Ideal bench size and features?

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Freedomaintfree

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Minuteman
Dec 1, 2019
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2
#1
I am starting to get my reloading equipment. I will need to get a work bench. I am hoping it can do double duty as a gun cleaning bench and occasionally maybe some small home projects. I also have a work bench in my garage where most home projects will be done. Reloading will be done in the basement.

All that to say what size bench should I build or shop for? What is ideal and what is the minimum size to work without a hassle? What other features should I look for (storage, lighting, pegboard back, cabinets, etc)?
 
#2
the short answer is big enough for what you need to do. LOL ... Cleaning you need space for the gun so say cleaning a pistol vs a rifle. reloading are you doing a single stage vs a progressive? lighting and storage is important make sure you have enough of that. Also make sure you have enough power outlets for any other devices you need. I reload on a 30" x 21" wood topped tool box with drawers and a small cabinet but only reload on a single stage press.
 
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#3
I can suggest a couple of things.

Make your bench higher than you think....most people dont and/shouldnt reload sitting down, so keeping the stroke of the press handle somewhere between your shoulder and elbow is much more ergonomic.

If your using a stongmount or other riser than compensate for that.

Make your bench shallower than you think.
Too much bench depth leads to clutter and confusion.

I do believe my bench is 18 inches deep by 39 inches tall, mounted securely to the wall and the handle of my presses are 53 inches high.

You also can never have too much light...leds dont mess with other electronics.

Shred
 
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#4
Bigger than you could ever need.

I used a solid core commercial 8' door for my last build. It was free and sturdy.
It has a Dillon and a single stage and 2 powder measures, and 2 powder throwers. Akro-bins stack nicely in the back. Probably 20 lbs of powder and 10000 bullets stacked behind the bins (overflow storage) provide counterweight.

Make sure you have plenty of space to work with.
We have 7 presses setup in my Dad's place now (he lives 2 minutes away and no cats to play with stuff). 3 shotgun loaders on one bench in one room. Dillon and rockchucker in one room, Dillon and Hornady in another room.

It's a disease. Haven't found a cure, but haven't looked either.
 
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#5
Whatever you do...make sure you have plenty of storage area. Cramming a bunch of crap into a small space and having to sift through it to find what you want every time sucks

My bench is 26” deep. 8” of that depth is taken up by shelving for powder, bullets, brass, another miscellaneous stuff. Currently my bench is 4’ wide but I wish it was wider. I’m 6’3” and have the top of my bench 42” off the ground so I can run the press handle without having to hunch over or anything

In my opinion, measure from the floor to your elbow, and that is the measurement for the lowest height I’d want the bench top to be at, if you plan to load while standing up
 
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#7
Sirshredalot said:
I can suggest a couple of things.

Make your bench higher than you think....most people dont and/shouldnt reload sitting down, so keeping the stroke of the press handle somewhere between your shoulder and elbow is much more ergonomic.

If your using a stongmount or other riser than compensate for that.

Make your bench shallower than you think.
Too much bench depth leads to clutter and confusion.

I do believe my bench is 18 inches deep by 39 inches tall, mounted securely to the wall and the handle of my presses are 53 inches high.

You also can never have too much light...leds dont mess with other electronics.

Shred
Click to expand...

Why shouldn't people reload sitting down?
 
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#8
I really like my louvered wall panel for hanging plastic storage bins on. Great for organizing brass, bullets, small tools, etc. I got mine from grainger.

20191215_214137.jpg
 
#9
Whatever you draw up plans wise, double the length. I thought mine was going to be fine. But no way, now I have a new house and am going to do a new one. "L" shaped and about 20 inches deep. It will be about 6 feet long and then the other leg of the L will be roughly 3 feet... of useable bench front. It's the largest I can put in there. Also going to do LEDs. Put some sturdy shelves in and dont be afraid of having it weigh a lot. I use 4x4 for the legs and 2x4 for stringers. 2x6 for the top on my current one. But I'm going to do a top that is basically laminated together, think butcher block. Wood glue's bond is actually stronger than the wood itself if properly applied. Dont be afraid of smashing something together with pipe clamps and titebond for the top of it. Then bolt it to your leg/frame
 
#13
As big as you can get away with really. I would say minimum 3'x4' top and sturdy. Working height depends on what you find comfortable standing in front of. I would think more along the lines of standing counter height than a table. Or something you could use a stool to sit and work comfortably. My reloading bench is a couple inches higher than my workbench mostly so I dont have to lean over working with smaller detailed items. Overhead storage is nice. I like shelves and clear plastic bins. Pegboard is handy for hanging tools and various bins and organizers are available. The metal panel version works well and you can use magnetic hangers and such. And dont forget good lighting.
 
