Loading Bench

Well, I drew up my own design and bought the lumber Saturday. Started working it into shape yesterday and it is slower going than I thought, and now I feel like an idiot because I just saw this on Cabela's:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/co...215763sq01.jpg

* Cabela's -- 2x4 Basics® Bench Kit

Just thought I would share this in case anybody else is looking for a starter bench...

Time to go home and start screwing 2x4s together! :hand10:

Hey, at least you can have it your way, and it will not have "Made in China" on it !!!
Not to mention a lifetime warranty :image035:

Any pics of your new "creation" ?? I'm in the process of building mine now.

Don't feel bad at all - "Lumber not included." Cabela's is charging $85 for the legs and the top and bottom upper shelf brackets. Not worth it IMO. If it isn't too late, do a search for reloading bench plans for some ideas.

Bah, your 2X4 and Thompson Strong Tie creation will be MUCH better than that one. You made it and not some 8 year old in another country, you can change it when you want and are not tied to the original design.

Please post pics, I am thinking about starting a reloading hobby and will need a bench.

WAY too small!!!! Mine is about 20 feet in length and 2 stories high. Aside from some of my reloading stuff it also serves as a "catchall" for stray tools and used parts from my boat,truck,and the auto driven by the "war dept" (wife). It is still too small to store even a fraction of the reloading stuff I've collected over the years. There are 2 sheds out back and a basement at my sons home that hold the "overflow".

When I "croak" you guys better rush on over to the yard sale.:9:

my is 8 feet by 3 feet that is to small.

:worthless:

Now that I've got that off my chest, I have a buddy that is ga-ga over that Cabela's bench. I can't see paying $85 for a couple of pieces of plastic. As always, YMMV. Of course, the aforementioned friend was cleaning out his house and gave me a 20 year old book with plans for my own bench in it. I think I'm going to do a cross between that one and the one with the plans that come from the National Reloading organization (name escapes me).

My bench is 18 feet long and I still dont have enough space.

I built mine with a sheet of 3/4 inch plywood and legs made from 2 inch pipe. I welded a flat plate on top of the pipe, with holes spaced so I could bolt the plywood and my press directly on top of one leg. The other front leg has a vise bolted on top, which is used for holding my powder measure and other things not related to reloading. Total cost was about $25, about 25 years ago.

My bench Is 8 feet long and isn't big enough,I built it out of 2x4 and 3/4"hardboard

Quote:

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My bench Is 8 feet long and isn't big enough,I built it out of 2x4 and 3/4"hardboard

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I agree! I just finished a reloading bench-- 24 Ft long, 2 ft wide and *2 inches thick. supported by 1 1/2 inch black iron pipe legs. coated with 5 layers/coats of Poly

The back of the bench is fastened to a 2X8 ledger board lag bolted into the garage studs.

* 3 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood, joints overlapped. glued and screwed together.

In the previous 35 years of reloading I have used everything from a small table top to a 2'x 8' table made form a single sheet of plywood.

It took me awhile to finally get what I wanted, when we moved I found a place with a 30' X 36' garage

http://i266.photobucket.com/albums/i...14081512-1.jpg

It doesn't look like much, but for the limited amount of space I have it does the job. It's a heavy duty wood table from a local good will store. I've put a power strip on the right side and will put up a peg board back, with shelves, during Christmas vacation...when Santa brings me a new Lee 4 hole turret press :danceban:...total cost for the bench is $12.00.

Here is a link to the plans from the NMRA. Plans include a bill of materials and cutting diagram to get the most from materials.
Reloading Bench Plans

Well, I got sidetracked for a bit, but I finally finished assembling mine this weekend. One of my goals was to make sure I could easily disassemble my creation, too, so I am not too upset about missing out on the prefab. Carriage bolts are my friend! :hand10:

I am hoping to get the press set up tonight, and I can post some pictures soon. :smile: