Do you have a 6 inch speed square? A basic must have for carpentry, and especially useful with a circular saw.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Empire-7-in-Magnum-Aluminum-Rafter-Square-2990/205194666

Something like this. I use a cheap plastic Stanley one. But an aluminum one if you wish to splurge.

It ensures you are fastening at a 90 degree angle.

Use square inside the corner of your perimeter pieces as you drive screws.

You can drive screws (2 at this time) at the 4 corners  (without glue, this is called a dry fit) and the last joint should be really close to 90 degrees.

Should be able to easily push last joint together.

If you are happy with how square frame is (measure diagonal corner to corner, you should get the same number if frame is in square.) + or - 1/16 is fine.

If out of square, a light tap with a mallet on the long side, should fix the issue.

Now if your happy with the DRY fit, take one joint at a time apart, apply glue and screw into the existing holes. Should be easy peasy.

If you are using 3 screws per joint, install after the 2 dry fitted screws are driven.

Check for square again measuring diagonal. Adjust as needed, let dry several hours (overnight would be best).

Now with frame finished cut supports, dry fitting them first ( with screws), then glue the in. Insert them from the top.

Any glue smear will be covered up by the top.

If you had a miter saw with a stop installed, that makes it very easy to get the pieces all the same size. But expensive.

Oh that triangle you should get will also allow you to cut straight across a 2x4 or 2x6.

Hold triangle on board and place saw against triangle. Move both until saw is on cut line.

Triangle acts as a fence for a straight cut.

You can also cut a "story board" that is the length you want minus the plate on the bottom of the saw.

So story board is clamped to piece you want to cut, saw guides off story board=all cut pieces are the same length.



Like most utube videos, guy is close but has the part of the square that indexes off the 2x4 is backwards.

Should index off the side you are starting the cut on. Video has that side of square on the back end of cut.

Easier for square to move as you cut. Don't make the mistake in the video.

But at least you can see how the speed square acts as a fence for the saw.

Good luck.

Press
1. Lube I use for all parts of press.
2.....no
3. Yes, clean and lube.
4. Small amount of CLP on spot to stop rust. Don't do anything else. Your press is a veteran, treat it with respect.
Dings are character. Press with character is to be cherished. Especially one with old school features we like. New ones, meh.
5, 6 ,7 NO.....and especially no repaint.
Remember loaner JR I loaded you. That's as close in color you can get. It was green, but not right. Too shinny, too green. Original finish was powder coat.
That press was all rust with 20% of original paint left. Had to paint to save it.
Yours is good as is.

Trimmer
Same as press, use CLP for lube and cleaning. No grease, you are over thinking this.
I wouldn't paint it, see press paint comments.
Don't waste you 99% on cleaning. Use it for home brew case lube.
If you have a real thing for cleaning with isso, use the 70% stuff.

Just one of the things I like about you is you listen.

Wish the wet tumbling crowd would.
Sometimes I give up and just quit posting a thread and let the ones with bad ideas run OP in circles.

1. Drill and install 3'rd screw after the first 2 or after glue has dried, doesn't matter. After 2 screws joint is set.

When countersinking in wood, make countersink shallow, as screw will go in deeper when driven in. Different than in metal.

Also precise trigger control and clutch adjusted correctly on drill will stop screwhead when flush.

I ALWAYS use a drill with clutch when driving screws when I care about the screw head being flush.

The impact driver is not for precise work.

On a 2x4, I would use 2 screws, 2x6, 3 screws.

2. Pilot hole for third screw after the first 2 screws set the joint.

I have tried this and done several experiments and I found no benefit for a longer than 30 min Lemishine/Dawn soak.

If you are not wet tumbling, you will only get cases clean on the outside. And add dry time unnecessary.

And that's fine. Wet tumbling I consider an advanced technique that may be in your future. But get the basics down first.


2. The flashlight method needs practice. (shinning a strong light down case neck)

Berdan cases have an indent (not a flashole) where you would expect to see a flashole on a Boxer case.

So easy to get fooled into thinking you have a Boxer case. BTDT.

The 2 tiny flasholes on either side of the indent can be hard to see with a dirty fouled case and untrained eyes.

But you can see them with a good flashlight and are looking for them, that's a Berdan case.


Remember the set of Lee primer punches I told you to get? (mine were mounted on the wood bases)

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012829041?pid=297408
Link for those following along.

Use the appropriate size to fish around to find a centered flashole.  

Takes practice and you can feel the pin on the punch drop into the flashole. Keeping punch in the flashole strike punch and remove primer.

If you can't find the flashole when you feel around, probably Berdan. set aside in a labeled can. Several years from now you will be able to sort this can.

That is one way to keep from breaking the decapping pin.

Ways to not break decapping pin when sizing;

A. Remember lesson #1 I taught you when sizing cases....never power through. There is a reason you are encountering unusual press handle resistance.

Take case out and inspect. Rock in case? Berdan case? Case not properly lubed? Fix before returning case to press.


