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Posted: 8/19/2021 12:41:22 AM EDT
I recently moved and decided it was finally time to clean up my temporary reloading area. Since I’m starting from scratch I figured I’d do a build thread for anyone that is interested. Feel free to make suggestions along the way.
The final plan is to have an “L” shaped bench under the cabinets that can barely be seen in the left of the picture and the other portion down the back wall where the temporary bench is sitting. I’ve built a few benches in different houses, so this one will incorporate some things I’ve liked along the way. The major portion will be 2x4’s cut and planed to 1.5x3. This may take a while due to traveling and other commitments, but I’ll try to keep it at a pace to be interesting. The mess:  Attached FileBeginning of the legs. They will be two 1.5x3 boards glued together. I’m going to use lap joints where the horizontal boards meet the vertical legs. To make cutting the lap joints easier I didn’t put glue where the lap joints would eventually be located.  Attached FileAfter glue up, I cut the lap joints. What you see here are the four front legs on the top already cut. The four back legs are on the bottom, glued, but not cut.  Attached FileThe front mock up.  Attached File |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 12:44:01 AM EDT
[#1]
Very nice, keep us updated on this build.
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Posted: 8/19/2021 12:53:38 AM EDT
[#2]
The front a back are glued and screwed. The final benches will be bolted to the wall, but the idea is to be sturdy enough to stand on their own, too. The 750 will be on the left side of this bench. The 550c will be on the right side. The middle area will have “t” tracks for my portable items like trimmer, primer, swager, etc. The single stage Hornady will be to the right of the 750.
 Attached File |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 1:11:20 AM EDT
[#3]
The frame of the long bench is put together. This bench has three sections. The two outer sections will have sturdy shelves underneath for bullets. The center will have half shelf’s so I can sit with a little underneath leg room, like a desk. The extra supports across the top, first two from the left and first two from the right, are for the Dillon strong mounts to bolt in to. They are spaced 11.5” on center.
The dimensions of this are: 8’ x 22.5” x 35.5”. The final will be 8’ x 2’ x 37”.  Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 8:19:39 AM EDT
[#4]
That's how you build a strong bench.
Lap joints without fancy joinery and glued and screwed together. What are your plane for the top as far as thickness? |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 11:23:04 AM EDT
[#5]
The top will be 1.5” consisting of two layers of 3/4” plywood glued and screwed together. For ease and making the most of materials, I’ll have Home Depot rip a 4 x 8 sheet down the middle to make the two pieces of 2 x 8, which will make the layers.
The top will be finished with a black Rustoleum paint that I typically use. It’s forgiving to chemicals and easy to repair. It also hides spilled powder, but allows for easily finding dropped primers. 
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Posted: 8/19/2021 11:24:03 AM EDT
[#6]
Damn. I bet that wood cost a mortgage payment.
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Posted: 8/19/2021 11:30:41 AM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Damn. I bet that wood cost a mortgage payment. Ah, you noticed. I refinanced the house.  I waited until prices fell. They are back down to about $4 per board. I used 15, $60 total. Screws were $10 and the glue was $7. I’m into this for $77 so far. |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 11:35:24 AM EDT
[#8]
Looks nice and solid. Tag for progress.
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Posted: 8/19/2021 11:40:44 AM EDT
[#9]
That is very close to the 12’ bench I put in the garage, no knee hole, just three cabinets with dividers and doors. The sides and dividers were from the window cut outs of my garage. Used the same on the upper cabinets.
