Reloading bench

[Stix]

Sure yellow tongue is cheap & fine for a benchtop....but i prefer ply.
Personally if making a benchtop for reloading & using particle board id double up the thickness & do a glue rub joint between them, then screw them together.

& Blade, if your ply reloading bench keeps delaminating id bring it inside out of the rain...!!
If ply is delaminating for you, buy structural ply that has real glue...!!

Indoor laminate benchtops are not made for external use in the weather.

& as the most resistant--leave an off-cut of yellow tongue & structural ply in a puddle of water for 2 weeks & then tell me which one you rekon is most impervious to water...let me tell you you wont be using the structaflor again...!!

Leaving it submerged in a puddle is very different to leaving it out in the weather
Even plywood doors delaminate fairly quickly if they're not protected.
I'll stick with the YT.

I wasnt trying to convice you to switch to using ply Blade...!! im a huge fan of structaflor, i just think it & ply have their ideal uses...
I just prefer ply for a bench top that has things bolted to its overhang where great force could be used--purely for the strength of the grain, as opposed to particle board that relies more or less on the glue....

I cant help but imagine a home handyman built bench with a heavy press bolted to the overhang of a single thickness of 19mm yellow tongue with the stuck case of a 300wm--a "touch" of frustration (& lets face it, us reloaders know that feeling well...!!) & it could snap or fracture the structaflor..but ply would take much more stress.

Having said that, & as i mentioned earlier if i was doing a benchtop with it id use a double layer (back to back with a scratched/etched & screwed a pva rub joint) for the strength so as to never have to worry about strength....& my reloading bench is just a kitchen benchtop which is just particle board (from the demo of a kitchen reno job --its a shame we dont need a sink at the reloading bench as i have 8 of various sizes in the building rubbish pile)

Id never use ply for a door but would use the structaflor (as you have) for its linnear stability (wont warp in any given direction at corners) but its edges need sealing...

[bladeracer]

I wasnt trying to convice you to switch to using ply Blade...!! im a huge fan of structaflor, i just think it & ply have their ideal uses...
I just prefer ply for a bench top that has things bolted to its overhang where great force could be used--purely for the strength of the grain, as opposed to particle board that relies more or less on the glue....

I cant help but imagine a home handyman built bench with a heavy press bolted to the overhang of a single thickness of 19mm yellow tongue with the stuck case of a 300wm--a "touch" of frustration (& lets face it, us reloaders know that feeling well...!!) & it could snap or fracture the structaflor..but ply would take much more stress.

Having said that, & as i mentioned earlier if i was doing a benchtop with it id use a double layer (back to back with a scratched/etched & screwed a pva rub joint) for the strength so as to never have to worry about strength....& my reloading bench is just a kitchen benchtop which is just particle board (from the demo of a kitchen reno job --its a shame we dont need a sink at the reloading bench as i have 8 of various sizes in the building rubbish pile)

Id never use ply for a door but would use the structaflor (as you have) for its linnear stability (wont warp in any given direction at corners) but its edges need sealing...

Funny you should mention that, I'm sizing .300WM tonight, but my bench top is only a single thickness of 19mm YT - I'll let you know if it's a problem

[Stix]

RightO...you do that...

[JimTom]

Mate I have looking for something on gumtree to buy and convert into a reloading bench however nothing caught my eye, so I decided to build my own. Couple of hundred bucks of timber in it.

[JimTom]

Stage one.

[JimTom]

Starting to come together.

[JimTom]

Next bit.

[JimTom]

Got this far yesterday. Just need to finish storage shelf, chuck some filler in screw holes and to cover the othe imperfections, then hopefully a few coats of clear this arvo. Mount my press etc tomorrow and then it’ll be done.

[Blr243]

Perhaps you only have enough equipment to half fill those shelves ? Regardless of what your family says I give you permission to spend whatever you like to fill it up completely. ( all the extra weight will make it very stable and we all know how important that is for making accurate reloads )

[JimTom]

Yeah mate there is a bit of storage space but I’d rather have to much then not enough.
Will do my best to fill it.

[JimTom]

By the time I chuck all my cleaning gear in there as well as tools and other kit, I’d say it will be fairly full.
Was thinking of making one or two compartments lockable to store powder and loaded ammunition.
What do you blokes reckon?
Any suggestions?