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#14
I’ll go the other way and say you don’t need a huge space for the task at hand. And you can do it sitting down in front of the tv so you’re comfortable instead of standing like a chump staring at a drywall corner.

I use a little 2x3 coffee table I made to sit my ass right in front of the tv. Whatever I’m using goes on the table, when it’s not in use I remove it and put it in/on a cabinet.
B48EB83C-1ACD-47DD-A59D-EF18A3E4780E.jpeg

EAB16BC9-61CE-4007-9E81-636DE2F499F9.jpeg
 
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#15
spife7980 said:
I’ll go the other way and say you don’t need a huge space for the task at hand. And you can do it sitting down in front of the tv so you’re comfortable instead of standing like a chump staring at a drywall corner.

I use a little 2x3 coffee table I made to sit my ass right in front of the tv. Whatever I’m using goes on the table, when it’s not in use I remove it and put it in/on a cabinet.
View attachment 7203327
View attachment 7203322
Click to expand...


I deprime with a lee decapper and hand press while watching TV. Need to find a spot for my little 32” flatscreen on my bench.

I don’t spend much time reloading these days. My press is way faster than most now.

B1BC6E66-4445-4BF3-B222-FF92C1EC979E.jpeg
 
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#20
Ryridesmotox said:
People like to think it's rocketry.
Click to expand...

I definitely do brass prep while watching tv. Especially chamfering and reaming etc. Something that doesn't usually require eyes lol.


As far as benches go, I would keep it skinnier than a normal work bench, in the 20-26" deep range. Make it as long as you can, or build a second, smaller moveable bench for different stuff if you're limited on room.

Heres my two bench setup in my shop, although these are older benches. Once i get a few house projects done, I'll be putting the long bench up against the wall, and extended the short bench as a secondary cleaning/misc. bench, and the long bench will be attached to the wall and used as my Fall/Winter bench. My shop is heated and insulated, however it does not like the humidity, so I do have a spare room in my house that is getting a 6ft bench in it soon for spring/summer reloading.

IMG_3850.jpg

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STORAGE is huge. Personally I like the plywood box storage or cabinets, but the bin system works well too, just make it what you want. I would highly suggest taking the advise of every one talking about taller benches. My long bench is not tall enough for me.

Also, I highly recommend keeping a bottle of Jameson by your reloading bench at all times for emergencies lol

Good luck
 
#21
The above posters have offered lots of good suggestions and ideas. Size depends on available space and personal need. I wouldn't make it much deeper that 32 inches. Deeper than that makes it harder to retrieve stuff. Decide if you want to load while sitting or standing and make the height suitable. It needs to be sturdy. It needs to be very sturdy. The weight of brass and bullets, and even primers can really add up so build any cabinets or shelves with this in mind. You need an electrical receptacle or two and lots of light. Think ahead about where you want to be in a few years and not just about right now.
 
#22
I'm going to be moving my office/reloading room to a bigger room in our house - as soon as I get the motivation to make it happen. When I do, I'm going to have two 6' tall, 3' wide cabinets and 10' of bench space. I will be mounting my press (T7) to the bench, but not much else. I currently use Hornady's bench system with their mounting plates to slide in whatever piece of equipment I need at the time (currently two trimmers, two secondary presses for non-reloading activities like bullet pulling, concentricty, etc.). The rest of the space I'll use for the rifle cleaning area, scale, powder throw, etc.

Right now I have a 5' bench and a repurposed desk I use as a cleaning station. It is a pretty mediocre set up.