I used 4x4 posts, they were new salvage cutoffs from something. Lapjointed similar to your built up posts. |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 11:53:53 AM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The top will be finished with a black Rustoleum paint that I typically use. It’s forgiving to chemicals and easy to repair. It also hides spilled powder, but allows for easily finding dropped primers. If it finishes a glossy black I think you will be able to see spilled powder fairly well. |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 11:54:58 AM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The top will be 1.5” consisting of two layers of 3/4” plywood glued and screwed together. For ease and making the most of materials, I’ll have Home Depot rip a 4 x 8 sheet down the middle to make the two pieces of 2 x 8, which will make the layers. The top will be finished with a black Rustoleum paint that I typically use. It’s forgiving to chemicals and easy to repair. It also hides spilled powder, but allows for easily finding dropped primers. Look into plastic laminate (i.e. Formica, Wilsonart, etc.) Not particularly difficult to work with and makes for a fairly durable top. |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 12:49:13 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If it finishes a glossy black I think you will be able to see spilled powder fairly well. Yeah, I think you are right. |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 1:28:50 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The center will have half shelf’s so I can sit with a little underneath leg room, like a desk. With as much as you've got going on the bench I don't think you'll be doing much sitting. If this was my bench I'd eliminate the knee room in favor of more storage space. |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 2:55:29 PM EDT
[#14]
There is no such thing as too much organized storage space.
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Posted: 8/19/2021 6:01:49 PM EDT
[#15]
I noticed you had drawers on your current bench. Not sure if that would be something you would like to incorporate in your new bench. Deep shelves of a short height can be a pain to reach things in the back.
I made these drawers to fit a deep inefficient space in our laundry room. You could do something similar and add drawers with a similar drawer face. When closed the drawer face could be made flush to the face of the legs and the other drawers. Just a thought. Not sure how finished of a look your going for.  Attached File Attached FileYou would want some heavy duty slides for any drawers holding bullets. At only 24" deep, those slides shouldn't be too hard to find. Or maybe just drawers on the top section of the bench for the smaller items. Plans for cabinets above the bench? |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 8:16:14 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I noticed you had drawers on your current bench. Not sure if that would be something you would like to incorporate in your new bench. Deep shelves of a short height can be a pain to reach things in the back. I made these drawers to fit a deep inefficient space in our laundry room. You could do something similar and add drawers with a similar drawer face. When closed the drawer face could be made flush to the face of the legs and the other drawers. Just a thought. Not sure how finished of a look your going for. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/375214/IMG_2447_JPG-2058674.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/375214/IMG_2445_JPG-2058701.JPG You would want some heavy duty slides for any drawers holding bullets. At only 24" deep, those slides shouldn't be too hard to find. Or maybe just drawers on the top section of the bench for the smaller items. Plans for cabinets above the bench? Those work well for that space. Nice job. My primary storage need is strong shelves for heavy boxes of bullets. The narrow ones will handle two boxes high and deep of Extreme bullets and also is just high enough for 1lb containers of powder. The other side of the “L” bench will have two Husky cabinets with drawers and shelves for bigger jugs of powder and primers. Above the bench will be some type of modern groove wall for hanging tools. Above that will be more Husky wall cabinets. |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 8:31:41 PM EDT
[#17]
The shelves were cut today. It was one 4’ x 8’ x 3/4” Birch plywood cut down. That was $70.00, plus paint for $60. I’m at $200 now.
 Attached FileThe cut out for leg room is a must. I often sit to answer the phone, doodle, stare at the Dillon calendar, etc. and hate banging my knees. Also, it’s a nice space to store the stool.  Attached FileThese two cabinets will be built into the left side of the “L” bench during the next half of the project.  Attached FileThe paint in case I forget later. I like the sanded deck paint for garage stuff. The rails will be dark gray deck paint. The top and shelves will be the black gloss.  Attached FileHere is the reason for the narrow, strong top shelves. Each side should hold about 12000-15000 boxed bullets (500 per box).  Attached File |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 8:43:20 PM EDT
[#18]