[Stix]

Hey Jimtom...

Wait until its filled Jimtom...& you get some sticky cases to size...
And everything on the top shelf ends up on the floor...

(Yes its obviously happened to me... )

And don't worry if you cant fill it...not too far in the future you'll be needing an extension... ... ...
... ... TO THE HOUSE...

Good work mate...looks great...!!!

Leave the screw holes...just colour the screw heads black & tell people you pre-drilled them at the range with well placed shots...

[JimTom]

Do you think the hutch on the back is to high / big?
I can see your point mate with stuff maybe falling off top shelf but would have to give it a fair old nudge.

[Stix]

Lockable sectiins sound like a great idea mate...
But if you intend on buying more rifles, (im not sure what you own & how much you shoot), & have space next to the bench, lockable sections might be unnecessary because honestly you will fill that matchbox in no time...!!

Im in that boat & am keeping my eyes out for a seperate lockable cabinet to hang next to it.

If you dont have the space, might be a good idea...

[JimTom]

At present I just have a lockable steel box that I intend to secure to the bottom shelf, that will serve as my ammo locker in the interim.
I would have liked to make the bench bigger however I am very space limited unfortunately.

[Stix]

Do you think the hutch on the back is to high / big?
I can see your point mate with stuff maybe falling off top shelf but would have to give it a fair old nudge.

Jim my bench is similar size to yours... except im a carpenter & built mine with framing timber, 40mm thick benchtop & 100x100 posts & all screws are 100mm 14 gauge....& it still moves...

The idea will be to fix the shelf unit seperately to the wall, or at least a fixing or 2 into the wall for a little lateral support.

[JimTom]

Thanks for that mate, yes I am definitely no cabinet maker or chippy.

This is the end product after a few coats of clear.

[Sergeant Hartman]

Darn looks nice... but the question is will the bench top hold the your weight when you pump up the press.

I got what looked like a timber table.... but it had chipboard bench top..... so after a fair bit of reinforcement it worked for now... but I know its going to break soon. I need more ammo and powder storage though......

and been thinking of the house extension idea...... except it cost will be about the same as building a new bigger house... lol

[JimTom]

I have the space underneath my press reinforced mate so should do the trick.
Considering I was using a bedside table with my press mounted on it, this is a bit of a step up I’d say.
Mind you the bedside table idea seemed to work fine.

[JimTom]

This was my old bench so I think anything is a step up from here.

[Stix]

That looks bloody nice mate...

Excellent job Jimtom...!!!

You can be my apprentice anyday

but all your brass will fall through the gaps in the bottom shelf...

[JimTom]

That looks bloody nice mate...

Excellent job Jimtom...!!!

You can be my apprentice anyday

but all your brass will fall through the gaps in the bottom shelf...

Haha deal. It’s a little rough up close in a few spots nevertheless not to bad for a hacker like me.

[JimTom]

You were right Stix. Pigeon holes all full. Filled easily.

[Gaznazdiak]

Top work JimTom, well done mate.

[JimTom]

The final product.

[JimTom]

Top work JimTom, well done mate.

Thanks mate.

[Sergeant Hartman]

Yep you need a 2nd table.

I need a 2nd table and another cupboard for projectiles and a third cupboard for powder....lol.

And another safe

[JimTom]

Yeah mate I agree. It’s never ending.

[wanneroo]

Looks like a nice bench Jim.

I started reloading sitting in an uncomfortable chair in a cold uninsulated barn with a Lee Hand Press. Then upgraded to a prefab Chicom wood table. Now I have an insulated barn with heat and two new benches that I am working on getting going. Hopefully will have it sorted in a few weeks.

[JimTom]

Looks like a nice bench Jim.

I started reloading sitting in an uncomfortable chair in a cold uninsulated barn with a Lee Hand Press. Then upgraded to a prefab Chicom wood table. Now I have an insulated barn with heat and two new benches that I am working on getting going. Hopefully will have it sorted in a few weeks.

Nice mate. Sounds like it’ll be more than adequate. Would be interested in seeing a few pics of your setup once you’re sorted.