Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Sturdy Portable Work Bench?

My Lee 6000 press showed up a while ago....and we are having a hell of a time finding a spot for it.


Right now....my reloading set up is in our bedroom. It was always in that room...we just used to sleep in a smaller room before we had kids.

The old woman says its okay to mount another press on the bench but its already crowded.

So, I am thinking maybe a heavy portable type work bench could be set up in the living room so that you could load your rounds and then put the press in a closet until you needed it.


Is there such a bench made today that is sturdy enough to mount a progressive on? Something that folds up?


Thanks.

Not sure what your current set up layout looks like - if positioning would work it might be easier to use one of the various mounting plate assemblies on the existing bench and put a plate on each of the presses. Swap out depending on the days needs.

Wouldn't get the warm and fuzzies about stability of any bench sufficiently portable to fold up into a closest when not in use.

Yeah....I wonder if that wouldn't be a good idea too.


I guess lee makes a mounting plate for the bench so that you can mount and dismount your press when you want to.

Hornady makes one as well. Would imagine Lyman does too.

Had the Lee plates before I packed up most of the reloading set up and sold off excess. Worked for what it was.

This^^^^

I use this home made socket and plate setup. If the old bench is low enough a couple layers of plywood on top will allow building in a socket. Look at the old bench behind the white abomination. That white primed plywood was all I could find back during the covid bs. You can buy solutions like this but I'm cheap.

My bench is similar to blindshooters' in that the presses are inset from the edge of the bench. Makes for more room to move around the bench when not reloading. Just be sure to leave room for full stroke on the lever.

Here's a closer pic of an old bench I added plywood on the top to use the plates.

I have several presses all mounted to the plates. Makes it easy to swap presses around and with blank plates you can use the bench top for other things.

I have some small vises mounted the same way, mostly used for my gunplumbing efforts.

I have loaded a lot of rounds on a black and decker workmate with the press mounted on a plywood box that clamped to the top

I like that.

If you've never used a progressive press before, they generally do much better mounted as solid as possible. No bench rocking or top flex or as little as possible.

Good luck Mr. Jim! (I know you have kids to keep in ammo)

Doesn't Lee make stand alone Press Stands ?... Thought i seen one at their Company store, Titan Reloading in Wi (maybe not solid enough for a Progressive?)... I've got a Bonanza Co-ax mounted on a large basement window sill... It's solid as a rock and at a great working height if your standing

I use a Black & Decker Workmate at muzzle loader shoots, with a plywood top clamped to it. Screw a piece of 2X4 to the top and clamp it into the built in vise on the bench. Something similar with the presses mounted to the removable top would probably work, especially if the top can be stored on a closet shelf to avoid turning the progressive press sideways and spilling components all over the place. A set of ropes and pulleys to lift the bench top to ceiling height when it's not in use would also work.

Workmate here! Mounted a 4x4 progressive and rockchucker. A little tight, but works great.

Yes they do.

Some decent reviews online.

It went for scrap iron, I made a stand, angle iron a base, and some scrap top.

I made a base out of 2X4s (have to counter sink for the bolt heads) and C clamped that to the coffee table when I lived in an apartment.
Worked ok.

Harbor Freight tool stand, put a 2 inch wood top on it, attach your press and you're set

I use the Inline Fabrication quick change plates. Very solid mounts.

Google - Murphy table / images.
Basically fold flush to wall when not in use.
Can make as solid as you want.

Be careful, the boss will want an ironing center the same way.