Quoted: (Snip) … To make cutting the lap joints easier I didn’t put glue where the lap joints would eventually be located…. (/Snip) Nice! You lost me, though, with that statement. Soooo… you’re saying you didn’t just grab the glue bottle and run one big squiggly line of glue down the complete or full length face of your planed down two by fours ??? And then just clamp two boards face to face as the glue dries to make a 3” X 3” “laminated” leg ??? How do you cut the laps/notches? I have to say planing those boards down even just a little totally changes how they look. |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 9:42:01 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Nice! You lost me, though, with that statement. Soooo… you’re saying you didn’t just grab the glue bottle and run one big squiggly line of glue down the complete or full length face of your planed down two by fours ??? And then just clamp two boards face to face as the glue dries to make a 3” X 3” “laminated” leg ??? How do you cut the laps/notches? I have to say planing those boards down even just a little totally changes how they look. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: (Snip) … To make cutting the lap joints easier I didn’t put glue where the lap joints would eventually be located…. (/Snip) Nice! You lost me, though, with that statement. Soooo… you’re saying you didn’t just grab the glue bottle and run one big squiggly line of glue down the complete or full length face of your planed down two by fours ??? And then just clamp two boards face to face as the glue dries to make a 3” X 3” “laminated” leg ??? How do you cut the laps/notches? I have to say planing those boards down even just a little totally changes how they look. I think he’s saying he put some thought into this project. When framing we glued down walls but were careful not to glue where we had to cut out bottom plates for doorways. I think that is what he was getting at. Looks nice. Need to build one myself but hard not to go too crazy or outside my skillset (or tool budget). |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 11:35:45 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Nice! You lost me, though, with that statement. Soooo… you’re saying you didn’t just grab the glue bottle and run one big squiggly line of glue down the complete or full length face of your planed down two by fours ??? And then just clamp two boards face to face as the glue dries to make a 3” X 3” “laminated” leg ??? How do you cut the laps/notches? I have to say planing those boards down even just a little totally changes how they look. Sorry about that. Let me see if I can explain it. Sometimes things make sense in my mind, but hard to explain. I drew it in sketch up so I knew where the dados would be on each leg. I marked them on the boards before gluing. When I applied glue I skipped the three inch area where a lap joint would be. After glue up I set my power miter saw to a 1.5” depth and cut the outside of each dado. Since there was no glue in the middle, I basically knocked the loose piece out. Had I not done that each dado would have had to been cut with a dado blade or a lot of repetitive single slices. There was a little glue squeeze out in unintended areas that required a little chisel cleanup, but it sure made the process easier. I also ran the finished legs through the planer to take a little off, cleaning up the glued seams. The top of the corner legs required a little more thought, but same idea. Here is the sketch up just for the purpose of the leg itself. The two 1.5 x 3’s were glued together to make a 3x 3. I didn’t apply glue where the red lines are.  Attached FileThe cut legs. No glue on the three inch space where the arrow is pointing. Two cuts across the red line. Center piece got knocked out.  Attached File |
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Posted: 8/19/2021 11:50:52 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I think he’s saying he put some thought into this project. When framing we glued down walls but were careful not to glue where we had to cut out bottom plates for doorways. I think that is what he was getting at. Looks nice. Need to build one myself but hard not to go too crazy or outside my skillset (or tool budget). A-ha! Got it! Thank you. |
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Posted: 8/20/2021 12:23:57 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sorry about that. Let me see if I can explain it. Sometimes things make sense in my mind, but hard to explain. I drew it in sketch up so I knew where the dados would be on each leg. I marked them on the boards before gluing. When I applied glue I skipped the three inch area where a lap joint would be. After glue up I set my power miter saw to a 1.5” depth and cut the outside of each dado. Since there was no glue in the middle, I basically knocked the loose piece out. Had I not done that each dado would have had to been cut with a dado blade or a lot of repetitive single slices. There was a little glue squeeze out in unintended areas that required a little chisel cleanup, but it sure made the process easier. I also ran the finished legs through the planer to take a little off, cleaning up the glued seams. The top of the corner legs required a little more thought, but same idea. Here is the sketch up just for the purpose of the leg itself. The two 1.5 x 3’s were glued together to make a 3x 3. I didn’t apply glue where the red lines are. