Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles How to best set up a small reloading desk

I am trying to make a small relaodig desk suitable for an apartment. As a first effort, I got some wood pieces and made my own desk as shown in the pictures. It is nice and cozy but there are some problems: A major problem is that the desk wants to flip when I apply hard pressure on the press's handle. This happens in both the upward and downward movements. For now I put some heavy objects on the desk to stabilize it but I am hoping to find a better solution.

Has anyone here made a small reloading desk when you don't have a garage or large room for a full-size setup? I appreacite any creative ideas how to improve my desk and also the equipment layout.

Thanks!
Omid

What you have looks like a nice compact set up.

If you put a braced bar on the desktop next the press you could use that to resist the force of the press with you other hand (ie push the bar back with your left hand while pulling the handle down with your right).

The other other option is to anchor the table with weight or by attaching it to the wall or floor,

Couple of suggestions:
1) try putting the press on the long axis (end of the table).

2) if that does not work try cutting a notch in the table and recessing the press so that the fulcrum is behind the front legs. It will be much more difficult to tip the table.

Attach a 2x4 under one side and screw it into a stud in the wall.


P

I'm just in the process of setting up a new press, and was contemplating the same issue. This is a very nice solution. Thank you!

To use what you have now the notch idea just might work. If not, the oldest trick in the book is to mount your press to a 2x6 and c-clamp it to a table. Use anything you have on hand to pad the surface so you don't mar it, like pieces of cardboard, carpet or wood if that is an issue.

Then you could utilize your little table to use the trimmer, powder thrower, scale, etc. You can c clamp the press and 2x6 to it for storage so everything stays in one place.

Black and Decker Workmate. Pick the size that will work for you.

Here's one I made out of old 70's dimension lumber end table, and an old butcher block kitchen table top.
Not real pretty but gets the job done.

Jim

This is a cool idea and I thought about it myself too. I was thinking of cutting a notch so that the press will be at the center of the table equal distance between front and rear legs but then I thought it would still tend to flip the table on the upward push on the handle (?) Maybe I am wrong and this will solve the problem.

The other idea (attaching a handle to the desk) is interesting too: you have to hold the handle and apply an opposite force. Has any body tried this idea? Is it practical?


After the first layout I posted above, I tryed my heavier press (redding multi-die). With some weights on the table, it is quite practical for neck sizing and bullet seating but when I try full-length resizing still tends to flip the press.

I am thinking now thinking of attaching an iron or steel plate under the desk so that I can attach heavy iron weights to the underside of the table using magnetic clamps (those clamps that can attach or detach by turning a knob). What do you guys think?

I'd move the trimmer forward, less reach....
I'd move the measure to overhang the front. Someday you may want to use drop tubes.....
I'd mount the scale on a fixed shelf above. To get away from the 'wobbles'.....

Kinda like this.

Tag

Midway sells this deal that comes apart to store in a closet and is weighted on the bottom and has a deal to hold bins on the side.

Portable reloading bench

Here is my first set-up reloading. It worked great despite being cramped. VERY sturdy. I made shelves by inserting wood at the 2 levels of the workmate 550.

I started out using a piece of 2x10 C-clamped to the bar, or table. It had some flex, but worked just fine for a couple of years until I got more space for a nice heavy bench.

Thank you guys!! These are great ideas. I will either improve my desk by making a notch or will order one of these Black and Decker work desks. Looks nice and by adding some weight it should work fine.

Thanks again!

The great thing about the B&D Workmate is, when you decide to get a dedicated reloading bench you can always use the workmate for projects (like building a reloading bench . They fold up nicely too.

I use a Workmate also. But you could improve your own setup.

You need some type of let directly underneath your press, so that on the downstroke you are pushing that leg straight into the floor. That eliminates the down flex.

If you put a couple of wings on that leg (shape it like an inverted T), then you can place your feet on the wings and give it down pressure for your upstroke.

What a useful thread! Huntsman22 is the winner with Sakoluvr a close 2nd! Midways portable reloading bench is ingenious but I guess I don't understand what the side bins are for? Obviously you'd need another table for "everything else".

DMc

I'm contemplating two designs for a smallish indoors reloading table.

One design is to use a steel work table frame from Grizzly.

The other is to make a 2X6 and 2X4 frame (first) with 3/4" furniture grade plywood shelves and siding on the outside to both secure it, and make it more presentable once its painted and finished to resemble Shaker style furniture!

I've also considered how I could make a "covering" from the same interior furniture grade plywood that would fold up and be lockable when little kiddies (or nosey people) might be visiting the house and aren't supervised every minute they're there, in certain rooms they're not supposed to go!

Only real suggestion I'd make to everyone (esp if you reload shotshells), is to stack and store your bags of lead shot or ammo cans that are really heavy on the lower-most shelf to help anchor the reloading table!

The bottom shelf on whatever design I choose for my reload table, will be almost flush on the floor! To better maximize the space under my reloading table.

Table top will be made from a sold core heavy door I got from some old government [military] housing that was being razed or refurbished.

Also I'm mounting my presses and accessories so I can move and set up as I need them. Dimensions are at least 36-42 inches wide and @21inches deep.

If I could build a dream design for a reloading table (six to eight feet long, at least 21-22 inches deep), using a couple ideas I've observed from other reloading tables, each of my presses or heavier equipment would be mounted to heavy aluminum plates "dovetailed" on their sides to slide in or out of common stations that can be tightened down or loosened as needed!

That idea would allow me on occassion to have a clear work table (on top) if I was wrapping eyelets on a new fishing pole or build a huge radio control glider or powered model like I've wanted to do for more than 30 years!

Here is another interesting design I came across. It is from a firearms blog called Precision Rifles and Handloading. The interesting part is the tilted top surface which should help to counter the force of working the handle in the downward direction. It looks like it might amplify the problem in the upward direction though (?)