How Stout Of A Bench...

[milanuk]

Hello,

I've been planning on upgrading my reloading bench for a while now, and figured I'd build something new before I get a progressive to stick on it. I'd presume heavier is better, and bolted to the wall is even better? I was considering somthing based off the NRMA loading bench that has been around for years, but w/ two or even three layers of 3/4 MDF (each piece is almost twice the weight of equivalent plywood) instead of the one layer of 3/4" ply they show in the plans to gain some mass to prevent moving, and to stiffen up the top to prevent flexing during press operation.

Any comments or suggestions?

Thanks,

Monte

[benos]

Without doubt, the sturdier you build it the better it will be. (Bolted mine to the wall and the floor, and it was a heavy duty Grainger bench to begin with.) Just how far you go is up to you... but being able to throw a dance party on it wouldn't be a bad thing.

[BrianH]

Angle brackets to wall studs really helps a bench.

[shred]

IMHO, fixed-firmly-to-an-immovable-object is priorty one-- movement is bad. Flexing is also bad, but you don't need to go overboard to prevent it.

[Jeeper]

Attach it to a wall. It is really the only real way to really secure a bench. Go look in the gallery section at the top and there is a "reloading bench" topic. Look at it.

I also would never use MDF for a bench top. If you spill something on it, it expands and deforms (unless you paint it). Use melamine, formica or a countertop.

[milanuk]

Forgot to mention that the MDF core would be covered w/ a sacrificial 1/8" tempered hardboard top held down probably w/ double-stick tape. Seems to be a common enough trick on woodworking benches... use the MDF for sheer mass, but put the hardboard top over it to absorb spills, dents, dings, gouges, etc. Cheap to replace occasionally as needed, to.

Thanks,

Monte

[Putty]

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[Putty]

I use a "mobile" Sjobergs wood working bench. At the feet I have a box that fits through the legs filled with sand. No movement.

[SiG Lady]

Bolted mine to two corner walls in a closet and bolted the one leg to the floor. Solid as a rock.

[Gun Geek]

Angle iron along the back - screwed to the bench surface and the wall studs. Heavy stuff (100 - 150 lbs) on the bench shelves (bullets, brass, loaded rounds). No movement.

[Tman33_99]

Solid Core Door makes a great top, and you can usually pick up a demo or scratch/dented door from your local home improvement store for a song. Two angle brackets to studs and you are set.

[George]

I use a large freestanding heavy duty metal cabinet I found with a heavy piece of plywood bolted on top. I put all of my bullet stock and heavy items in the bottom and that sucker doesn't move.

No flexing, or movement is the desired end result. I stand to reload and use a 35" starting height for my bench with a 550 on a strong mount.

--

Regards,

[Soligen]

I think plywood would be better than MDF. Bolting to the wall would aleviate much of the need for mass, so what you need is some rigidity. MDF is just not that rigid. Pick a peice up at a home center and see how much it flexes compared to equally thick ply wood.

Someone on a woodworking forum called MDF "Glorified Cardboard", and directed me to use plywood.

[Gun Geek]

I think plywood would be better than MDF.  Bolting to the wall would aleviate much of the need for mass, so what you need is some rigidity.  MDF is just not that rigid.  Pick a peice up at a home center and see how much it flexes compared to equally thick ply wood.

Someone on a woodworking forum called MDF "Glorified Cardboard", and directed me to use plywood.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

MDF may not be quite stiff enough (but lots of support could fix that). The other problem with it is that it doesn't handle liquids well (swells up), and it doesn't hold screws well (through bolts and washers work, but not wood screws). The stuff that comes with a laminate turns away spills nicely.

You need either mass or the bench to be bolted to the floor. Things that happen on the upstroke are important, and mass/floor attachment are the only way to control it. Bolting to the back wall creates a bit a hinge effect - the back won't move, but the front can flap a bit.