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188107/2F0FA27C-9CC5-42AB-B5BA-A8B97C28C5FB_jpe-2059192.JPG The cut legs. No glue on the three inch space where the arrow is pointing. Two cuts across the red line. Center piece got knocked out. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188107/8D3A7B6F-EFCB-4A68-8672-4D4ABFF3AE49_jpe-2059193.JPG Yep! Now I am with you. Thanks! As a side note…. I wish there was a quick way to make a through mortise (in the face of 2X stock) with a matching long tenon so I could make a knock down bench/table or shelving unit :  Attached FileWith a tapered dowel as the peg instead. Back on topic… The only thing I don’t like about screwed and glued plywood tops is they aren’t real conducive to having a “gutter” plowed around the top…which keeps stuff from rolling off the bench. My first reloading bench was made at the Pope AFB hobby shop in 1994. I was living in an apartment at the time, so it had to be free standing. And it was on carpet. So with the possibility of it rocking slightly back and forth, I used a round nose bit in a router to mill a “gutter” about an inch in from the edge on all 4 sides. That kept cases and bullets from dropping to the floor. With your bench mounted to the wall, I’m thinking rocking won’t be an issue. |
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Posted: 8/20/2021 12:38:05 AM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yep! Now I am with you. Thanks! As a side note…. I wish there was a quick way to make a through mortise (in the face of 2X stock) with a matching long tenon so I could make a knock down bench/table or shelving unit : https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/369122/B6AF4D47-DF00-414C-9477-74498784D1F4_jpe-2059209.JPG With a tapered dowel as the peg instead. Back on topic… The only thing I don’t like about screwed and glued plywood tops is they aren’t real conducive to having a “gutter” plowed around the top…which keeps stuff from rolling off the bench. My first reloading bench was made at the Pope AFB hobby shop in 1994. I was living in an apartment at the time, so it had to be free standing. And it was on carpet. So with the possibility of it rocking slightly back and forth, I used a round nose bit in a router to mill a “gutter” about an inch in from the edge on all 4 sides. That kept cases and bullets from dropping to the floor. With your bench mounted to the wall, I’m thinking rocking won’t be an issue. That’s a nice joint. No Cheech and Chong reference. Garage floors are always uneven, especially with more then four legged benches. It seems there is always a high leg. I use wood shims or layers of felt to fix it, along with bolting it to the wall. Another thing that has to be considered is the concrete footer along the floor seems to always extend out a little past the drywall. In the sketch up above there is an extra 2x4 along the top back. This is bolted to the wall, then the bench is bolted to it. This keeps the bench and legs two inches out from the drywall and allows them to sit in front of the protruding footer. I usually cover my reloading bench with that cheap outdoor carpet. It keeps stuff from being noisey and from falling/rolling off. Here is my last bench I left in the old house when we sold it.  Attached File |
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Posted: 8/20/2021 12:50:15 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Garage floors are always uneven, especially with more then four legged benches. It seems there is always a high leg. I use wood shims or layers of felt to fix it, along with bolting it to the wall. Another thing that has to be considered is the concrete footer along the floor seems to always extend out a little past the drywall. In the sketch up above there is an extra 2x4 along the top back. This is bolted to the wall, then the bench is bolted to it. This keeps the bench and legs two inches out from the drywall and allows them to sit in front of the protruding footer. I was wondering how you were going to address leveling and the standoff from the foundation. Garages are typically sloped to the door for water run off. The rear of the garage where your bench is located not so much. I built my bench in the front corner of the garage where the floor is sloped the most and used a 2x4 ledger lag bolted into the adjoining walls instead of legs at the back and one side. I wasn't thinking... looking at your old bench now, even doors on the front the bench wouldn't work because the presses are mounted directly to the bench and would be in the way. I've left the front open on my benches as well. |
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Posted: 8/20/2021 3:46:07 PM EDT
[#25]
I think I used Tee-Nuts drilled and tap’ed in with a hammer to the underside of the legs. Then I either bought leveling feet that screwed up into the Tee-Nuts,or I used just ordinary bolts with washers glued to the bolt head. At that time I didn’t have a welder. Now, I would just tack the fender washer to the bolt head.
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Posted: 8/20/2021 3:56:14 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I think I used Tee-Nuts drilled and tap’ed in with a hammer to the underside of the legs. Then I either bought leveling feet that screwed up into the Tee-Nuts,or I used just ordinary bolts with washers glued to the bolt head. At that time I didn’t have a welder. Now, I would just tack the fender washer to the bolt head. 
