet, but as long as the carpet was short, I dont see the problem. Especially as far as shot hitting the ground and going everywhere. And YES its going to happen.

My setup was in my garage, I put a piece of carpet leftover from a renovation on the ground. Kept any shot that fell there vs bouncing everywhere.

When moving, the movers were loading the supplies I have and had a 25lb bag rip open and drop hundreds of thousands of led #9s into a half way loaded moving truck. Talk about a mess....

[willyworm]

Stray pieces of shot don't ignite. Not really concerned about that. Perhaps that's my inexperience talking.

[rp]

I wouldn't make the bench quite that deep. You will need a stool to reach shit on the back of it....also, the back will tend to get cluttered with stuff.

Make sure it is super sturdy- especially if you use a progressive.

And, I haven't blowed my self up on the carpet...yet. I wouldn't worry about that.

Sheep, Ive thought about using a sink cutout or material from one of your countertop projects for stability. Have you done that?

[Sheep]

Solid surface is a great material for reloading bench, but doesn't necessarily make it more stable. The substrate has to be rock solid imo.

My bench is 2x4 frame with Corian top.

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[Pezzaroon]

The NRA used to have a bench guide from back in the 70's or 80's, you can find the directions.. http://accurateshooter.net/Blog/benchnrma.pdf there, saved you the trouble. I have this in my Garage. Love it, its sturdy, I have rebuilt motorcycle engines on it as well. Two downsides. Its not big enough for all the crap in the end, and because the garage is not climate controlled you have to keep everything oiled or it rusts. That and the damn heat for half the year.

[willyworm]

Conservative I appreciate the offer, but think I'm gonna go the custom route, for a couple reasons. It's going in the interior of my house so to please the wife (assuming that's even possible) it needs to be aesthetically pleasing while being functional. Got a buddy that makes cabinets for a living who I'm gonna heavily lean on for design and implementation. It's an awkward shaped space so to maximize it and make it dual purpose for work and play I'm just gonna build from the ground up. Thanks to all the others for the input. Gonna do some more reading and looking then put a blueprint together then start gathering materials for the job.

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