[milanuk]

I know MDF isn't as stiff... figured thats what the supporting frame of the bench was there fore Actually I've seen a number of woodworking bench designs that recommended MDF because while it may not be as stiff, it is less 'springy' I think was the term used. Basically more of a 'dead' material that would absorb impact rather than causing a bouncy effect. That and it seems to be a cheap and easy way to pack a lot of mass in the same volume. Like I said, I figured I had the surface vs. liquid issue handled w/ the hardboard surface... my current bench is a Craftsman w/ the sheet metal bottom and a 1-1/4 MDF top. A couple years ago I spilled some stock stripping chemicals on it... nice mushroom! W/ this bench design, I just flipped the top over and called it good. After about 6 years though, the center area btwn the cabinets (completely unsupported for about 2') is starting to flex some, so maybe ply would be a better long term solution... though I've seen plywood start to delaminate under the right stresses too. As far as the screw... they make special screws (conformat?) just for working in MDF and particle board, so that's a non-issue. I guess the one thing that comes to mind that might make the MDF a real problem is that if it's supported and I'm just pushing *down* like on a woodworking bench, it'd be one thing. But the up-down forces of a press, right at the edge... plywood starts sounding better and better.

Sounds like I need to dig out the stud locator and mark the studs on the wall and lag bolt some 2x4's to them, and then bolt the bench to the 2x4's. Sigh. And I just spent all that time re-drywalling that wall. If it's not one thing, its another.

Thanks,

Monte

[Flexmoney]

I used MDF on my reloading bench...wish I had used something else. Mine seems to have become a bit more "spongy" just from me working the Dillon handle (I crank on the handle pretty good...I'll bet I've compressed my MDF into HDF )

[Run n Gun]

Here's a drawing of my loading bench, which can also be seen in the epic "Reloading Benches" in the gallery. I paid ~$85 for the materials at Home Depot and built it with a Skil Saw, drill and some wrenches. Lagged to the wall it's VERY stable and I lagged my 650s strong mount through the top into the front 2 X 4 and also the 2 x 4 cross member. A simple bolt and washers worked for the fourth mount.

Ed

[kaiserb]

Mass is the key... the heavier the bench the more stable it will be when reloading.

[D.Hayden]

I, like Sandoz, use a woodworking bench... it's massive, but it also doubles as a woodworking bench.

I made it,

66" x 22" - 2.25 solid maple top, 4x6" solid maple legs... all on nice casters.

Needless to say, there's no give to the top at all.. There's no need to bolt it to anything, just (foot activated) lock the casters.

[Sandro]

Without doubt, the sturdier you build it the better it will be. (Bolted mine to the wall and the floor, and it was a heavy duty Grainger bench to begin with.) Just how far you go is up to you... but being able to throw a dance party on it wouldn't be a bad thing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dito for Grainger bench, if you bolt it to wall you will very satisfied.

[sargenv]

My bench is framed in 4 x 4 douglas fir and 2 x 4 douglas fir. The bottom frame is the 4x4, the top of the frame is 2x4. There are cabinets made of pine, a table top made of 2 x 8's, and they each have 1/2" plywood replaceable tops on them. The benc probably weighs in the range of 250-300 pounds and that's without all the stuff I have bolted on it.

Vince

[milanuk]

OK, thanks for the responses! The 4x4 DF frame is kind of what plan B looks like... good excuse to work on some mortising w/ the plunge router and chisels I have around here... plan A though was the NRMA reloading bench mentioned above. Anybody used one of these? How stout are they really? Would they need a thicker top and/or additional bracing under the top? Assume for the time being that the bench *will* be anchored to the wall one way or another.

Thanks,

Monte

[cdfcapt]

1x2 thick wall steel tubing. 2x2 for the legs. welded together. lots of cross bracing. Doesn't flex at all and not to much higher in price than wood ( now days it might be a wash) MDF top, should have used plywood, screws pull out of mdf you need to use through bolts with washers.

Good luck

[Rico567]

I always used a cobbled-together bench until I got a really nice carpenter's workbench that used to be in my uncle's basement, and originally dates from the replacement of all the benches at the technical college where he taught. It has massive cast-iron sides / legs, and a top at least two inches thick. It is held together by steel rods that run the length of the bench and are threaded on the ends. Once the nuts are tightened down, it is the original immovable object. I set it on top of some pieces of treated 2x8 on the basement floor because the legs were cast iron. The biggest difficulty is that I've never been able to bring myself to drill into the top, so I mount all my presses to slabs of 3/4 inch plywood, then to the bench top with C-clamps. It works well, and I'm used to it, although direct mounting to the bench top would certainly be ideal.

[AustinMike]

I've got a cheap steel workbench that I got on sale at Sears. It works pretty good, IMO. Of course, anything works better than the old portable Midway stand that I used to use in my apartment dwelling days. I've got my 550b bolted down on a strong mount and it doesn't move.