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Posted: 8/20/2021 8:05:03 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I think I used Tee-Nuts drilled and tap’ed in with a hammer to the underside of the legs. Then I either bought leveling feet that screwed up into the Tee-Nuts,or I used just ordinary bolts with washers glued to the bolt head. At that time I didn’t have a welder. Now, I would just tack the fender washer to the bolt head. Thats probably the best way so each leg can be adjusted individually. Once I get to a point to move this long bench up to the wall I’ll see if it’s necessary. I’m trying to be a little cautious about the epoxy floor. Im hoping some dense felt will do the trick. |
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Posted: 8/20/2021 8:16:06 PM EDT
[#28]
For today’s update: I very slightly rounded the edges of all the shelves with a router.
I cut the holes into the lower shelves for the vertical PVC tubes on the right edge of the bench. I think I originally got that idea from someone here. I’m using the black ABS instead of white PVC because it saves painting them black. If interested, 2” PVC or ABS uses a 2.5” hole. There will be three: a long one for cleaning rods, a medium one for medium stuff and a short one for brushes and primer rods, etc. The bench top will have three holes, while the second shelf has two and the bottom, one. There are some finished ones in the picture of my old bench in one of the above posts.I filled all the screw holes in the frame with Drydex dry indicator spackling because it’s so easy to work with. The shelves got a coat of primer then and the first coat of gloss black. When I drew this up in sketch up I didn’t really pay attention to the size of the lower shelves. They slide right through the carcass in the program, but in real life they wouldn’t fit. No matter the angle, I couldn’t get the shelves inside of the built frame. I had to cut them in half and add a center board for support. Oh well.  Attached File Attached File Attached File Attached File |
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Posted: 8/20/2021 9:43:23 PM EDT
[#29]
That is going to be seriously nice. Thanks for the follow along.
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Posted: 8/21/2021 11:10:55 AM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yep! Now I am with you. Thanks! As a side note…. I wish there was a quick way to make a through mortise (in the face of 2X stock) with a matching long tenon so I could make a knock down bench/table or shelving unit : https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/369122/B6AF4D47-DF00-414C-9477-74498784D1F4_jpe-2059209.JPG With a tapered dowel as the peg instead. Back on topic… The only thing I don’t like about screwed and glued plywood tops is they aren’t real conducive to having a “gutter” plowed around the top…which keeps stuff from rolling off the bench. My first reloading bench was made at the Pope AFB hobby shop in 1994. I was living in an apartment at the time, so it had to be free standing. And it was on carpet. So with the possibility of it rocking slightly back and forth, I used a round nose bit in a router to mill a “gutter” about an inch in from the edge on all 4 sides. That kept cases and bullets from dropping to the floor. With your bench mounted to the wall, I’m thinking rocking won’t be an issue. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Sorry about that. Let me see if I can explain it. Sometimes things make sense in my mind, but hard to explain. I drew it in sketch up so I knew where the dados would be on each leg. I marked them on the boards before gluing. When I applied glue I skipped the three inch area where a lap joint would be. After glue up I set my power miter saw to a 1.5” depth and cut the outside of each dado. Since there was no glue in the middle, I basically knocked the loose piece out. Had I not done that each dado would have had to been cut with a dado blade or a lot of repetitive single slices. There was a little glue squeeze out in unintended areas that required a little chisel cleanup, but it sure made the process easier. I also ran the finished legs through the planer to take a little off, cleaning up the glued seams. The top of the corner legs required a little more thought, but same idea. Here is the sketch up just for the purpose of the leg itself. The two 1.5 x 3’s were glued together to make a 3x 3. I didn’t apply glue where the red lines are. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188107/2F0FA27C-9CC5-42AB-B5BA-A8B97C28C5FB_jpe-2059192.JPG The cut legs. No glue on the three inch space where the arrow is pointing. Two cuts across the red line. Center piece got knocked out. