I have my loading bench sitting in the middle of my living room. (Can you tell I'm a bachelor?) Being as it's a piece of furniture too, it isn't made of 2x6's and bolted to the floor. I built it with heavy ash underpinnings and mounted a 1 1/4x24x60" solid oak top on it, and gave it a furniture grade finish. (Hey, it's furniture.) Think of it as a very heavy table. On it I mount my presses which are bolted to 1" thick hardwood (teak, actually- hey it's furniture), 8" wide and which span the table from side to side, clamped in place when in use, stowed away when not. Ancillary gadgets like scales, trimmers, measure, etc. reside out of sight in dovetailed wooden foot locker-like chests (hey, it's furniture), as well as loading components in a dedicated closet. You can walk in and never know there is a 50 year accumulation of loading gear, and enough components to fuel the storming of Tarawa ensconced in the room.
I spent enough of my life hunched over loading benches in basements and garages to know I don't wish to relegate my hobby to those confines anymore.
Can I stand on the handle of my main press? Oh hell no, but I haven't had a need to stand on the handle of a press since circa 1978, and don't foresee it anytime soon. Full length sizing of gov't '06 brass (the largest cartridge I load for) doesn't torque the bench at all.
When company comes, I clear the decks, put place mats on the "bench", and entertain. The women who see it say "what a nice table"- little do they know its nefarious nature (or mine!).
