reloading bench questions/ideas

[ar15barrels]

i found some table frames that are industrial strength. you have to provide your own top and bolt it to the frame/legs. i was actually thinking of going to a lumber yard to see how much it would cost to get them to rip a few boards so i can joint them together. it's just hard to believe that a top board goes for $250-$400. i wish i had a table saw

You need a table saw, a jointer, a massive planer and a massive sander to make those table tops.
The price of assembled table tops is cheap compared to the tools it takes to do it right...

If you are paying $5 per board foot for birch, you need 40 board feet to make an 8'x30"x2" table top so that's $200 in raw materials.
All the sudden $240 for a finish assembled top is not so bad.

[Tommy Gun]

Damn i feel cheap. Just bought some 4x4 as the corners and screwed some 2x4s to make the shelf and table top borders and put a 2'x6' plywood tabletop and shelf. I already had the tools and put it on heavy duty locking casters to roll it out of the way. I think materials was about $75 to $100.

[capitol]

just forked out some $$$ on a Mark 7 apex 10 in a few calibers plus a dillon 750 to process brass on. so along with my normally ignorante postes, here are a few questions.

ok, first is specs. i'm looking at 72 x 30 inches top butcher block kind of wood to mount the presses on. i don't think i need deeper......

do most people just screw it into the top? i saw a guy on youtube called the "ultimate reloader" and he has fancy tracks to mount his presses into but the front of the machines bases are seem to be flush with the front of the bench (?)

so, i don't have much room in my garage but i have a 4 bedroom house (in vegas......not that impressive) so i was thinking of dedicating the front living room to reloading. gonna want a tv to occupy mind while pressing away. that got me thinking about putting the base of the the frame on wheels so i can just wheel it into the front room, back family room, and also have the option to moving it back into the garage....

would having your presses on wheels cause possible issues due to the minor torqueing of the bench when moving it, or could it somehow throw something out of alignment like the powder drop tube. was thinking maybe moving it might cause just enough torquing to cause something to misalign?

then last question..........i was originally doing it all in the garage. could having a gas heater pilot light possibly cause an explosion if the garage is collecting gasses from the gunpowder? i know lots of people say they load in thier basement but i never thought to ask if that was where thier water heater was located. is this risky? yes, i overthink everything.

but i arrived at the idea of doign it in the living room or family room was due to the fact that 1/2 the year tempuraures are over 110-F and that would just be very unpleasant, although i thought about buying one of those portable A/C units that just cools the room, but i really don't want to be in the garage, which lead me to think about the livingroom or family room which is what got me to thinking about making one on caster that i could just roll in front of the tv.........40 degrees cooler, no pilot lights to cause an explosion...

so does anyone else have a non-traditional place where they do thier reloading?

what do you think about the safety concern from the pilot light?
what do you think about mounting the work bench on caster?
what do you think about the dimensions?

thanks in advance!

[Dirtlaw]

Damn i feel cheap. Just bought some 4x4 as the corners and screwed some 2x4s to make the shelf and table top borders and put a 2'x6' plywood tabletop and shelf. I already had the tools and put it on heavy duty locking casters to roll it out of the way. I think materials was about $75 to $100.

This is a solid point. The table just has to do the job. It doesn't have to be oak or maple. True, hardwood is nice, but you can always top pine with a thin sheet of whatever you want ... even metal. There are places where you avoid going cheap though ... such as casters. Bigger, better quality casters make life so much easier.

[naz]

[Dirtlaw]

My philosophy is a bench that can be retasked for multiple purposes.

[longrange99]

I have the fancy rails that ultimate reloader uses. It lets me moves presses around quickly or remove completely. If you are pressed for space they help.

You then can add a vice, crimp removal tool etc and other tools that need to be secure but be infrequently used.

To make it simply make two parallel cuts in the top and drop in the rails.

I then made some plywood baseplates as adapters for the presses and the bench.

[FluorideInMyWater]

I believe Rocklers may be having a sale on bench tops for woodworking. That would do for you well.

never heard of them but i'll defintley take a look!!!!

[FluorideInMyWater]

You need a table saw, a jointer, a massive planer and a massive sander to make those table tops.
The price of assembled table tops is cheap compared to the tools it takes to do it right...

If you are paying $5 per board foot for birch, you need 40 board feet to make an 8'x30"x2" table top so that's $200 in raw materials.
All the sudden $240 for a finish assembled top is not so bad.

very true. i wish i had a full workship with all the tools. i used to restore classic cars and had everything, all numatic, 60 gal compressor, benches, lifts......sold all of it when i got into computers and stopped doing resto's. now i want to get back into it but the tools are gone

yeah, the cost of a mini table saw costs for than buying a pre-made one. the price stings a little but i'll get over it.

[Jwalt]

I think I may be eighth person to say it but ....

You need TV in your reloading space like you need a TV on a motorcycle.

[FluorideInMyWater]

never heard of them but i'll defintley take a look!!!!

i looked and didn't see any pre-fab table tops.

[baih777]

if you put this in the garage. this is a sturdy bench.

https://lasvegas.craigslist.org/tls/d/las-vegas-ultimate-rock-solid-woork/7351647812.html

i dont think it will fit in the house.
you could take the top off. but i would measure the frame to see if it fits thru the doorway.

just go on craigslist and search workbench.

[Tommy Gun]

To be honest just a decent piece of plywood would be fine for a bench. This way you don't piss yourself off when you start dinging it, which you will. 3/4 inch higher quality plywood would be fine.

[bigbossman]

To be honest just a decent piece of plywood would be fine for a bench. This way you don't piss yourself off when you start dinging it, which you will. 3/4 inch higher quality plywood would be fine.

I made mine out of 1/2" plywood, covered with a preformed laminate countertop from Home Depot. Looks good, inexpensive, and is sturdy as all get-out.

[bigbossman]

If you are paying $5 per board foot for birch, you need 40 board feet to make an 8'x30"x2" table top so that's $200 in raw materials.
All the sudden $240 for a finish assembled top is not so bad.

And Home Depot has them in stock, so easy to get started:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/HARDWOOD-REFLECTIONS-Unfinished-Birch-8-17-ft-L-x-25-in-D-x-1-5-in-T-Butcher-Block-Countertop-BBCT1502598/300688697