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188107/8D3A7B6F-EFCB-4A68-8672-4D4ABFF3AE49_jpe-2059193.JPG Yep! Now I am with you. Thanks! As a side note…. I wish there was a quick way to make a through mortise (in the face of 2X stock) with a matching long tenon so I could make a knock down bench/table or shelving unit : https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/369122/B6AF4D47-DF00-414C-9477-74498784D1F4_jpe-2059209.JPG With a tapered dowel as the peg instead. Back on topic… The only thing I don’t like about screwed and glued plywood tops is they aren’t real conducive to having a “gutter” plowed around the top…which keeps stuff from rolling off the bench. My first reloading bench was made at the Pope AFB hobby shop in 1994. I was living in an apartment at the time, so it had to be free standing. And it was on carpet. So with the possibility of it rocking slightly back and forth, I used a round nose bit in a router to mill a “gutter” about an inch in from the edge on all 4 sides. That kept cases and bullets from dropping to the floor. With your bench mounted to the wall, I’m thinking rocking won’t be an issue. You can still use that type of tenon if you ‘laminate’ 3 boards together and just cut the mortise out of the middle piece. Also your ‘gutter’ wouldn’t have to be very deep. Just an indent to stop something from rolling further and it is already as close to level as possible. |
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Posted: 8/21/2021 9:19:25 PM EDT
[#31]
Nice work OP. All that effort will be met with ?? of envy when finished. What is that finish on the garage floor? That's really cool looking.....durable if a wife turns the wheel alot in the garage?
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Posted: 8/21/2021 10:10:49 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Nice work OP. All that effort will be met with ?? of envy when finished. What is that finish on the garage floor? That's really cool looking.....durable if a wife turns the wheel alot in the garage? Thanks. It’s a professionally installed epoxy. Basically colored paint chips covered in a clear epoxy coating. I had the same flooring in another house and it was still in great condition after 12-15 years when we sold it. It is durable, but dropping or scraping it with sharp/heavy objects can cause minor damage. It can be repaired with chips and epoxy though. Cars don’t have any effect at all. The finish has a little texture so they aren’t too slippery. My garages have a car parked in them nightly. The worst thing about it is the black/silver color makes finding loose primers tough! |
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Posted: 8/22/2021 10:37:24 PM EDT
[#33]
Primed and painted the frame. The top will have to wait until next week when I have time to finish it up.
 Attached File |
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Posted: 8/26/2021 10:51:43 PM EDT
[#34]
great work
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Posted: 8/28/2021 9:14:38 PM EDT
[#35]
Had to take a week off for some traveling. The Vail area is beautiful this time of year, but back to the bench.
I had Home Depot rip another $70 4 x 8 x 3/4 piece of plywood down the middle to make two pieces at 2 x 8 x 3/4. When I got them home, I cut one piece into four sections for the top layer. The sections are to allow for three pieces of “T” track that my portable reloading tools lock into. I find it is easier to create the 3/4” dados for the “T” track by cutting the top piece into sections, creating gaps or dados, rather then keeping it one piece and cutting the dados with a router later. I marked out screw holes on the bottom of the bottom layer in locations that won’t interfere with where the Strong Mounts will be located later. The top pieces were then glued and screwed to the bottom layer of the bench top. It took a lot of glue, clamps and screws along with flipping the pieces over a few times. Bench top (bottom layer) upside down for screws.  Attached FileBack on the bench.  Attached FileA few years ago I started mounting my portable tools on boards. This has worked out well in the past, so no need to change. They use holes at 12” on center to lock into the future “T” tracks.  Attached File |
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Posted: 8/29/2021 2:57:45 PM EDT
[#36]
That’s not a bench. It’s functional cabinetry. Bravo.
I like everything about it, but in particular I like things like the tubes for storing vertical stuff, the T-tracks, and the HEFT of the whole thing. You clearly had this fully planned out, making it clear (if not simple) how to build what you need. It works out to being a face-frame cabinet made of robust wood and built in a craftsman-like manner. I’m examining my own processes, and collecting other people’s experiences with an eye to my next bench. When and if I get around to it. Instead of a garage, I have a spare room, about 10’X10’, and it’s cramped. A good sized safe tends to do that, but my NSF shelf unit helps a lot too. To improve on the space efficiency, I’ll basically have to completely rearrange the whole room. Not something I’m exactly itching to tackle at the moment.  I think anyone who even thinks about building a bench should diagram the absolute snot out of the space they’ll put the bench in. Knowing how much space you’ll need for each process helps plan floorspace usage, something I didn’t do as well as I’d like with my current bench. You have clearly done far more than just “figure it out.” Again, bravo! |
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Posted: 8/29/2021 7:12:51 PM EDT
[#37]
Great job! Nice looking and sturdy.
