I have started on my Reloading Bench build project, and thought I would share my experiences here in the hope that it might help others that are starting on the same journey or are needing a bench upgrade. I will try to outline the mistakes I made and things that I modified as I went along to accommodate my needs.
NEEDS: I wanted a bench that was extremely sturdy, I did not want to deal with a flimsy setup that might impact my reloading consistency. I also wanted something large enough to make reloading convenient, but since it is going to be located in such a small room, I needed something that was not so large that it could not fit in my small 10x10 room. I did want something large enough however so I could spread out a bit, and I also wanted the bench to be able to double as my gun cleaning/building/repairing bench.
One caveat up front: I am NOT a carpenter!!! This is *not* going to be a pretty bench, and there are going to be mistakes that need to be compensated for since my carpentry skills and tools sets are lacking, that is for sure. I have seen some amazing benches in the Sticky Thread at the top of the Reloading Forum. This is NOT going to be one of them!!! It will be very basic, and fairly ugly compared to some of the great-looking benches that my INGO brethren have created.
I used the free plans that are readily available online from the National Reloading Manufacturers Association:
https://www.shotgunsportsmagazine.com/downloads/bench_plans.pdf
~and~
https://sites.google.com/site/grassrocketranch/the-nrma-reloading-bench
There are other plans available, but this one seemed pretty steady and easy enough to build that even I could do it! After getting into the build, I noticed that the bench was WAY too tall for me, even as a standing bench. The plans claim that it will be "waist-high for someone who is 6'2", and since I am only 5'10", this makes it too tall for ease of use for someone of my size. My "regular" workbench in the garage is 36.5" which is great height for me when standing, and when assembled according to the plans, the reloading bench is over 42" tall. I ended up whacking off 5" from the legs to make it easier to work with.
Another change I made to the plans is to substitute MDF wood for plywood for the bench top. lower shelf, sides and back. My initial thoughts were that MDF is much smoother and splinter-free. The downsides to MDF is that it is heavy, the corners can disintegrate when hit on the ground during construction, and water can penetrate and warp the wood. I have sealed the MDF in several coats of polyurethane to help with the water-proofing, but if I were to do it again, I would go with plywood (and in fact, I may end up replacing the top and shelf someday depending on how it lasts).
As of this writing, I have not yet started on the upper cabinet/shelf assembly, but I am sure that I am going to modify its design significantly when I get there. I don't really care for some of the design elements, and I am still working on suitable design ideas.
The total cost of the wood and hardware was $106 at Lowe's (September 2016).
Finally, I am going to be assembling the bench in the garage, and will have to partially disassemble the unit to get it down the stairs and into the room where it will eventually live. It is way too wide to fit through a standard doorway. The way the plans are written, I can just remove the carriage bolts from the corners of the top and the lower shelf and it should come apart relatively easily. This allows me to measure and drill the large 3/8" holes for the carriage bolts in the garage and make my mess out there, and then just do a quick disassembly/move/reassembly when I am done.
OK! Onto the build itself!!!
NEEDS: I wanted a bench that was extremely sturdy, I did not want to deal with a flimsy setup that might impact my reloading consistency. I also wanted something large enough to make reloading convenient, but since it is going to be located in such a small room, I needed something that was not so large that it could not fit in my small 10x10 room. I did want something large enough however so I could spread out a bit, and I also wanted the bench to be able to double as my gun cleaning/building/repairing bench.
One caveat up front: I am NOT a carpenter!!! This is *not* going to be a pretty bench, and there are going to be mistakes that need to be compensated for since my carpentry skills and tools sets are lacking, that is for sure. I have seen some amazing benches in the Sticky Thread at the top of the Reloading Forum. This is NOT going to be one of them!!! It will be very basic, and fairly ugly compared to some of the great-looking benches that my INGO brethren have created.
I used the free plans that are readily available online from the National Reloading Manufacturers Association:
https://www.shotgunsportsmagazine.com/downloads/bench_plans.pdf
~and~
https://sites.google.com/site/grassrocketranch/the-nrma-reloading-bench
There are other plans available, but this one seemed pretty steady and easy enough to build that even I could do it! After getting into the build, I noticed that the bench was WAY too tall for me, even as a standing bench. The plans claim that it will be "waist-high for someone who is 6'2", and since I am only 5'10", this makes it too tall for ease of use for someone of my size. My "regular" workbench in the garage is 36.5" which is great height for me when standing, and when assembled according to the plans, the reloading bench is over 42" tall. I ended up whacking off 5" from the legs to make it easier to work with.
Another change I made to the plans is to substitute MDF wood for plywood for the bench top. lower shelf, sides and back. My initial thoughts were that MDF is much smoother and splinter-free. The downsides to MDF is that it is heavy, the corners can disintegrate when hit on the ground during construction, and water can penetrate and warp the wood. I have sealed the MDF in several coats of polyurethane to help with the water-proofing, but if I were to do it again, I would go with plywood (and in fact, I may end up replacing the top and shelf someday depending on how it lasts).
As of this writing, I have not yet started on the upper cabinet/shelf assembly, but I am sure that I am going to modify its design significantly when I get there. I don't really care for some of the design elements, and I am still working on suitable design ideas.
The total cost of the wood and hardware was $106 at Lowe's (September 2016).
Finally, I am going to be assembling the bench in the garage, and will have to partially disassemble the unit to get it down the stairs and into the room where it will eventually live. It is way too wide to fit through a standard doorway. The way the plans are written, I can just remove the carriage bolts from the corners of the top and the lower shelf and it should come apart relatively easily. This allows me to measure and drill the large 3/8" holes for the carriage bolts in the garage and make my mess out there, and then just do a quick disassembly/move/reassembly when I am done.
OK! Onto the build itself!!!