Need recommendation for reloading bench construction.

[Guest abailey362]

glad to see you got everything you need for the table.

I ended up getting an old display table from goody's when they were closing. 1.5" top with metal legs with levelers on each leg. at around $60 it was a steal

[I_Like_Pie]

The only advice that I can really give that isn't mentioned much of anywhere...all the time and effort is spent making a nice workbench for reloading...make sure that you can use it for other things as well.

It is a "duh" thing to many, but is often not stressed enough how nice it is to have a well lighted area that is quiet and familiar to work on other things also. Little projects like rebuilding a carb on a lawnmower, moving a motherboard into a new case, cleaning up some antiques, or fixing something the wife broke is much, much easier when all you have to do is unbolt a press and pull out a toolbox with other specialty tools.

90% of the time it is set up for reloading, but it really is a great thing to have one place in the house that is clean, neat, organized, and easily assessable to use for other projects.

Have shown before, but here is mine. The press on the left is held on by clamps, but the one one the right is fastened to a recessed steel plate that is also fitted to hold a vice, mitre box, and grinder.

[TGO David]

So I built the bench this Saturday and my Lyman Turbo 2500 with Auto-Flo material separator arrived this afternoon via UPS. I have it set up in on one side of the bench right now tumbling a batch of .45ACP brass in some walnut and corncob media.

Musicman (James) pointed me toward using the crushed materials sold as birdcage liner at Wal-Mart and pet stores, with a tablespoon of cheap car wax added in to help minimized dusting. So I picked up some of that this weekend also and was prepared for the Brown Truck's arrival.

I'll let this stuff tumble for the next 5 hours then check on it and see how it's doing. Chances are I'll just plug the tumbler into a programmable timer so that I can set it to run for hours unattended and not worry about needlessly burning electricity (or the tumbler motor).

Pics in a little while. I really didn't stop to take photos earlier despite the fact that I know I should have to appease the Internet Gods.

[Good_Steward]

David,

I believe you'll find that reloading is nearly as addictive as the shooting itself. Nothing quite as satisfying as working up a top notch load for your particular weapon. If you are anything like me, or the reloaders I know, you will be persnickety about every last little detail (The binders at the top are all saved targets w/ dates, load, distance, particular firearm, and weather conditions) . You also made a fine choice with the 650. I have a 550B, and have it mounted on a standard metal frame table. I just reinforced the bottom of the table with some cross members, and bolted the table to the wall. I've had it for 5 years, and no problems at all with the table.

Edited May 12, 2009 by Good_Steward

[TGO David]

Ok, here are some photos.

The bench was built using 2x4 lumber with a 3/4" plywood deck and a laminate counter top with back splash. It's anchored to the studs in the wall behind using 3.5" lag screws and is rock solid.

I constructed it so that I could retain the open storage area beneath the bench. This was critical as I was giving up valuable floor-space in the garage just to build this thing. As it sits, I can move anything / everything out from under the bench in just a few seconds if I want to.

Above the bench I installed adjustable shelving using the same 3/4" plywood that I built the bench deck out of.

This is my Lyman Turbo 2500 tumbler setup. I ordered the tumbler with the Auto-Flo feature that is supposed to negate the need for a media separator. I'm not convinced. Perhaps if you load less than the specified amount of brass per caliber the Auto-Flo feature will work better. I still think that a dedicated bingo-basket style separator is going to be necessary, especially with small-mouthed cartridges.

Also you can see the timer switch that I built for this. I wanted a way to be able to run the tumbler for hours unattended so I picked up a 12hr Intermatic count-down timer and wired it up using a junction box, 16ga exterior grade service wire and some plug ends.

It works perfectly and I can set it to operate from anywhere between 2hrs and 12hrs with a turn of the dial.

Finally, here's another shot of the tumbler. The one thing I wanted to note here is the bungie strap that I am using to keep it from walking around while it's running.

When it is crammed full of media and the maximum capacity of brass, it stays put. However if you run with a smaller load of brass or are using the Auto-Flo feature to drain the media, it walks like crazy.

My solution was to screw two eye bolts into the wall behind where I set the tumbler and then loop a loose bungie strap around it. The strap typically hangs loose like it is in this picture (the tumbler was even running when I took this shot) but if the tumbler tries to walk away, the strap provides just enough gentle resistance to keep it from wandering off the edge of the bench.

Hopefully I'll be ordering the Dillon press sometime in the next week or two. I've still got a lot of brass to clean so I'm really in no rush, and I want to make sure that I'm really ordering exactly what I need.

Thanks for looking.

[E4 No More]

For what it's worth, I make my garage benches out of 2 x 4 boards. I made legs with two boards screwed together, the frame out of single boards with boards running the center every 16" like they do with walls. Then I created leg braces halfway down the legs. The top was made with 2 x 4's laid next to each other. The Frame is screwed into the wall studs with deck screws/

The one that I had in my old house held a HEAVY vise without problems as well as a single stage reloader, (Lee). I plan on putting a Dillion 550B on the one I have now, and I'm not worried at all about them holding up.

[TGO David]

Yeah, I've got a workbench that I made about 9 years similar to the reloading bench and it has held up to all kinds of abuse including a heavy bench vise that was subject to a lot of beatings. The only part that ever gave was the counter material when a hammer was swung and missed whatever car part was clamped into the vice.

I suspect this reloading bench will do just fine.

[E4 No More]

Yeah, I've got a workbench that I made about 9 years similar to the reloading bench and it has held up to all kinds of abuse including a heavy bench vise that was subject to a lot of beatings. The only part that ever gave was the counter material when a hammer was swung and missed whatever car part was clamped into the vice.

I suspect this reloading bench will do just fine.

I forgot to add that I constructed the half wall that holds my 75 gallon fish tank the exact same way. It has held the 600 lbs for 3.5 years now without so much as a crack in the drywall.

[TGO David]

I've learned two important lessons today and completely own up to my n00b status when it comes to this stuff.

#1. It's better to make sure that your brass is really sorted out before you tumble it

#2. 40SW fits inside a 45ACP casing pretty easy. It comes apart a lot less easy after it's been tumbled together with media!

So I ordered this to make my life a little easier next time. Plus it will double as a convenient media-sifter to get rid of the stuff that the Auto-Flo feature on the tumbler doesn't.

MidwayUSA - Shell Sorter Brass Sorter 9mm Luger, 40 Smith & Wesson, 45 ACP 3 Bowl Set

[Guest Mugster]

I use a collander and a small trash can. I just put the collander in the trash can top and dump out into that. It works really better than anything else if you use walnut hull.

I wound up buying an expensive collander as a replacement for the lady at some yuppie store named something like the "the kitchen store". If you think ahead you can buy a collander and trash can at wally for peanuts.

[Good_Steward]

"#2. 40SW fits inside a 45ACP casing pretty easy. It comes apart a lot less easy after it's been tumbled together with media!"

Been there, done that. Still, if the butt of the casings are opposite each other, it's not too bad. If the butt of the 40 is facing down toward the butt of the .45, just throw it away, makes life a lot less complicated.

[Guest fishin01]

I'm renting so I didn't want to make anything permanent and wanted something I could ditch in case I moved again. Last month I picked up a desk made in 1970s from the local Habitat for Humanity store for $20. The drawers are great for storage. I was going to use the filing drawer for load data but the press location would not allow me to open it. I popped off the drawer front and it became storage instead.">