It is a steel fire door I got from work and added pipe legs to. I like the idea of a metal bench since powder can't get worked into the surface over time, causing a potential fire hazard.
On the left is the MEC9000 in 20 ga for loading skeet rounds, and on the right is the Dillon 550B.
Missing from the photo are some cabinets up above that I picked up from the local Habitat for Humanity Restore.
Just a word of advice----Be sure you ground that steel loading bench!!! A static charge can/will build up and could cause a great surprize.
You REALLY dont want to see my bench!!!!!! It is a thing of beauty to me---for all others it is a horrible eyesore. The wife has standing orders not to touch anything on that bench for fear that it may never be found again.
Just dug out my Grandpa's reloading equipment, and started setting it up today when I happened upon this thread.
Trying to make due with the small space I have available to use.
Any suggestions on equipment to look at adding? Should be getting some money for christmas/birthday for shooting stuff, might want to add some new stuff to my reloading setup after I get back into it. I do enjoy the single stage press as it forces me to focus on exactly what I'm doing.
Any suggestions on equipment to look at adding? Should be getting some money for christmas/birthday for shooting stuff, might want to add some new stuff to my reloading setup after I get back into it. I do enjoy the single stage press as it forces me to focus on exactly what I'm doing.
I find the Lee Turret press a very good deal for the money, you can do about 150 pistol rds an hour and about 60-100 rifle. It keeps you involved in the process and you learn a lot.
I inherited those stacking bins from a cellular company I was working for in Ohio. They had been bought by another carrier and were throwing tons of stuff out. Those originally came from Tessco. Their website does not show that size but Grainger has them also. Bin Box, Hopper, Red - Bins And Boxes - Storage - Material Handling : Grainger Industrial Supply
Probably cheaper other places, you'll need to look around. They are handy.
I would invest in a quality digital scale. With a single stage press you are hand weighing each charge, and the digital scale makes it a bit easier. I just use a spoon to take some powder out if necessary to dump into my trickler. Always remember to have the scale at zero when starting and in between rounds. After awhile you kinda get the feel of how much to remove with the spoon if your powder thrower is older and isn't as accurate, and if you load alot of handgun caliber (3.5g-6g) the powder thrower will have a harder time throwing that low of a charge too. Be careful because .01-2grain can make a big diff between a reg load and a max load. I use a single stage for this reason, I may make ammo alot slower than some of the progressive systems, but I have alot more control over seeing what goes into each and every round, and therefore having more uniformity. And the best part you learn to appreciate the ammo you shoot more becuase of the time investment you put into making it, and therefore just don't blow through 300-400 rounds at the range. I am fortunate enough to be able to use a facility that i can draw/fire, move around, shoot on move, setup idpa scenarios. I walk out having only shot maybe 100 rounds for each caliber (9, .45) but still having had a worthwhile muscle memory training session!
That old Lyman (Ohaus) scale is awesome, you will be hard pressed to find one better. I used one of those for years, wish I could remember where it went to so I could get it back. I still use a balance beam scale for all my loading. Have a digital and the only thing I've found it useful for is weighing bullets. You'll find with a digital if you breath on it it changes, if the heat comes on it changes, if the air comes on it changes, to me they are a pain in the butt. If you decide not to use that Lyman let me know what you would take for it and I'll give it a good home.
Here is my current one. For years I had a temporary one made of two 12x36 slabs of 3/4 plywood with 2x2s for feet. I clamped this to my desk when I was single, or the room divider in the kitchen after we bought a house.
Then I built a garage and a workbench. I used the workbench in the garage for 12 years, but it got cold in winter.
Just getting started in the reloading aspect but the benchtop is 14' so I'll have plenty of room for expansion as I collect more stuff. Yes that's a computer built into the wall... thinking about loading it with some RELOADING software to help me remember stuff :boggled:
Really need to build some shelves and replace the NYC
mural with a tropical island scene... I hate winter :dead:
I live in a smallish 2-bedroom apartment all by my lonesome. I've gotten sick of C-Clamping my presses to the table each time I went to use them so I took on the task of building myself a reloading bench. I wanted to consolidate all my stuff and make it easier to keep it all organized so I came up with this.
It's not completely done yet. I'm going to put two shelves above the bench surface and a fluorescent light under one of them. It's bolted together for the most part. The surface of the bench and the shelf underneath are screwed down but the frame-work is bolted together. It's strong enough to hold an elephant damn-near!
I'm just worried about how I'm going to get it out of the apartment when I finally move... I guess I'll undertake that task when that time comes!
:danceban::king::ticking::image035::smile:
I'll be sure to post a couple pictures of the completed project when I get the shelves put on it! I am still digging all my reloading equipment out of storage so there's not a whole lot of stuff on my table yet. Don't worry y'all, it'll look as cluttered as everyone else's soon enough!!
Finally got around to taking pictures..and found my camera cord since I didn't build my computer with a card reader. Mine is made out of a 6 foot section of bowling alley lane. Has a Dillon 550b and 650. Single stage press and powder thrower, vice, bookshelf, drill press, grinder, fan lights, bottom shelf storage, lee 4500 sizer/lube and power strips. Black and grey box on the bottom is where i store my casted bullets which hopefully will be filling up soon. Swiss army of benches? I need to make cup holders. I store my brass, dies, and other reloading equipment in one of those cabinets you can buy @ home depot. Clean brass shelf, dirty brass, bullet and media shelf. I'm a bit anal but everything is organized so that i don't have to spend forever looking for it.
Here is one I made. I wanted it to take up very little space. Plus it had to be strong and not tip over easy like what I have read about with the
Frankford Arsenal model. It works like a champ.
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