Thanks for that @GUN-DMC, It will be about 3 times bigger than my current bench with the option of extending.
I normally batch load my ammo, will resize all of them, prime them, charge them up and finally seat the bullet. I find by doing it that way I make sure each stage is good before moving onto the next.
That will all change once I start pistols.
I plan on doing something similar to my trimmer etc as I hate mounting them permanently as they end up getting in the road and you lose a lot of bench space. Roll on Feb…
I have a laminate top by accident rather than any planning and I really like it. Really easy to keep clean a spray with the carby cleaner and a wipe and it is clean as. Its flat and smooth so any spilled powder can be easily retrieved. You know how often powder can get out lose. . Reason I like it flat and smooth and carby cleaner resistant is I also use one shot in one corner of the bench and that can get a bit sticky and dirty so a quick wipe down is great. Depth of the bench is good so you can store things at the back of the bench or on the wall behind it and not have an overhead shelf in your face.
Width should be fine as most of it will be 900mm wide with one section 700mm as I will have a little storage/shelf setup. Do you have any problems with things rolling off? I was thinking of putting a small angle iron lip on the front edge.
I have had the odd thing roll odd. Butt I also have a small amount of powder near the edge so if I want to put just one more grain in I can sweep it off the bench into the pan. Sometimes the trickler will do more than one grain if they get stuck together.
If you’re worried about things rolling off, could you have the shelves leaning slightly back? The unit can be vertical, but tilt the individual shelves a couple of degrees, and as long as you’ve got a backboard they won’t drop on your head
Agree with @sungazer, smooth bench-top. Makes cleaning easier and makes handling items like case blocks easier if you can just slide them around. As I said, mine is a solid core door so it has a masonite outer that has a tough painted finish. I always use reloading blocks when handling cases for loading. Plastic tubs for doing bulk work like trimming etc. I use a thin rubber mat on top if I’m working on a gun, both for protection and grip on parts so that they don’t roll off and go missing. Built in shelving for dies, tools, etc. I built the locking cupboard part for primers and ammo that I’m working on so that is in easy reach but still satisfies the NSW storage requirements.
I have a very similar idea inmind.
My first thought was to put a threaded insert into the bench top so you could just screw the bolts in, but I went a different path with t tracks instead.
I know exactly what you are talking about with threaded inserts (AKA furniture bolts/nuts). Maybe… Tracks I think is elegant looking, but - (a) they only give you mounting points on one horizontal plane so to speak and impact working space.
I have heaps of baby gate bolts from when little monsters didn’t know how to open the gates…
I swapped the nut (actually a spacer for the gate, but irrelevant) they came with for large washer and a wingnut. Turned out to be pretty good, IMHO.
Damn I was looking for something like that last week. Ideally it would have had a captive nut bit for what was needed they would have worked just great. I ended up getting something that fits a wipper snipper and after picking them up yesterday the bolt is attached to the knurled nut. and I now have to glue a nut into the woodwork.
So… With some new equipment (3D printer) and a lot more structural stress (another press), I needed a new bench. My current one was built before we moved in. I strengthened it a bit, but all in all it was held by snot and masking tape.
I asked a colleague who is into wood work about as much as I am into guns. I present to you, well over 150kg of my hardon hard wood.
. Reason I like it flat and smooth and carby cleaner resistant is I also use one shot in one corner of the bench and that can get a bit sticky and dirty so a quick wipe down is great. Depth of the bench is good so you can store things at the back of the bench or on the wall behind it and not have an overhead shelf in your face.
