Hammer1 Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 All my reloading has been in a dedicated 4,500+ square foot shop so I had plenty of room for spreading out all my Dillon equipment and supplies. Will be a snowbird this year and will be doing so from an apartment. Anyone got pictures or suggestions about using Dillons and reloading in the close quarters of an apartment ? . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdinga Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Yes if you use a smart mount you can screw it into a nice piece of 3/4" plywood. The plywood can be c clamped to either a Kitchen table, desk or Black and decker work mate for loading sessions and then stored in a closet. I did this while living in an apartment waiting for our new home to be built. Use Hornady one shot lube to have a smoother operation and cut down on the torque required to resize brass. On some calibers I resized on a Forster Coax press and then hand primed the brass. Feeding the primed, processed into the dillon was a smooth operation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ams30gts Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 Something like this might work for you http://leeprecision.com/bench-plate.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtychemist Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 I bought the workbench summit racing sells. I had a single stage rcbs and the precut holes were just right for mounting that press. Two long bolts with washers top and bottom was perfect to home the press. It actually had a little wiggle room because the bolts were smaller than the holes so I could tighten one bolt just enough to hold the press and slide the other bolt out to disassemble and store, without having the press fall into my lap. Mounted the powder dispenser facing the narrow end and using a combination of the angle of the powder measure and the and the angle of the mounting bracket I found something that let me run almost a full tray of cases. Flip around the tray to finish. 505 scale sitting behind the press with the weigh pan on the edge (not hanging over) so it wouldn't take up room, spill, and I could reach around the press to grab it. Box of billets to the left behind the powder measure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bagdad45 Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 (edited) We had a closet with sliding doors in the second bedroom. Built the bench to fit inside, used the under side of the shelf for a light and the shelf for storage of manuals and supplies. It was easy then to slide the door closed and everything was out of sight. Now use that table in my garage for the scales, loaded ammo and sonic cleaner. Edited July 20, 2014 by bagdad45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G19 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) Press is mounted to a platform that sits in the jaws of a Black & Decker Workmate. Mat underneath to protect the carpet and make cleaning up powder spills easier. 2x4 up front acts as a brace to resist flex when the handle is pulled rearward (RAM up) and I've got a 2x4 sitting between the wall and rear of the platform that resists flex when the handle is pushed forward (priming case). No holes in walls necessary here. Setup is rock solid - there is more flex in the handle's attachment to the press than there is in the platform/Workmate. Edited July 23, 2014 by G19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slotbike Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 G19 that's a cool setup. Before I read it I said no way that doesn't flex but, seems you figured out a formula that works.....very cool my friend!!! G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G19 Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) G19 that's a cool setup. Before I read it I said no way that doesn't flex but, seems you figured out a formula that works.....very cool my friend!!! G Thanks. Yeah, it flexed quite a bit at first (just placing the platform in the Workmate's vise jaws is wholly inadequate), but I just looked at where the flex was occurring and braced against it. The press itself has more flex than the bench setup. I took everything off the platform so I can stain and finish it, but after setting it back up, I can take some better pics if people are contemplating using a Workmate as a reloading bench. Edited July 23, 2014 by G19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slotbike Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I have the luxury of having a very large and killer reloading room BUT, for those that do not have the room, your setup is amazing. Posts like yours are important for those that want to reload but "think" that they can't because they don't have the room. G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james5m Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 (edited) deleted Edited July 23, 2014 by james5m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZackJones Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Like G19 I use a workmate but I bolted the wood I use for the press mount to the workmate. It takes a little longer to setup and take down but it works. I got the tracking number for my new 550 and I've been thinking about setting up a platform mounted to the wall. I have a 24" area where I could setup a shelf to mount the press on. I have access to the area behind the wall so I could brace it very well. Do you think an area 24" wide is big enough to run a 550? Also if I wanted to add a case feeder in the future how much extra room would I need? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N1vram Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Press is mounted to a platform that sits in the jaws of a Black & Decker Workmate. Mat underneath to protect the carpet and make cleaning up powder spills easier. 2x4 up front acts as a brace to resist flex when the handle is pulled rearward (RAM up) and I've got a 2x4 sitting between the wall and rear of the platform that resists flex when the handle is pushed forward (priming case). No holes in walls necessary here. Setup is rock solid - there is more flex in the handle's attachment to the press than there is in the platform/Workmate. Just the information I was looking for. Did you add the vise in the rear for counter weight? Or is it sturdy with out it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amish_rabbi Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 that rubber mat is a good idea... I custom built a 2' x 2' platform for my press and it works great but I'm going to have to go buy myself a rubber mat now to finish it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drewzter Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Like G19 I use a workmate but I bolted the wood I use for the press mount to the workmate. It takes a little longer to setup and take down but it works. I got the tracking number for my new 550 and I've been thinking about setting up a platform mounted to the wall. I have a 24" area where I could setup a shelf to mount the press on. I have access to the area behind the wall so I could brace it very well. Do you think an area 24" wide is big enough to run a 550? Also if I wanted to add a case feeder in the future how much extra room would I need? Same here but also bolted to the wall studs using large angle brackets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G19 Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 (edited) Press is mounted to a platform that sits in the jaws of a Black & Decker Workmate. Mat underneath to protect the carpet and make cleaning up powder spills easier. 2x4 up front acts as a brace to resist flex when the handle is pulled rearward (RAM up) and I've got a 2x4 sitting between the wall and rear of the platform that resists flex when the handle is pushed forward (priming case). No holes in walls necessary here. Setup is rock solid - there is more flex in the handle's attachment to the press than there is in the platform/Workmate. Just the information I was looking for. Did you add the vise in the rear for counter weight? Or is it sturdy with out it? Sturdy without the vise. Loading the bottom shelf with bullets, etc. adds to stability. Edited August 14, 2014 by G19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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