dand38s Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 I am trying to build a new reloading bench in a walk in closet. My wife took over my doghouse for her hobby. It will be a L shaped bench. 43 1/2 X 61 1/2 along the back side of the bench. My question is how deep should I make the surface? I was thinking 2 foot, but that really cuts a lot of room out of the area that I have. I am trying to use this space for a Dillon 650 with case feeder, a Square Deal B and a RCBS Rock Chucker single stage press plus a powder dispenser and scale. What kind of depth should I use to achieve the maximum use of this space? I reload for IPSC and also High Power shooting, plus just recreational shooting. So I need to be flexible with the bench use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betterment Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Two feet may due, but I bet you would be happier with 30". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill M Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 I have 2' on the long side of the L and 18" on the short side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maineshootah Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 24" should be the min. A press, bullets next to that, a flip tray, maybe a container of powder or two, a primer tube stand.. Spare toolheads.. Yeah, 24" should be the minumum. (I went 30"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 I suspect that you can get by with a lot less depth than you think. I have a nice deep bench but the biggest waste of space is the area right behind the press. It is essentially only good for storage which I can do just as well overhead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Burtchell Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Mine is 24" deep and serves me well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Lord Gomer Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 If you're only going to be using one press at a time, I would consider mounting them so that you can swap then quickly and easily. I have my press, and now my Dillon swager and soon-to-be-mounted shotgun shell press, mounted to a piece of 2x12 with t-nuts countersunk underneath so that I can remove them easily by just unbolting from the top. I also have the whole board bolted to the countertop with eye bolts so it can be removed and even C-clamped to another surface if take it elsewhere. I would consider mounting each of the presses on their own piece of board that you can swap them out of the primary workspace. Not a recent pic, as I have switched to a longer board to also mount the other stuff, but it illustrates the idea: http://themxtrack.com/ReloadBench.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speculatorking Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 I agree 24" min. I just put a reloading bench together in my garage. I have an 8ft piece of butcher block by 30" deep by 1.75 thick. It sits on top of a heavy duty metal base. I bought everything from Grizzly Industrial. I will be using a Dillion 650. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom S. Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Perhaps more important than depth is the thickness of the bench top. The more secure a progressive press is, the less trouble you will have using it. My bench is made from two pieces of 3/4 plywood glued and screwed together with a piece of 1/4 hardboard on top. Beneath the press I mounted a 1/4 steel plate with screw holes drilled through. The whole bench is anchored to the wall. You can build a bench too flimsy, but you can't build one too strong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLL1911 Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 My bench is in a corner in the garage. It is 48" wide, 12" deep, and 36" high. I do have a Dillon 650 with case feeder and a Lee Loadmaster permanently mounted on it. It has enough space for everything. The only thing I prefer to have in a similar bench next to this one is my scale, notes, the caliper and a few other small things. It works pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D.Hayden Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 I suspect that you can get by with a lot less depth than you think. I have a nice deep bench but the biggest waste of space is the area right behind the press. It is essentially only good for storage which I can do just as well overhead. +1 The area behind the press, is hard to reach.. mostly wasted space back there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agent Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 I still can't get all of it in the picture Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 I still can't get all of it in the picture Rick yer crool... I have a 30" deep bench, and all that happens to the space behind the press is that it gets cluttered. One thing I did with my SDB (and I think it's doable with other Dillons) is a mount that actually makes the press stand foward of the edge of the bench a few inches. It was an accidental consequence of wanting to be able to take the press off the bench for other projects, but now I can get closer to the press standing up, and the benchtop ergonomics seem better in some way I really can't explain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 Costco/Sam's Club sell a work bench. Steel frame with a wood top. It works VERY well. If you really want to build your own, go as wide as you can on the top as it will help on the torque from the press (without going into geeky physics/statics). Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slip knot Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 No matter what size you make it, it is still to small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharonAnne9x23 Posted December 11, 2008 Share Posted December 11, 2008 agent, you ARE cruel. Your loading room is nicer than anyplace I have called home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Norman Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 I have 8-feet wide x 2-1/2 feet. I will build a new dedicated bench this winter and it will likely be no deeper than the minimum to mount the presses. The top will slope so that all the crap that gets on the bench will drift down to a trough along the front of the bench. The other bench will become my smithy bench. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dand38s Posted December 12, 2008 Author Share Posted December 12, 2008 I still can't get all of it in the picture Rick That is just wrong. I am green with envy. That is a very nice setup you have there. Maybe some day I will get to have a place that nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundwave Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 I still can't get all of it in the picture Rick JERK!!! J/K...nice set up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ForrestB Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 A kitchen counter top and cabinets works good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filishooter Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 The key is efficiency and keeping it clean. I went 30" deep on mine, but many times its just more space to accumulate crap. I have mine in the garage and it seems like whenever we have company coming over my wife piles it up with the toaster oven, pots and pans, and other daily clutter she doesn't want the visitors to see. I could have gotten by with 24". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 Another source to consider is most every major-ish city has a Habitat For Humanity Re-Store. Building supplies that you can buy for super cheap and NOTHING beats a solid core wood door for a work bench top. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 If you're only going to be using one press at a time, I would consider mounting them so that you can swap then quickly and easily. I have my press, and now my Dillon swager and soon-to-be-mounted shotgun shell press, mounted to a piece of 2x12 with t-nuts countersunk underneath so that I can remove them easily by just unbolting from the top. I also have the whole board bolted to the countertop with eye bolts so it can be removed and even C-clamped to another surface if take it elsewhere. I would consider mounting each of the presses on their own piece of board that you can swap them out of the primary workspace.Not a recent pic, as I have switched to a longer board to also mount the other stuff, but it illustrates the idea: http://themxtrack.com/ReloadBench.jpg Mine is a work in progress at this time but I believe I will use this approach with my loaders. I think I will try to fabricate some type of "universal" steel mounting plate and just swap my loaders back and forth into the same location on my bench. Way to much space wasted or seldom utilized with a row of loaders eating your real estate. May have 2 stations and use one for all my Dillon stuff and another for single stage rifle presses. Rich pointed in the direction I went with Sam's Club and the butcher block work benches. I got a bare one and one with 8 drawers set up in a desk style. Hoping that will make a decent "gun smithing" bench. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-JQ- Posted December 12, 2008 Share Posted December 12, 2008 I just built my first bench and it is 21x54. OK...so I assembled it but I think it will work. Here is the link for pics of reloading benches/rooms thread - by the way...and when you can see a pic of my little one there. http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...mp;#entry872025 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toolguy Posted December 14, 2008 Share Posted December 14, 2008 I have found that any deeper than 16 to 18 inches makes things hard to reach. I load sitting down in a comfy swivel chair. Standing, it is easier to reach further back. In a closet I would make it the minimum depth to comfortably mount the presses and do storage overhead or out of the closet. Even a walk-in closet can get cramped when you are moving around doing an activity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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