Home Forums Reloading Big Game Rifles Ultimate Reloading Bench

After many years of my reloading bench being relegated to the corner of a garage, toolshed, or what have you, I'm finally taking the opportunity to build my dream reloading room. I thought I would throw these questions out to you all:

If you could change the design of your bench, what would you change? What do you think is a really snazzy addition to your bench that you would recommend to others?

Just for background, this is the way the current setup is looking:

I have a storage shed behind my house that is going to be my reloading/gun maintance room. It is a 10x6 brick building with a concete floor. I have a dillon 650 press and an RCBS ammomaster press that is going to be mounted on it.

I have all kinds of woodworking tools and I am going to build the whole setup myself. Let me know any suggestions that you have, and please post some pictures. Thanks

Well, here you go. I will start the ball rolling with mine.
I have had this same set -up since the 1970's and it has been practical for me and my loading needs.



Von Gruff.

My bench is one I built myself out of some old lumber & a few store bought items. I like the design & wouldn't change a thing about it. I do have another bench that I made & the only changes I would make is to build a lot of shelving for supplies and on the other bench set up a Lee progressive loader for each of the pistols and leave it set up. Might do the same thing for the shotgun too. That is about the only changes I would make.

I have a storage shed behind my house that is going to be my reloading/gun maintance room. It is a 10x6 brick building with a concete floor. I have a dillon 650 press and an RCBS ammomaster press that is going to be mounted on it.

That is worth a left nut all by itself

Whip up your own bench top with some 3/4 osb glued and screwed. Formica top edged and banded with a strip of hardwood. Shelves done the same. The 2x4-6 legs and shelf across the bottom will fall together easily enough.. Most important though, when your done your bench build 2 drawers under the top. Split the top in half or thirds with some 2x's for framing. Get some HD drawer slides from hardware store and whip up a few drawer fronts. This is the most important feature of your bench!

You will be most happy with yourself by being able to just pull a drawer under the benchtop and have every tool you need and your disposal.. I promise....

JMO

W

C'mon, you guys. He said 'ultimate'. Not some cheap piecer made outta osb and framing grade lumber. Think furniture or cabinet grade stuff...... Make him spend some real money.grin

[quote=wooferYou will be most happy with yourself by being able to just pull a drawer under the benchtop and have every tool you need and your disposal.. [/quote]


What brand of garbage 'disposal' do you recommend for spent primers and split brass?

Here is my Man Cave. Many a relaxing hours spent at that bench, and hopefully more to come.

[img]http://x.co/bAY2[/img]
[img]http://x.co/bAYH[/img]

Shipster

Huntsman, 3rd drawer on the right......

W

Ranch hand, If you want to see pictures for idea's, head over to, http://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/2511043/m/994103278

Lots of lighting, lots of outlets.

At one time 35 years ago I had a dedicated loading room with hanging flourescents over a Sears workbench with a metal base, suspension drawers and some home modifications to stiffen the sides which were plenty stout for load bearing but maybe could oil can just the least bit. Recently as I've been able in retirement to look forward to a dedicated setup again I bought a nice Sears stainless top - stainless shell over medium density - and came to the reluctant conclusion that my current setup with turrets, single stage and a progressive with electrical feeders would clutter a bench especially with electrical cords.

It would be nice to use the stainless shell for a grounded base to maybe improve powder flow in the measures but.

So I've decided to reserve the big stainless top for a working bench - means I don't need a sacrifical top to soak up Hoppes spills and the steel may be a little shiny but may or may not help me see things with a rifle in a cradle and bore scope in the rifle.

I've decided to mount my presses on a series of smaller free standing - nailed down - work surfaces cut from what Sears calls butcher block at 1-1/2 thick (not really butcher block which is end grain just pieced and glued together for styling but nicely finished). This will allow me access to get all around the progessive which seems like a nice way to be able to go with a progessive and electical feeders all wobbling hither and yon. Storage is mostly a mix of Sears and Harbor Freight rollaways. All storage is rolling but clumsy to move around much.

The big difference from the past is a couple of smaller bench tops for the presses and a big long bench for everything else. Remains to be seen how I'll like it over the long haul but that's my take on ultimate. The folks at Ultimate Reloader dot com have the nicest t slot mounting system I've ever seen pictured but notice that with all the metal things still flex when the Hornady progessive is being worked with the electrical accessories. I think a smaller mount can be made more rigid but what do I know.

Its nice to have benches or table tops for doing other gun chores too like working on them and cleaning them. For the most part my reloading area is small but it works great. Everything is positioned perfectly for my needs. Notice the beam scale is elevated for a more eye level approach:



Make sure you build yourself some cabinents to put stuff in too

Thanks for the input guys. I will try and get some pics posted tomorrow so you can see what I have to work with. Keep the good ideas coming. Thanks

I second lots of lighting and outlets.

I chose to make my bench standing height. I do most stuff standing and it is faster to walk around than sit and constantly getting up. Make it as long as possible. Can't have enough space.

Get some sort of vice to hold a rifle on the side of your loading bench. Note the harbor freight vice with red rubber on the wooden jaws. One of the best things on that bench. I use it almost daily.

A sound system is nice too. My old stereo has XM radio.

The cupboards were a dining room set that was sold cheap at a garage sale.

If pictures of Hammer's set up are still floating around, I can't imagine much more "ultimate" than that...

I would like to see that

The only problem I see is you will be limited for space so you may have to get a nice little corner space set up like I showed in a previous post. "10'x6'" isn't going to be very big but big enough if you build it right. Maybe have one wall with cupbords like suggested earlier and one corner designated for reloading. That way you have plenty of storage space and a reasonable amount of room for reloading (It doesn't really take that much space for that). Also have a place for a small work table so you can do some gunsmithing/cleaning type of work if you are into that.

After years of my reloading operation being located in the basement, I moved into the fourth bedroom on the upper level of my home. I wanted a bench that looked more presentable than the one I had been using in the basement. So I went to the local unfinished furniture store, I selected a butcherblock topped bakers table, highback swivel bar chair and small two shelf bookcase. I stained and finished all three pieces to match, they look like furniture meant to be upstairs in the house. Over the bench I added three eyeball lights and now I have a very presentable well lighted reloading area. My gun safe occupies one corner and the closet stores all my hunting clothing, boots and associated gear. Finally everything is in one place, last but not least a Bose sound system provides relaxing listening while I am loading.

IMO the critical ingredient for a reloading room is a long STURDY bench, at least 1" plywood or, better yet, maple butcher block. Anchor it to a wall and use 4x4s attached to the deck for support.

1. As much bench space as possible ("standing" height is preference). The more rigid the better.

2. Light and more light.

3. Strategically placed quality sound system.

So eloquenlty spoken.