B. Then there is the collet shaft the decapping pin is mounted to in the Lee Universal decapper or Hornady sizing die. This is a great feature RCBS dies lack.
(I made sure OP got Hornady dies, why make him learn the hard way?)

Tighten collet no tighter than it will take to deprime a crimped case without collet slipping up. This is trial and error, use crimped primed cases to set this.
To test, gently try to decap a Berdan case, collet should raise up if set correctly. Doesn't raise up=collet too tight.

Properly adjusted if you size a Berdan case the collet (with decapping pin) will slip up and not break,
giving you the clue you screwed up and the proper adjustment on the collet saved your die from damage. (and dryflash3 was right)

So many folks crank down the collet nut, so it can't slip and break their decapping pin and the decapping shaft.



So that's 2 proven methods, the third is headstamps.

*Almost all USA brass cases will be Boxer primed, and *most foreign cases sold here. Steel cases can be either.

Have a headstamp with just numbers...foreign Mil surplus most likely=flashlight test. Most likely Berdan.

Until you gain experience you might want a list of Boxer and Berdan headstamps to refer to.

I know of no source of Berdan primers that will fit a 223 case, so just put a plier pinch in the middle of the case and put in scrap bucket.

In the future, if you see a pinched case, you already know it's a bad case.

Good luck

Was typing/editing my previous post when you posted this.

Go back to see Berdan primer info.

@Cascade-Dude

Yes

1. When tumbling, sort by case mouth. Anything 22 cal can be tumbled together, just like anything 30 cal.

44 and 45 can be tumbled together.

How to tell? If one case mouth will enter another, that's a no go.

Cases will "fuse together" with media, and the case that entered will still be dirty.

Rest is fine.

#8, That's your trading stash.

Something moved between dry fitting and final assembly.

Flat concrete floor? Can look flat but not really flat, that's my guess from 100 miles away.

Have a 4 ft level you can lay across this area and look for light below level. Look for a truly flat area if it exists.

I put packing paper on my table saw (to catch glue droplets) and use that for my assembly's. Dead flat machined steel surface.

If your top is rocking screwing down plywood will most likely not help. Maybe worth a try if it's not bad.

If that doesn't help you will have to shim the low corner or corners. Then screw on top.

With no table saw, will be hard to cut shims. mmmm

You must assemble on a flat surface, however you get there.

Did you try the level on the floor?

Sheet of 3/4 plywood shimmed so it doesn't rock would probably be plenty. Half sheet would probably work.

Sorry, never bought shims, always made my own.

Flat work surface, check.

Then it sounds like you have wet boards and they are warping as they dry.

You really have to dig through the board pile to get usable lumber.

Things I look for, reject a bent board, never buy a board with the pith (center of the tree, you can see the rings). They warp the worst.

Of course is board is wet to the touch, no good. Lumber bundle has a plastic wrap and normally kept outside until needed. So easy to get wet.

1. Time between buying lumber, stored inside I assume?

2. Cutting to length?

3. Assembly?

I'm thinking wood is not stable when assembled, then is drying out. Warps when drying.

If you are going to buy, get heavy metal legs and frame with a laminated (2 inch thick) wood top. Then you can modify from there.

After you price these you will see why I build my own.

You posted this while I was making my previous post.

That steel is not your answer.

I though you would ask what I have no experience with.

Lots of options here,
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=laminated+wood+top+workbench+with+metal+legs&crid=3E6GNHL9GUT0T&sprefix=laminated+wood+top+workbench+with+metal+legs%2Caps%2C187&ref=nb_sb_noss

https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-storage-organization/workbenches/large/48-in-workbench-with-light-58695.html

Lots of mods needed. Get rid of back and build real shelfs. Pegboard is a real space waster.

Add wood top.

At least has some drawers.

Good luck.

Just like reloading, you just need to be shown the way.

That's a fine looking bench. Easy to add a shelf below and shelfs above.

1 3/4 thick top is close enough, that's a standard thickness anyway for a heavy duty bench.

Price reflects that. Quality costs money.

Fair enough.

Looks great.

What turned out to be you issue?

If the joint are glued and screwed, it's stable right away with the screws. Will get stronger as glue dries.

When fitting braces, they should be tight, but if you can't bang them in by hand they are too tight.

Don't use a hammer to force braces in. It's plumb, don't make it cockeyed.

Remember dry fit them first, drill pilot holes. Then use glue, locate them, and screw in place.

Build it out with all shelfs and braces, top should be last.

The bottom brace on the front side, you planning to keep it?

Be hard to put your legs under bench with that in the way.

I would run a brace between the sides about a foot back (leg room) to replace the front side bottom brace.

This would be the support for the bottom shelf (with front to back braces). Where you keep bullets and other heavy items to help anchor the bench.

If this is a "stand only" bench, front bottom brace is fine.

Sounds like you are on the right track with the bench.

Time to spend your money. If you are going to sort brass as a regular thing.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012981319?pid=847836

Seems like a lot of money for plastic trays that fit over a 5 gal bucket.

But it will change your brass sorting life.

I just used mine after my range session last weekend.