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Posted: 3/13/2016 11:45:06 PM EDT
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A complete newbie to reloading.
A Redding T7 Turret press is what I will be mounting. Can you guys post some pictures of your benches? I'm thinking a bench that is 5ft long and 30" deep would be OK. Is this enough room for all the accessories? I want a birch or maple 1.5" - 1.75" thick bench top for rigidity, also a shelf on top of the bench with a peg board back and a shelf beneath for storage. I will not be reloading thousands of rounds at a time but a hundred or two at a time on a weekend here and there. I don't want to outgrow it. Thanks. |
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I use a Craftsman 2 drawer bench I bought about 18 years ago. It is 5" long and 30' deep. I have two presses on it. It has been big enough for me. It is bolted to the floor and the wall and is solid as a rock. I added 1/2 inch of A/C plywood to the mdf top that it came with. For your anticipated uses, I think you are on the right track.
I tried to find the model of bench I have but it appears as it is no longer made. Will keep looking for you though. It was only about $150 and really nice. |
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Quoted:
A complete newbie to reloading. A Redding T7 Turret press is what I will be mounting. Can you guys post some pictures of your benches? Check this thread for more pictures than you could ever want: [URL=http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_42/262015_Official_Reloading_Bench_Picture_Thread___Now_with_100__more_Pictures_.html]Reloading Bench Photo Thread[/URL] I'm thinking a bench that is 5ft long and 30" deep would be OK. Is this enough room for all the accessories? I want a birch or maple 1.5" - 1.75" thick bench top for rigidity, also a shelf on top of the bench with a peg board back and a shelf beneath for storage. 30" depth is good because it gives you room on the bench top for storage, and still leaves ~24". I have a 72"x30" 1.75" maple butcher block top, and I love working on it and cleanup is easy. I will not be reloading thousands of rounds at a time but a hundred or two at a time on a weekend here and there. I don't want to outgrow it. Not possible - you will outgrow it :) It's only a matter of time. Thanks. |
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Standard height for desks, etc. is 30 inches and kitchen counters or workshop benches for standing work are 36 inches. Most importantly, it is comfortable if the press handle is at or maybe just a little above shoulder height when up, and if you load while standing, you don't want to have to dip down at the bottom of the stroke, either.
If you are goung to use the Inline fab mount, you can do similar to what I did. I made sets of 4 1/4 inch holes spaced about 1 inch and IIRC 11 inches from the front edge, and side-side about 10 inches apart. The original purpose was to use Dillon strong mounts with Dillon 650's. The groups are seperated by 5 inches side-side. My presses are all mounted onto oak 1" boards approximately 11 inches square which are drilled with 4 holes matching the 4 hole groups in the counter top. I can mount 1,2 or 3 presses this way, and can swap out one press for another without having various odd hole patterns in the countertop. |
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Quoted:
Thanks for the link! What height should the bench top be? Im thinking of using a low 4" - 6" riser from inlinefabrication.com Thanks again! My bench is 41.5" tall. Works great for me with my press on a strong mount and standing. My suggestion is to take your press and a table if you're going to sit, or a counter if you're going to stand. Set the press on some blocks of wood, books, etc. Anything to help you set the press at height. Run the press a few times and see if the height needs to be adjusted. I used 2 adjustable clamps to hold the press for this. A buddy will work in a pinch. Your looking for a comfortable range of motion with no bending over at the bottom of the stroke. If you go with a tall bench for standing and later decide you want a chair, drafting stools/chairs will adjust high enough to be useful. |
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I built this bench. It's only two by four but it serves the purpose. Set up with my presses on the right side. I also added a second shelf both on the top and bottom to help with storage. |
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Quoted:
Thanks for the link! What height should the bench top be? Im thinking of using a low 4" - 6" riser from inlinefabrication.com Thanks again! I have an inline fab strong mount for my Forster, bench is at 35"..... strong mount puts the press just about at the perfect height. Over the years I've changed my workflow, and in some cases changed my layout. Won't hurt to start with an "open" floor plan, see how things go. I used a 2x4 basics kit to build a 4'x8' table for reloading. I started with a much smaller table that as given to me, it worked fine until my round count increased... as well as my press inventory. ~g |
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You need to make sure your hand does ever go above your shoulder when reloading. You also shouldn't have to reach too far down.
Good thing there are people like Dan at Inline Fabrication... he has lots of cool accessories including ergo roller handles and such. My bench was too tall for my Hornady LNL. I got his short ergo handle and that really helped. I had to live on a 4 foot bench for a while... I used the quick detach mounts to swap between presses. I now have two 5 foot lengths in an L shape. Two huge presses are mounted permanently to one length of 5' (a 1050 and SL900). So, you shouldn't have any problem with your 5 foot bench. That turret press is nice. Been eyeing it for a while but haven't pulled the trigger. I really don't need and I have enough green stuff already. Good luck! |
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