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Posted: 8/31/2021 11:01:51 PM EDT
[#38]
The Costco curse got me today. They had LED lighting on sale for $25. Of course I need under cabinet lighting, right?
I picked up three pieces of 24” “T” track at Rockler. It was $12 each, for $36 total. Back at home, I cut three strips of 1/4” x 3/4” x 24” wood to fill the dados. One piece goes in each dado on the bench top to raise the “T” track to just below flush. Next, I cut the five 2 1/2” holes; three for the vertical tube holders and one centered behind where each press will be mounted. Those are for the electrical cords coming off the press to go through to an under cabinet power strip. After that, some time was spent filling, sanding and priming the top. Since Costco decided I needed to install under cabinet lighting, I had to make some minor modifications. The LED strip is 16’, which will go under this cabinet, then bend the corner and go under the next cabinet, too. I didn’t plan this, so I made some cut outs into the cross members to feed the LED strip through. There is probably a better way had I thought of it before the frame was glued together, but it worked out well. The way it is done will also make it easily replaceable if the need ever arises. The top primed and almost ready for the gloss black top coats. The little screw holes everywhere are for mounting the top to the bench. They will be filled before the last coats of paint.  Attached FileThe blue tape is temporary. The light strip has mounting clips that will be installed under the bench top to hold it in place. Passing it through the cut outs worked well.  Attached FileIf I’m not reloading, I can use the garage as a night club.  Attached File Attached File |
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Posted: 9/1/2021 5:30:48 PM EDT
[#39]
That rope light will definitely come in handy. Now the color change feature may not be useful every day, but it may be helpful someday.
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Posted: 9/1/2021 7:40:09 PM EDT
[#40]
In the vintage Quake voice...Impressive!
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Posted: 9/2/2021 11:19:19 AM EDT
[#41]
Beautiful planning and execution. Practical, flexible to accommodate different setups, overbuilt, and affordable. This is basically what I'm looking for when I end up in a forever house and have more space to dedicate. Well done!
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Posted: 9/3/2021 11:20:27 PM EDT
[#42]
Thanks guys.
Painted the wall behind the the bench so I could move it into place. The color is Behr flat Falcon Gray. Eventually the entire garage will be the same color. With the earlier discussion about benches not sitting flat, surprisingly this one does. I still need to put some felt under the feet, but no shims necessary. In fact, I’m not even going to secure it to the wall right now because it is extremely sturdy. That may change. After I get the shelves, top and “T” track screwed down, I can start moving the 550 and 750 over.  Attached FileThe other part of the “L” to the bench will be under the cabinets down the white wall (which will be gray).  Attached File |
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Posted: 9/4/2021 11:15:39 PM EDT
[#43]
Looks great. Personally, I would have gone with a lighter color top so I could easily find dropped parts, but it still looks great.
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Posted: 9/7/2021 6:10:14 PM EDT
[#44]
I finished screwing the shelves and top down then filled the holes and added a few more coats of paint. Once the paint cures for a few days I’ll cut light gray outdoor carpeting to cover it. This dampens tool noise, keeps things from rolling and makes stuff easier to see.
I moved the presses over and moved the cabinets into place. The cabinets will be covered with an identical bench. That’s pretty much it. I’ll try to come back and post final pictures when it’s all finished. The rest is just repetition of what has been done.  Attached File Attached File |
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Posted: 9/7/2021 6:22:29 PM EDT
[#45]
Love it.
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Posted: 9/7/2021 10:34:12 PM EDT
[#46]
Very nicely done OP, and a good thread.
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Posted: 9/8/2021 3:58:28 PM EDT
[#47]
You have given me the courage to tackle a new custom bench in my new gun room, thanks! My presses are currently mounted on the same Harbor Freight bench you have.
