Lee Hand Press Stand

[dawgdoc]

As I mentioned in this thread, I use a Lee Hand Press, which is adequate for my small needs.  It can get to be bit awkward at certain stages of the reloading process.  I Googled DIY stands for the Hand Press, and I found one that a guy was selling, but no instructions.  So I made my own.

 

I can use the stand for each stage of the reloading process.  For resizing and decapping, which takes the most force, it does strain the clamp.  It works with the stand, but it works better using two hands--one to brace the press and one to move the ram.  For all other steps of reloading (at least for  9 mm and .223), and I can work the ram while it is clamped to the stand one-handed.  I just thought I would share some pictures in case anyone else needed a similar solution.

 

The blocks of wood have the magnets from a hard drive glued to them.  The magnets hold the clamp in place, but not with enough strength to hold against the force of working the ram.  The clamp has enough force to keep everything together.

 

Yes, I realize that a single stage press would be more efficient, but I already had the Hand Press, and if I choose not to use the stand, I can resize while sitting in the living room, watching a movie.  The stand is especially useful for priming and bullet seating, which, when using the Hand Press normally, requires a bit of coordination between your two hands and your lap so that you don't drop a component.  

 

The bag of cartridges are the .223 that I did this way over the weekend.

 

 

 

 

[Caster]

I can't tell you how many thousands Ive run through mine.
My hand press is pretty chewed up in the middle cause Im bad about just throwing it in the bench vise to hold it steady. I have a small vise on the same bench as my other 4 presses.
I love the little hand press. It's extremely handy for catch up work and onesey twoseys, like when you reach the end of a thousand round lot and realize you only prepped 997 pcs of brass cause you're to stupid to count right the first time, but you don't wanna pull down the the set ups. .

[Westwindmike]

Wouldn't it be easier to use on a bench if you made it sit horizontal and pushed down to resize. That's what I'd do.

[dawgdoc]

Wouldn't it be easier to use on a bench if you made it sit horizontal and pushed down to resize. That's what I'd do.

I didn't even consider that at the time; I guess I was just thinking in the same orientation that I was already using.

[Jamie Jackson]

That's pretty clever! Thanks for the pics as well.

 

Good job!