I'll also be building in a tray stand to stack reloading trays with brass in them. I'm kind of surprised no one (at least that I've found) has a bench-top, self standing one of these. It's always an issue finding places to put my trays!
 
#23
supercorndogs said:
Why shouldn't people reload sitting down?
Click to expand...
Ok, i interjected a little of my opinion.
I feel it is not ergonomic and leads to poor leverage and misalignment of the body to press.
Also hard to get line of sight proper.
Imho

Some people may need to reload sitting down, but i feel that for the average individual it is not a good idea.

Shred
 
#24
Sirshredalot said:
Ok, i interjected a little of my opinion.
I feel it is not ergonomic and leads to poor leverage and misalignment of the body to press.
Also hard to get line of sight proper.
Imho

Some people may need to reload sitting down, but i feel that for the average individual it is not a good idea.

Shred
Click to expand...

I would actually like to reload sitting down, but no matter how I set myself up, It just doesn't feel right. I do a lot of brass prep and hand tools crap sitting down, but when it comes to working the press, everything just feels better standing up.
 
#25
The best thing I did for my reloading area was a rolling tool cabinet and chest. They don't have to be the best (mine aren't) although ball bearing drawer sliders are nice. One can roll it to the work area and have everything within easy reach and, at least for me, encourages putting tool away and keeping the bench clutter free. They can be found everywhere and many times on sale.
 
#26
Rocketmandb said:
I'm going to be moving my office/reloading room to a bigger room in our house - as soon as I get the motivation to make it happen. When I do, I'm going to have two 6' tall, 3' wide cabinets and 10' of bench space. I will be mounting my press (T7) to the bench, but not much else. I currently use Hornady's bench system with their mounting plates to slide in whatever piece of equipment I need at the time (currently two trimmers, two secondary presses for non-reloading activities like bullet pulling, concentricty, etc.). The rest of the space I'll use for the rifle cleaning area, scale, powder throw, etc.

Right now I have a 5' bench and a repurposed desk I use as a cleaning station. It is a pretty mediocre set up.

I'll also be building in a tray stand to stack reloading trays with brass in them. I'm kind of surprised no one (at least that I've found) has a bench-top, self standing one of these. It's always an issue finding places to put my trays!
Click to expand...
Across the front of my bench i installed a 1/2" x1/2" piece of aluminium angle between all my presses...with the outer edge flus and pointing upward.

This holds all my akro bins and tools, and keeps stuff from rolling off the bench.

Shred
 
#27
Gustav7 said:
I would actually like to reload sitting down, but no matter how I set myself up, It just doesn't feel right. I do a lot of brass prep and hand tools crap sitting down, but when it comes to working the press, everything just feels better standing up.
Click to expand...

I do the same. I deprime, do flash hole prep, chamfer, prime, etc. sitting down at my desk - usually when I'm on conference calls for work :)

I stand for press and trimming functions.
 
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#28
Rocketmandb said:
I do the same. I deprime, do flash hole prep, chamfer, prime, etc. sitting down at my desk - usually when I'm on conference calls for work :)

I stand for press and trimming functions.

Darren
Click to expand...

My fiance thinks i'm weird standing all the time haha. I need to get one of those squishy rubber mats for my shop floor. Concrete doesn't feel great after 2 hours standing in the exact same spot... takes me back to army formations lol
 
#29
What ever you do for standing, make sure that you are not hunching over. Stand up straight and put your elbows forward even with your belly and forearms level to ground. That is 1 - 2 inches above the ideal height IMO. Arms straight out would be the depth (again, to your belly - round guys vs thin guys are going to have different depths).

Storage above and below your bench, make sure your lighting casts no shadows on your work surface. I have a 48" LED shop light just below eye level - which is the bottom shelf above my bench.

Solid is also critical. You should not be able to wiggle/shake it. Surface should be something chemical resistant. Finished wood is pretty, but gun solvent is hell on most finishes. I went laminated particle board.

x2 on the press riser. Make sure that you don't have to bend or hunch over to run the press. Having said that, I have a separate stand for my presses, and do that sitting. Case prep and powder handling is all standing.

x2 on the standing pads. I prefer carpet/low pile rug, keeps small parts from bouncing & rolling away when they fall off the bench.
 
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