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Posted: 9/15/2021 9:49:53 AM EDT
[#48]
Quoted: I recently moved and decided it was finally time to clean up my temporary reloading area. Since I’m starting from scratch I figured I’d do a build thread for anyone that is interested. Feel free to make suggestions along the way. The final plan is to have an “L” shaped bench under the cabinets that can barely be seen in the left of the picture and the other portion down the back wall where the temporary bench is sitting. I’ve built a few benches in different houses, so this one will incorporate some things I’ve liked along the way. The major portion will be 2x4’s cut and planed to 1.5x3. This may take a while due to traveling and other commitments, but I’ll try to keep it at a pace to be interesting. The mess: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188107/03185456-32DE-4699-A413-0DC7A590933E_jpe-2057990.JPG Beginning of the legs. They will be two 1.5x3 boards glued together. I’m going to use lap joints where the horizontal boards meet the vertical legs. To make cutting the lap joints easier I didn’t put glue where the lap joints would eventually be located. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188107/FACD1F01-B79F-4E40-A1B8-93FF3D9547D7_jpe-2057994.JPG After glue up, I cut the lap joints. What you see here are the four front legs on the top already cut. The four back legs are on the bottom, glued, but not cut. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188107/3C0FD58B-039F-46A9-B20D-EF5601B863A2_jpe-2057995.JPG The front mock up. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188107/13F12DE1-89CC-401D-BD8A-C3A8B4124914_jpe-2057997.JPG Can this kind of precision cutting be done with circular saws, chop saws, and a hand held drill? I'm building a new bench when we close on the new house but have limited tooling options. |
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Posted: 9/15/2021 9:59:09 AM EDT
[#49]
Beautiful bench. Well done.
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Posted: 9/15/2021 10:02:35 AM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Can this kind of precision cutting be done with circular saws, chop saws, and a hand held drill? I'm building a new bench when we close on the new house but have limited tooling options. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: I recently moved and decided it was finally time to clean up my temporary reloading area. Since I’m starting from scratch I figured I’d do a build thread for anyone that is interested. Feel free to make suggestions along the way. The final plan is to have an “L” shaped bench under the cabinets that can barely be seen in the left of the picture and the other portion down the back wall where the temporary bench is sitting. I’ve built a few benches in different houses, so this one will incorporate some things I’ve liked along the way. The major portion will be 2x4’s cut and planed to 1.5x3. This may take a while due to traveling and other commitments, but I’ll try to keep it at a pace to be interesting. The mess: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188107/03185456-32DE-4699-A413-0DC7A590933E_jpe-2057990.JPG Beginning of the legs. They will be two 1.5x3 boards glued together. I’m going to use lap joints where the horizontal boards meet the vertical legs. To make cutting the lap joints easier I didn’t put glue where the lap joints would eventually be located. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188107/FACD1F01-B79F-4E40-A1B8-93FF3D9547D7_jpe-2057994.JPG After glue up, I cut the lap joints. What you see here are the four front legs on the top already cut. The four back legs are on the bottom, glued, but not cut. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188107/3C0FD58B-039F-46A9-B20D-EF5601B863A2_jpe-2057995.JPG The front mock up. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188107/13F12DE1-89CC-401D-BD8A-C3A8B4124914_jpe-2057997.JPG Can this kind of precision cutting be done with circular saws, chop saws, and a hand held drill? I'm building a new bench when we close on the new house but have limited tooling options. You can make nice square cuts as a novice if you use a builders square and a clamp to hold it if you don’t trust yourself to keep it from moving. Use square edge as a saw guide to slide the circ saw base along. A straight edge of plywood works too for bigger sheet goods. Use the factory edge not a cut edge unless it was cut perfectly. Many circ saw bases will fit under the edge a bit if you use a 2x4 with its rounded edges. My milwaukee has a thin base so it doesn’t like rounded edge 2x4 guides. A cut off end of a 2x4 can be used as guide to drill square. Just hold bit against edge of 2x4. In one plane anyway. |
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